Saudi women inveigh against end of female driving ban

BY

Mohamed Zain

-

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 - 12:17 GMT

BY

Mohamed Zain

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 - 12:17 GMT

A number of Saudi females turn out to be against the decision of lifting the female drive ban – File photo

A number of Saudi females turn out to be against the decision of lifting the female drive ban – File photo

CAIRO – 29 September 2017: Saudi Arabian women will be allowed to drive cars as of June 2018, a decision that ended a longstanding policy in the history of Saudi Arabia and is deemed a major sign of social development for the Saudi kingdom.

The decision came according to a royal decree issued by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Tuesday and was broadcast live on Saudi state television.

The step of allowing Saudi women to drive cars on their own without having to hire drivers or be driven to destinations by male relatives is widely considered a positive sign according to social media and international reactions. However, the decision received various other feedback from activists, feminists and social media users.

According to a video posted by the Guardian on Twitter with the hashtag #women2drive, the decision is hoped to be the start of more changes in the future of Saudi women.


The video pointed out that Saudi women still cannot drive cars without the permission of a man; furthermore, Saudi women are not allowed to dress the way they want, travel out of the country on their own, associate with men outside their family, choose where to live, get divorced or undergo certain medical procedures and examinations.

Aside from people hoping for more freedom and development in the Saudi society, some are still against the decision.

User @fahad_A-fahad tweeted, "No to women driving, you will not drive.


The same user further tweeted that granting women the right to drive, opening shops during prayers, opening cinemas and ditching male guardianship are all "extraneous demands" to the conservative Muslim society.


Some Saudi female citizens apparently are against the decision. Twitter user @aI3noood said that the absence of the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice brought up the "dirtiest" people out of their burrows, she also included the hashtag #people_refuses_women_driving


Another user, namely @bayanalsharif41, said people have the right to vote on the decision before it is announced; she added that women are currently seeking decency and abstinence.


User @AlghtanyaLayla also tweeted that Saudi women only ask King Salman to provide them with jobs. She added that she fears for herself and her country.


@sosoq2030 tweeted that allowing women to drive will do them no good.


User @Mooonface2023 described the decision as "unfortunate".


@BBE4 just thinks that Saudi women need other rights than driving cars. "Woman does not need to drive, she needs a job, salaries and rights, and all of this was ignored!"


"Allowing women to drive cars will open a closed door for sinful women to spread vice and evil deeds," @nnm20124 tweeted.


@6wfx507 as well tweeted, "Who allowed the West to talk on Saudi women's behalf? We, as Saudi women, do not want or need to drive."


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