RIYADH, 4 April 2005 — I remember a funny thing which happened about 10 years ago when I was in intermediate school. Of course, at that time it was not funny, just strange. A classmate told me that he was in the car with his father and when they stopped at a traffic light, they saw something unbelievable: A veiled woman, presumably with her husband, wearing sunglasses.
I also remember a few years ago when mobile phones were just becoming common in the Kingdom. I argued forcefully whenever anyone suggested that women should have their own mobiles. “What for?” I asked.
I was of the opinion that a woman’s place was in the home and therefore she had no need for a mobile phone. In addition, I thought, both our religion and our culture are against allowing a woman to have a mobile phone since it might lead to unlawful and forbidden relationships.
Well, that was in the past. Things are different now and to my surprise, I was happy to offer my wife a mobile phone and to buy it for her. Reflecting on the dramatic changes in my attitude, I can only attribute them to time and developing a more open mind.
Today’s big question seems to be whether or not we are going to see Saudi women driving. In the past, I would never have dreamed of such a thing but now, I think it may well happen in the near future. It is only a matter of time. My reasons for saying this are the external political pressure which calls for giving more rights to Saudi women — including the right to drive — and the internal pressure which also calls for women to drive.
Some religious scholars also argue that women driving in itself is not forbidden, but we need to be vigilant about the possible consequences. From my perspective, these things are paving the way to Saudi women driving their own cars on their own soil.
My question is whether the need to drive is the most pressing one for women in our society. The fact is that there are thousands of Saudi women who do not have enough food, who cannot send their children to school, who have lost their husbands and other family members and no one seems to care how they are coping with normal life and its requirements.
No one seems to think of the rights of these women; on the other hand, they always seem to consider the rights of more affluent women who would have their own cars and be able to do as they wished.
I would like to conclude by making a small request — if women are to be allowed to drive, mirrors should be removed from cars. Only God knows what may happen when a woman looks in a mirror instead of watching the road.
I want you all to know that I am currently arguing with my wife over whether she should have access to the Internet. I think I am going to lose this battle just as I did the one over the mobile phone.
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(Khaled Al-Onazi expects to graduate this semester from The College of Languages and Translations at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University.)
