On and off, hue and cry is raised over the issue of women driving in the Kingdom. Every now and then, we read about some adventurous women holding driver’s licenses from other countries trying to defy ban on women driving in the Kingdom. Recently two young Saudi women were held while driving near Saudi-Emirati border.
Everybody is entitled to his/her opinion on any given issue under the sun. Similar is the case with these two women. One can criticize them or appreciate them; it is a matter of personal preferences. What gets my goat is the manner in which we completely blow the issue of women driving out of all proportions. From an otherwise normal thing for the rest of the world, it has been turned into an ideological conflict. It seems as if it has become a matter of personal prestige to some. Men in our society should try to set their egos aside and try to think in a reasonable fashion. It is very important to allow women to drive their vehicles. This will solve many issues facing the womenfolk in the Kingdom. Above all, it is not an un-Islamic act. Almost on a daily basis, women activists and several columnists try to highlight the difficulties that are caused by this ban but unfortunately all pleas fell on deaf ears. Interestingly, statistics are available that clearly show that reliance on any male member of the family or a driver to fulfill the transportation needs of any woman in the Kingdom is a loss for everyone. It is a very normal thing and has little to do with the much-feared modernization of society. We are still in the process of discussing this basic issue.
This writer fail to understand people who audaciously speak against women driving, those include both men and women. Such people go an extra mile in their opposition to this demand and call on the authorities to build a modern infrastructure for public transport system, as if it is a feat that could be achieved overnight. Till then a woman should be allowed to stay irritatingly dependent on others. There is no logic behind such arguments and until then woman should be left to brave the mood swings of unprofessional and untrained drivers to move around in their own country.
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@HatoonKadi
