Excellent essay by Saudi writer Sameera Aziz in the 9/13/2011 Saudi Gazette about the lack of progress in the women's driving issue. The link to the story is
here and the text of it is below. Bravo, Sameera.
Driven to despair - Sameera Aziz
In
his reply to a pointed question from Barbara Walters of ABC News asking
him whether he would support allowing women to drive, King Abdullah,
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, was forthright. “I believe strongly
in the rights of women ... my mother is a woman, my sister is a woman,
my daughter is a woman, my wife is a woman,” he said. “I believe the day
will come when women drive. In fact, if you look at the areas in Saudi
Arabia, the deserts and in the rural areas, you will find that women do
drive. The issue will require patience. In time, I believe it will be
possible.”
Prodded further about the exact time when women could get
behind the wheel, King Abdullah added: “Our people are just now
beginning to open up to the world, and I believe that, with the passing
of days in the future, everything is possible.”
That interview took place more than five years ago but the question still remains about when women could be allowed to drive.
And,
to be honest, this is a question I have never tired of raising at any
forum that upholds women’s rights. In fact, at about the same time that
Walters was raising this issue with King Abdullah, I was putting this
question before the Jeddah Economic Forum.
It is a question that is
very close to my heart and that, I believe, of every woman in the
Kingdom. However, I was in for a rude shock. I had barely finished my
question at the elite gathering, when one of the key speakers cut me
short: “This is the dilemma of our society; young Saudi women of today,
like you, just think of seeking permission to drive in the Kingdom,
rather than focusing on and nurturing their marital life,” he had
scoffed and continued deploringly. “Think of seeking a good groom for
yourself rather than wasting your time on such non-issues.”
According
to him, we should be concentrating on more fruitful issues instead:
like finding ways to reduce the increasing number of divorces in our
society! I will refrain from naming the speaker, who is elderly and
respectable, but his unexpectedly harsh and offensive reply took me
completely by surprise. I had promptly gathered myself and presented my
case. “Sir, I was speaking on the issue of women driving in general,” I
explained. “However, if you are interested in talking about me
personally, for your kind information, I am already married and my
husband believes I am a very caring homemaker. I know how to nurture a
good marital life. Personally, I would probably prefer to pamper myself
by being chauffeur driven but, equally, those women who want to drive
should be allowed to drive. And I was speaking on behalf of all those
Saudi and expat women, who don’t want to depend on drivers.”
Saying
this I walked out of the hall. I can only guess what his response would
have been because I left behind a silence that raised more questions
than he could answer.
While I was sitting in the lobby for the next
session, however, I found several supporters. Many young girls came out
and voiced their disgust.
“We are fed up. They don’t consider it
(driving) an issue at all. I can’t afford a driver but I am forced to
pay him,” said one. “On one hand, we talk about non-Mahrams (strangers)
but, on the other, our menfolk think nothing of allowing us to go around
town accompanied by these drivers who are also non-Mahrams,” added
another. “How long are we going to depend on our drivers to take us
where we want?” questioned yet another.
I could go on but you
probably get the drift. Clearly, women were frustrated at being put down
at every forum and a key issue like this was simply put on the
backburner.
However, after five years of harsh and haunting debate, I
believe things are changing. People are now open to the idea of at
least discussing the issue of women driving.
There was much confusion over what the law says about women driving when Manal was arrested.
The
Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice washed
its hands off Manal’s case saying it did not fall under its jurisdiction
because she had apparently committed a violation of the law.
The
police, on the other hand, claimed it had nothing to do with this as
Manal had not committed any security violation. It was a traffic
violation, it said, which was under the traffic department.
Though it
was indeed the traffic department that finally leveled the charges, it
was evident that they were confused about the issue. And the reason for
that was simple: they had never handled a woman violator before! There
was some certainty provided this past week when Prince Ahmad Bin Abdul
Aziz Al-Saud, Deputy Interior Minister, said that the ban in the country
was still in place, according to the Ministry of Interior website. “… a
statement has been issued in 1411H, which banned women driving cars in
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Interior still implements
this regulation but we could not say that this is correct or incorrect
because it is not our work; we are responsible for implementing the
regulations.”
Whatever the points of view, confusion should be
cleared and the issue needs to be addressed quickly. After all, women
comprise more than half of the Kingdom’s student body. While the
transition from education to employment is already hard for Saudi women,
it becomes even harder for them to find the resources to pursue a
successful career. And creating feasible transportation is a key factor
here.
Being dependent on others for something as basic as getting
from one place to another can be frustrating. And more so when one has
to depend on a complete stranger to fulfill this need. There is little
doubt that most women would feel safer behind the wheel of their own car
rather than meet the roving eye of her limousine driver or the
lecherous taxi driver who makes unnecessary conversation and drops broad
hints.
Men need to understand that women in the Kingdom are simply
asking for their right. They are not demanding unnecessary freedom by
seeking permission to drive.
And those who are depriving them of this
need to be cautioned. As uprisings are sweeping the Arab world, the
climate is ripe for protests. Take Najla Hariri, a Saudi housewife in
her mid-thirties, for instance. Najla apparently took to the road in a
direct challenge to the ban on female drivers. Najla claimed to have
drawn inspiration from the Mideast protests.
Now, hundreds of
activists have already set up Facebook groups and campaigns calling for
Manal’s release and an end to the driving ban. A Facebook page titled
“We are all Manal Al-Sharief: a call for solidarity with Saudi women’s
rights,” has been growing in popularity.
Contrary to that, the
deplorable ‘Iqal campaign’ has been also launched on Facebook calling
for men to beat Saudi women who drive their cars in protest. The
renowned novelist Abdo Khal, writing in Okaz, condemned the ban on women
driving, and said he did not know “whether to laugh or cry” over the
proposed Iqal campaign.
Whatever be the case, the fact remains that
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world in which women are not
allowed to drive. Thus, every time the issue is raised in the global
arena, it will give the Western media another chance to take potshots at
women’s lack of independence in the Kingdom.
If Saudi men continue
to oppose women driving, there seems little doubt that the authorities
have to brace themselves for more Najlas and Manals on the streets.
— Sameera Aziz is International Editor at
The Saudi Gazette __
