Hi friends,
Another unending discussion on whether women should be able to drive in the Kingdom or not! I read this piece of article* and was so saddened by it. It seems like a lone fighter, one Dr. Al-Zulfa, is up against the entire Shoura council members. As it is, Al-Zulfa suggested to the members to discuss the issue of allowing women to drive, and prepared 18 reasons that would benefit the Kingdom if the 1 million foreign drivers were sent back home thus allowing for women to drive and relieving the country from spending 12billion riyals on these foreign drivers. The Saudi extremists, started an internet campaign** to discredit Dr. Al-Zulfa and have called for him to leave the Shoura Council. They argue from a religious perspective, while Al-Zulfa says there is nothing in the Quran about women not driving. I wonder what the big deal is if women were allowed to drive? What will happen?
In the words of Dr. Al-Zulfa:
> "I think a lot of people in our society want to find a solution to this problem which is that women are not allowed to drive."
>"There are many problems that come up whenever we want to discuss anything to do with women in our country. We do not even know how to discuss things on their behalf since they are not allowed to express themselves in our society." [This is so true!!!]
> "People should not succumb to extremist thoughts or extreme ideologies of the sort that feeds militant extremism from which this country has already suffered much."
I wonder how you all feel about it? Should women be allowed to drive in Saudi? Or is it better to let women be dependent on foreign drivers? In my mind, I think they should be allowed to drive. I would feel 100% more comfortable seeing my own sister drive, instead of going in taxis or with a driver! The fact that the young men would stare and gawk and harrass and honk at women drivers is a whole other issue which needs to be written about separately! =)
Mansur
* http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=64205&d=23&m=5&y=2005
** http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=64202&d=23&m=5&y=2005
3 comments:
Your comment about voting got me thinking, you cannot even vote in the country! That's a whole other issue much discussed and much debated over. For God's sake, even the male prisoners in the jails have a privilege over the women to vote! I do anticipate some problems of women were allowed to drive, but I think the benefits would far outwiegh the negative impact of women driving.
M
Your comment about voting got me thinking, you cannot even vote in the country! That's a whole other issue much discussed and much debated over. For God's sake, even the male prisoners in the jails have a privilege over the women to vote! I do anticipate some problems of women were allowed to drive, but I think the benefits would far outwiegh the negative impact of women driving.
M
mansur----what world are you living in???? women will never drive in saudi? in a country where they allow for men from prisons to vote, what chance are there for women to drive? the menfolk want to keep the women in their control? simple as that!!!!!!!!!
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