A Saudi parliamentary member proposed just discussing the possibility of letting women drive in his country. The reaction was, to say the least, unfavorable.

IOL: World: "Some say it would present her with opportunities to violate Islamic law, such as exposing her eyes while driving or interacting with strange men.

But Al-Zulfa contends that neither the law nor Islam bans women from driving. Instead, the ban is based on fatwas, or Islamic edicts, by senior clerics who say that any driving by women would create situations for sinful temptation." ... [and] say driving would allow a woman to leave home whenever she pleases and go wherever she wishes.

This doesn't seem to match up with other reports...

Islam Online- News Section: "“A lot of women told us they had hoped things would change rapidly for the better after the overthrow of the Taliban, so there is a sense of disappointment,” she said.

“But on education, employment and security there is a feeling that generally things have not improved ... and in some cases have got worse,' she added."

I don't think this is a good thing:

Islam Online- News Section: "A report by the London-based Population Research Institute (PRI) and a survey conducted by IOL Correspondent confirm that operatives working for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are distributing abortion devices and chemicals, disguised in kits marked for safe delivery in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran."

A reminder of the bad old days. From March 2000:

[Islam-Online- Top News]: "The Taliban, who now control most of the country, have barred women from working outside and attending schools, in line with their own strict interpretation of the Islamic Shari’a law."
...Omar attacked the non-Muslim world for launching "propaganda" against the Taliban in the name of women's rights. "Their interpretation of women's rights is only those ugly and filthy western cultures and customs in which women are insulted and dishonored as a toy," it said.
...Omar, who is referred to as the leader of the faithful by his followers, told women to educate a "new generation" according to the Islamic Shari’a law. "I will do more in addition to my previous orders and statements to save and protect all your Shari’a rights," he said.

The ruling militia's mobile religious police patrols in Kabul and other major cities make sure women do not show their faces or ankles. Violators are beaten by a rubber hose, often symbolically but sometimes painfully hard.

And finally, a look at how Islam views women. Follow the link and read the whole article:

Islam Online - Services (Fatwa): "The status of woman in Islam constitutes no problem. The attitude of the Qur'an and the early Muslims bear witness to the fact that woman is, at least, as vital to life as man himself, and that she is not inferior to him nor is she one of the lower species. Had it not been for the impact of foreign cultures and alien influences, this question would have never arisen among the Muslims. The status of woman was taken for granted to be equal to that of man. It was, of course, a matter of fact, and no one, then, considered it as a problem at all. "