A group of women in Saudi Arabia are at risk of getting arrested after taking part in a recent protest against the country’s ban on female driving.
On Saturday, dozens of women violated one of the social codes in Saudi’s conservative society by getting into their cars, driving it, and some were bold enough to film themselves doing it. This mass action was seen as a metaphorical middle-finger to Saudi Arabia’s misogynists who believe women are only meant to be mothers and housewives.
According to New York Times, Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive. This ban however is informal.
Madiha al-Ajroush, a psychologist, says women in Saudi Arabia are looking for a normal way of life, for example doing “something as small as get myself a cappuccino or something as grand as taking my child to the emergency room”.
Saudi Arabia is still one of the most restrictive countries in the world, especially when it comes to women’s rights. A woman cannot marry, work, or travel abroad without the consent of a male relative.
In May, a Saudi writer urged his followers on Twitter to sexually molest female cashiers at grocery stores so that Saudi women will be forced to stay at home to protect their chastity. In 2006, a rape victim was sentenced to 90 lashes for being in the same car with a male who isn’t a blood relative, despite being gang-raped by five men.
Even though they’re faced with the in Saudi, women there still remain positive about their future. An increasingly large number of Saudis who study and travel abroad return with new perspectives on their culture. They also hope that the tremendous rise of social media will make the country more opened to change.
The call for women to drive on Saturday has also led to an intense discussion on social media. A cleric, Shekh Mohammed al-Nujaimi branded the campaign’s as a “great danger”, saying that it could lead to ruined marriages, low birthrate, spread of adultery, more car accidents and “the spending of excessive amounts on beauty products”.
Sheikh Saleh bin Saad al-Lohaidan backs up the claim that driving leads to infertility by saying:
“If a woman drives a car, not out of pure necessity, that could have negative physiological impacts as functional and physiological medical studies show that it automatically affects the ovaries and pushes the pelvis upwards”.
He also goes on saying that women who regularly drive “have children with clinical problems of varying degrees”.
Social activist and comedian Hisham Fageeh also recorded a satirical music video called No Woman, No Drive on the day of the protest. Fageeh uses a sarcastic tone to list reasons why women shouldn’t be allowed to drive. In one bit, he sings: “Say I remember when you used to sit in the family car, but backseat. Ova-ovaries all safe and well, so you can make lots and lots of babies”.
No Woman, No Drive has already garnered over 2 million views since it’s upload on Saturday. Watch the video here:
What are your thoughts on the ban of women driving in Saudi Arabia? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.
