so women are not allowed to drive here.. i was wondering why? well there's a number of reasons (according to men of course):- if women are allowed to drive it will encourage them to leave the house unsupervised for no good reason
- it will make dating, which is already getting out of hand, much easier.. instead of going out for school and social events girls will go on dates.. won't they find a way anyway if they want? and why are only girls to blame?
- many fear that men, especially the young, will harass or chase female drivers.. why not ban the men from driving then?
- if women are allowed to drive, soon some of them will take the opportunity to discard the hijab and abaya as well.. excuse me, but aren't those who want to already doing it when going abroad?
- it's too dangerous to let them drive. they would kill us all.. oh, by the way, saudi arabia has the highest rate of car accidents per capita in the world.. this in a country where women, who are proven to be more careful drivers anywhere in the world, are never behind the wheel
- they aren't smart enough to learn how to drive.. oh, shut up!
- other arguments focus on practicalities, like traffic jams, accidents, car breakdowns, driving in remote areas, etc.
this ban is by no means islamic! in Prophet’s (peace be upon him) time, women rode their horses and camels.. in other islamic countries women didn’t have to compromise their modest dress code to drive and they drive as well as men, if not better and safer.. so this isn't a religious issue so much as a cultural one
as a result a woman needs to depend on someone else to drive her around.. they have to hire male drivers which may be a burden on the family budget.. on the other hand women are warned not to ride with strangers (be it a private driver or a taxi driver), specially alone.. oh and have i mentioned that there's no public transport? this leaves women no options!
why can't they train female drivers and establish a "pink taxi" service like it's been done in london, moscow, dubai?
or at least, why not make women-only public busses? even let the driver be a man, but at least women would have the opportunity to move around freely and they wouldn't have to stay alone with a stranger.. i imagine such busses would look something like this one
anyway, the thing that needs to change is the attitude some men have toward women in this country.. the problem is deeper than just lifting the ban for driving.. let's just hope some day this society will be ready for the big change
more on this topic here
