JEDDAH: Determined to overcome any obstacle, a Saudi woman disguised herself as a man to be able to drive a bus and help her needy family, Arabic newspaper Al-Sharq reported. Saliha, who lived with her parents and four sisters in a remote area in the south west of the Kingdom, said that she volunteered to take up the job to assist her old father.
“I live with my parents and four sisters and our conditions are very difficult,” Saliha said. “One day, my father thought about launching a bus service to drive female students in our area to their schools. He discussed the idea with the village men and they all agreed since they trusted my father and they were confident that he would be keen on protecting them. They also thought that driving the bus would be an opportunity for him to make some money,” she said.
However, Saliha thought that she could help her father and do the job instead. “I looked at his poor health condition and advanced age and I requested him to allow me to replace him, especially that I was a good driver,” she said. Saliha put on a man’s clothes, hid her facial features and sat behind the steering wheel. She said the elders in her village were delighted to know that she could drive their daughters to school.
Gender no bar: Saudi woman disguises as man to help family
