I think something is stirring on the issue of Saudi women’s driving. I’m seeing increasingly frequent stories in the Saudi media, each calling on high authorities, supporting the proposition that women should be permitted to drive in the Kingdom.
Below is the most recent offering from Saudi Gazette/Okaz, putting it bluntly that there are no religious barriers to women’s driving. The piece points out, too, the paradox of forcing women to be with unrelated drivers, either in taxis or the women’s own cars with foreign drivers. And yes, there have been instances of women getting into trouble—on their own initiative or not—with strange drivers.
Anyway, it does seem that something on this front will be happening in the near future. I see this as a softening up of the opposition before a new rule is announced.
‘Shariah does not bar women from driving’
Metib Al-AwwadHAIL – Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, a professor of Comparative Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) and a former judge at Hail court, has called for women to be allowed to drive, saying that there are no objections to it in Shariah and that “customs and traditions in our society must not rule us absolutely.”
Al-Mutlaq, speaking to Okaz newspaper, said that the study he was currently carrying out on the issue was motivated by a wish to tackle problems associated with foreign drivers being responsible for transporting Saudi females.
Al-Mutlaq said the move would serve to “prevent corruption” and noted “many negative observations concerning drivers.”
Al-Mutlaq said women should be allowed to drive, and cited the fact that many already do in rural areas with no resultant problems.
“They have earned respect with their abidance of traffic laws,” he said.
Al-Mutlaq called upon youth to respect women driving and expressed a wish for the issue to be treated as “normal”.
Al-Mutlaq’s comments support those expressed by Islamic thinker and former Minister of Information Dr. Mohammed Abdo Yamani, who told Al-Watan newspaper on Wednesday that women should be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.
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June:05:2009 - 16:18
I hope, I hope! I’m buying a car when it happens!
June:06:2009 - 00:29
Too bad they have to rely on racism (those scary foreign drivers! such predators!) to make it happen. But I still hope to see it happen.
June:06:2009 - 03:56
Nic, The problem is much deeper than racism. They wouldn’t let even a Single Saudi man be the domestic Driver help without crucifying him as well… and they wouldn’t want the Single Saudi guys to be ogling their “Maharim” if they let their women drive on the road. It’s sad though that to pitch women driving they had to play on different cards, which one of them is the racism card… The first one that “non-mahram” living under your roof.. second one is “that foreigner” card, which is succefessfully been smeared by sponsorship system failures. (Guy establishes a fake company, he sells visas, sponsors whoever pays and wouldn’t care if he was inviting a cartel of thugs into his doorstep)
Well looks like Women driving is going to wreck its way into the Saudi life, its going to be ugly to watch how this folds out.. I just hope they don’t cower to pressure once problems start to arise and pull out of the whole thing. We have been waiting for this for an eternity.
June:06:2009 - 06:52
nic: what DW said. I don’t think it’s so much ‘racism’ as pointing out the absolute contradtiction in behavior that results from this no-women-driving policy. I think it is smart to use religion as the hammer to quash an argument supposedly based on religion. It’s almost a by-product that other races are involved and that only because very few Saudis would drive non-related Saudi women, even if they could.
June:06:2009 - 12:24
Of course the issue has never been whether Shariah allows it or not. Arguing about whether Shariah allows it or not is just a way of keeping those reforms “on slow burn”, which is a conscious effort by those who have hijacked Islam in order to assert their cultural, tribal hegemony in the region and those who have personal financial and political interest in not rocking the boat of those crazies. So they engage in this ceaseless debate over something that is only an issue in Saudi Arabia (and in Talibanistan or anywhere mouse minded tribal folks hijack Islam in order to assert their ways on others).
Let’s be clear: Women are and have always been allowed in Islam to participate in the same modes of transport as men. Khulwa is a pact between an unrtelated man and unrleated woman in SECLUSION.
This is not up for debate. What’s up for debate is whether the customs of Arab nomadic tribes include a secular/cultural ban on women driving. It’s very important that we parse Islam from this debate and not allow these hicks to hijack the religion.
June:06:2009 - 12:56
Agreed, but I think it is important to clear religious (or supposedly-religious) objections out of the way and make it clear to all that it’s a matter of custom that’s at issue here. Too many times and in too many places, the flag of religion is raised to stop change, and deviously at that. By clearing the underbrush, it makes it more plain that change is possible, that it only takes making a decision to accept change.
June:06:2009 - 16:02
@ anonymous,
From the article:
This comment from Islamic thinker and former Minister of Information Dr. Mohammed Abdo Yamani and is another step toward erasing what the Grand Mufti said. Recall that Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al Sheikh uses Islam for his position and says that women driving equates to “mingling” and is forbidden. As these arguments are brought up one by one they are being knocked down.
Mr. Burgess is correct. The treatment of driving within Islam should be the first thing addressed. Then the custom issues can be confronted.
June:06:2009 - 23:08
Sadly, there are already plenty of folk here that see the religious problem with drivers and there solution is that women stay home. Men drive their kids to school, leave work to pick them up- and do the grocery shopping etc. Wives stay home unless the husband takes them out.
June:07:2009 - 02:41
The sad thing Sandy, when such people have the fear of their wives/daughters mingling over shadowing their lives.. They underestimate how a desperate housewife/prisoner who is bored out of her mind would do. You don’t have to look at the women of Saudi Arabia to realize that.. Just look at the suicidal car stunts the young boys do.