Al-Riyadh newspaper conducted a questionnaire on its website asking for people’s feelings about women driving. The questionnaire was withdrawn after a few days and the results were not announced.
Early results indicated that many people rejected the idea of women driving. There is also a large group which approved of women driving. From this last group, we should perhaps draw conclusions about the result.
People who reject the idea of women driving should not use religion as their authority since there is nothing in either in the Qur’an or Sunnah to prevent women from driving.
People are more afraid of what the results will be if women drive. We see from these fears another perspective: We fear social freedom and the evil that can come from irresponsible use of it. I suspect that on these grounds, there may even be a large group of women to object.
The real danger is when people try to make this small issue a cornerstone of our religion. Society has other priorities far more important that the issue of women driving. If the majority of people reject the idea of women driving, then so be it. At the same time, the majority which objects should not base their objections on either the Qur’an or Sunnah.
In our history, we have had similar issues before this one. The idea of girls’ education was rejected at first for social reasons. Finally, because there was no solid proof that it was banned based on the Qur’an or Sunnah, a decision was made to open girls’ schools. This was done in spite of many objections to girls’ education; a prime objection was simply that women would have to leave home. At first, it was voluntary; fathers had the choice of allowing their daughters to go to school or not.
The same thing happened regarding the Internet, satellite TV channels, women working in schools and hospitals or traveling abroad.
If women are allowed to drive, it should of course be voluntary; some will want to and others will not. Those who object should realize that those who approve the idea see a greater danger in foreign drivers than a woman driving.
There is nothing wrong with a properly-dressed woman driving. There are many in our society that cannot afford to bring a driver. In the end, the decision whether women will drive will be a voluntary one, no matter how many religious edicts — fatwas — are issued against it.
- Arab News From the Local Press 2 September 2003
