Fiscally nuts. Socially insane.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Saudi Women... DRIVE?

A source in Saudi Arabia's Shura Council reports that the council has submitted a recommendation to senior elements in the country to permit women to drive vehicles, with the following stipulations:

The woman driver must be under 30.
The woman's driving is conditional upon the permission of a relative [father, husband, brother, or son].
The woman driver must obtain a driver's license from the center for teaching women to drive.
The woman driver must be modestly dressed.
The woman driver will be permitted to drive alone in the cities, but outside the cities she must be accompanied by a relative.
The woman driver will be permitted to drive Saturday through Wednesday between 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM.
The woman driver must have a cell phone with her, so she can call for help in an emergency.
The woman driver must pay a certain sum when her license is issued; this sum
will be set aside for car repairs.


Holger: "I thought to myself...'Are the Sauds actually trying to progress out of the 7th century?' But then I read into the article..."

1 comment:

John Burgess said...

Actually, Saudi women have been driving for over 40 years. Just not in the major cities of Saudi Arabia.

In rural areas, women drive the family pickup or other vehicles regularly and won't let anyone take the keys from them. Also, there are fairly regular stories in Saudi papers about women getting behind the wheel to drive their husbands or fathers to hospitals when they become seriously ill or injured.

You can learn more about Saudi cultures, custom, and religion at Crossroads Arabia, where I point to stories like these that indicated Saudi media's efforts in preparing the ground for what will be major social changes.