Ya Libnan

Saudi Arabian women drivers not safe, says Grand Mufti

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saudi woman driver 2Allowing Saudi Arabian women to drive would lead to more accidents on roads, according to the austere Gulf kingdom’s highest religious authority.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that prohibits women from driving, as well as imposing a number of other restrictions on areas including employment and travel.

“If women knew the evils and consequences of driving they would realise it is in their interest and society’s interest that they do not drive,” Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Alsheikh said, according to Saudi news site An7a, as reported by RiyadhBureau.com.

“Women driving would lead to more accidents. When women are in danger, they don’t know how to act. How are they going to deal with accidents?”

In 2012, more than 600 women petitioned Saudi’s King Abdullah to allow women to drive in the country, a year after a group of women’s-rights activists launched the Women2Drive campaign.

Prominent figures such as Princess Ameerah Al Taweel have also spoken in support of women lobbying to overturn the driving ban.

Women’s rights in the Gulf’s most populous country, which practises an austere version of Sharia Law, are a frequent topic of discussion in the world’s media.

Females in Saudi Arabia are prohibited from taking up employment or leaving the country without a male guardian’s permission.

In recent years though there have been indications that absolute monarch King Abdullah has pursued a reformist agenda in terms of women’s rights.

In 2011, it was announced that women would be permitted to vote and stand in municipal elections from 2015, while in January 2013  30 women were appointed to the country’s legislative Shoura Council.

Some female members of the Shoura Council have said they will lobby for the driving ban to be lifted, although there is not yet a timeframe for when the issue will be discussed.

It was also recently announced that women would be allowed to practice law in a professional environment for the first time.

 

Arabian Buisness

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10 responses to “Saudi Arabian women drivers not safe, says Grand Mufti”

  1. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    (I never felt a piece of paper meant you were capable of driving … it is a tax, more than anything.)
    “When women are in danger, they don’t know how to act. How are they going to deal with accidents?”
    Well, aside from taking a shot at Chinese women drivers … 😉 … allow me a story about MEN drivers in another place where women have little respect. I know the woman involved in this – and make no excuse for her – but the ‘event’ is disturbing in many aspects, and perhaps explains what the dough-head Grand Mufti is talking about.
    The woman has a Tunisian driver’s licence. But she was driving in JORDAN.
    (maybe should have paid the tax for an International one, we assume? that is irrelevant)
    (details are a little fuzzy in her head because of the ‘scene’ and the accident perhaps)
    She pulled into an intersection … a car rammed into her driver door … left leg broken.
    Then another car rammed into her from the back. Small neck problem later – maybe from that … OR maybe because in the blurr of memory she has now about it … some guy opened the passenger door and dragged her out across the seats onto the road. There is a crowd. The first driver yells at her and demands papers … rifles through her handbag and discovers she is Tunisian … Various MEN stand around and give her shit … we can assume someone calls for police … which is when the crowd generally disburses. She is still on the road, cars jockeying past hers. Police arrive. Eventually an ambulance arrives … perhaps an hour or so has gone by.
    (I must say that no-one stole anything … she managed to ‘text’ me with her phone while lying there … which was basically a useless thing for her to do, considering the miles …)

    Later in hospital ….
    The police give her shit for driving without a Jordanian licence. Make her sweat a lot – while in pain.
    BUT IN THE END, NO CHARGES!
    Why??
    They don’t know who hit her. !! There were no other cars there when they arrived. So no-one is claiming for car-repairs … and the friend who loaned her his car has no claims he can make either for it’s damages.
    (Was this men playing bumper-car because she was driving slowly or carefully? we will never know)
    Obviously … in the thinking of the Grand-Dork-Mufti … all of this MUST be her fault. She is a woman who doesn’t know how to ‘act’ if she has an accident.
    (After having back treatments – left Jordan in leg cast S.A.P. – knew that much. 😉

    Hehehehe .. and you thought Lebanon was bad ??? :-))))

  2. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    (I never felt a piece of paper meant you were capable of driving … it is a tax, more than anything.)
    “When women are in danger, they don’t know how to act. How are they going to deal with accidents?”
    Well, aside from taking a shot at Chinese women drivers … 😉 … allow me a story about MEN drivers in another place where women have little respect. I know the woman involved in this – and make no excuse for her – but the ‘event’ is disturbing in many aspects, and perhaps explains what the dough-head Grand Mufti is talking about.
    The woman has a Tunisian driver’s licence. But she was driving in JORDAN.
    (maybe should have paid the tax for an International one, we assume? that is irrelevant)
    (details are a little fuzzy in her head because of the ‘scene’ and the accident perhaps)
    She pulled into an intersection … a car rammed into her driver door … left leg broken.
    Then another car rammed into her from the back. Small neck problem later – maybe from that … OR maybe because in the blurr of memory she has now about it … some guy opened the passenger door and dragged her out across the seats onto the road. There is a crowd. The first driver yells at her and demands papers … rifles through her handbag and discovers she is Tunisian … Various MEN stand around and give her shit … we can assume someone calls for police … which is when the crowd generally disburses. She is still on the road, cars jockeying past hers. Police arrive. Eventually an ambulance arrives … perhaps an hour or so has gone by.
    (I must say that no-one stole anything … she managed to ‘text’ me with her phone while lying there … which was basically a useless thing for her to do, considering the miles …)

    Later in hospital ….
    The police give her shit for driving without a Jordanian licence. Make her sweat a lot.
    BUT IN THE END, NO CHARGES!
    Why??
    They don’t know who hit her. !! There were no other cars there when they arrived. So no-one is claiming for car-repairs … and the friend who loaned her his car has no claims he can make either for it’s damages.
    (Was this men playing bumper-car because she was driving slowly or carefully? we will never know)
    Obviously … in the thinking of the Grand-Dork-Mufti … all of this MUST be her fault. She is a woman who doesn’t know how to ‘act’ if she has an accident.
    (After having back treatments – left Jordan in leg cast S.A.P. – knew that much. 😉

    Hehehehe .. and you thought Lebanon was bad ??? :-))))

  3. Patience2 Avatar
    Patience2

    The ‘Grand Foo-Foo’ should have authorised/encouraged ‘Drivers Ed’ for women a long time ago. The fault/responsibility falls entirely on the so-called ‘Men’.

  4. Patience2 Avatar
    Patience2

    The ‘Grand Foo-Foo’ should have authorised/encouraged ‘Drivers Ed’ for women a long time ago. The fault/responsibility falls entirely on the so-called ‘Men’.

  5. Yefim_Feldman Avatar
    Yefim_Feldman

    5th Drawer is quite write a woman driving in any Arab and/or uncivilized country, should not be allowed,
    for the reasons stated. I would go further even and ban Muslim women from driving in any country.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      How about all women everywhere? Then we wouldn’t need speed limits, and could drive our Ferrari’s as fast as possible. Right? 😉

    2. AntiFSA Avatar
      AntiFSA

      Your an idiot.

  6. Yefim Feldman Avatar
    Yefim Feldman

    5th Drawer is quite write a woman driving in any Arab and/or uncivilized country, should not be allowed,
    for the reasons stated. I would go further even and ban Muslim women from driving in any country.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      How about all women everywhere? Then we wouldn’t need speed limits, and could drive our Ferrari’s as fast as possible. Right? 😉

    2. AntiFSA Avatar
      AntiFSA

      Your an idiot.

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