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SAUDI ARABIA - AWAY FROM THE CITIES,
WOMEN DRIVE
By ROB L. WAGNER/
THE MEDIA LINE
02/10/2011
JEDDAH, Saudi
Arabia -- Whenever Hawazen Ebrahim’s family spends an evening picnicking in
the desert outside of |
“The women in my
family and the families in my neighborhood think nothing of driving,” said
Fawzyyah Hassan, 45, who tools along the roads in areas near
Indeed, Abdullah Alami, a Saudi economist who is spearheading the latest
campaign to end the ban, said the law implies that women are permitted to
drive. Alami is fighting a quixotic campaign get the Shura Council, the body
that advises the king on policy, to consider a petition allowing women to
drive.
“You see, Islam calls for protecting women’s legitimate rights,” Alami told The
Media Line. “Driving is a right for women, as it is for men. Article 32 of the
Saudi Traffic Regulations provides that. It’s prohibited for any ‘person’
driving a vehicle before getting a driver’s license. Based on this text, the
term ‘person’ isn’t limited to males.”
Women caught driving in cities don’t face arrest. A Saudi journalist explains
that local police agencies follow a basic policy by taking the offending female
driver to the police station and having a mahram (male guardian) come to
collect her. At the station, the police require the guardian to sign a document
promising never to allow his charge to drive again. Refusing to sign the
document exposes the guardian to jail time for failing to discharge his duties
the protector of the woman.
“I have to admit I never heard of any guardian being arrested because his
daughter drove a car,” the journalist said.
Although
While men are at work, wives and mothers transport livestock to market and
drive tanker trucks to ensure their villages have water. Many Bedouin women act
as the principal breadwinners in the family by transporting goods from village
to village. Unlike in urban areas, a woman driving in the desert isn’t taboo,
but encouraged.
“There is evidence that women who drive in remote villages have earned respect
for following traffic regulations,” Alami said. “It’s natural for women in
rural areas to assist in making a living in every way possible.”
In 2009, there were so many women driving in the Ha’il region that the
Commission on the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the mutaween)
filed a complaint with the administrative authorities asking that 15 women
stripped of all driving privileges. The local authorities ignored the demand
because it posed a threat to the families’ livelihood.
Women in the hinterlands have few alternatives to getting behind the wheel. The
typical family car in rural areas is a pickup truck with a single bench to seat
three people in the cab. But women can’t sit beside a male driver because it
puts them in a state of khalwa (seclusion with an unrelated man), which is
forbidden. Families can’t afford to hire a profession driver because that would
cut into the family income.
In any case, it’s virtually impossible for traffic police and the mutaween to
patrol thousands of square miles of desert.
But, the tacit acceptance of women driving doesn’t extend to cities, where the
ban is enforced. Indeed, women passengers sitting alone in taxis or cars with
private drivers face harassment from men. The harassment has made many families
fearful of allowing their daughters or wives to be alone in a car.
Alami, however, said that is no longer a valid concern. “People are more
convinced today than ever that there is no justification for preventing women
from driving,” he said. “Saudi women continue to drive in various countries
around the world. It has become more acceptable for them to drive in their own
country.”
There is also anecdotal evidence suggesting that police sometimes turn a blind
eye to women driving in the city, at least in Jeddah where a large swath in the
northern part of the city is inhabited mainly by wealthy Western-educated
Saudis. Police officers are often reluctant to confront influential families
that tacitly approve of their daughters and wives driving.
A 26-year-old woman, who asked that her name not be published, said she
recently went on a driving spree with a female friend in
Alami said rural women could serve as role models to their urban sisters. They
get behind the wheel to put food on the table and don’t bother themselves with
the restrictions their urban counterparts face.
Last month, Alami sent a petition signed by 136 Saudis, including 98 women, to
the Shura Council. The petition asks for consideration of a trial-driving
phase. The Shura Council can forward a recommendation to the Council of
Ministers for approval if it agrees the plan has merit. The petition seeks to
specify driving schools available to teach women driving and to issue driving
certificates. It also asks that police departments develop women’s sections to
handle licensing and violations issues. A key component of the petition asks
that stiff jail time and fines be imposed on people harassing female drivers.
Alami also seeks to have Saudi traffic authorities develop vehicle safety
checks, highway breakdown programs and an awareness campaign.
A representative for the Shura Council said there was no record of the Council
receiving the petition. Alami is undeterred. He is preparing a second petition
and seeking additional signatures.
“