Saudi car owners fined for allowing women to drive

[GoldenEagle]

Human Rights? Wow.

 

 

 

Saudi car owners fined for allowing women to drive

 

DUBAI | Wed Sep 25, 2013 5:42am EDT

 

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi traffic police have fined several car owners after six women were found defying the kingdom's male-only driving rules, a Saudi daily reported on Wednesday.

 

 

The fines in Eastern Province coincide with a campaign called by women's rights activists to challenge the ban on women driving in the conservative Islamic kingdom late next month.

 

Traffic police issued fines totalling 5,400 riyals ($1,400) for allowing "an unqualified person to drive", al-Sharq newspaper reported, quoting an acting police spokesman.

 

"The cases were stopped near the beach and in uninhabited areas that are still being developed," Major Mansour al-Shakra said. "They were driving for fun and not to learn how to drive."

 

No laws explicitly ban Saudi women from driving, but citizens must use locally issued licenses. These are not issued to women, making it in effect illegal for them to drive.

Women who have defied the rules in the past have also faced charges of organising political protests, which are also prohibited in the monarchy, where there are no political parties and the only elections are for city councils.

 

A group of Saudi activists last week called on women to get behind the wheel on October 26 to challenge the ban.

 

At least two similar campaigns in the past two years have failed to bring change, with the authorities detaining several women and making them sign pledges not to drive again.

 

Saudi Arabia is a conservative monarchy backed by religious scholars. It upholds an austere form of Sunni Islam and gives wide powers to clerics who dominate the judicial system and run their own police squad to enforce religious morals.

 

King Abdullah has pushed some cautious social reforms in Saudi Arabia, including efforts to bring more women into the workforce and to give them a voice in policy making by appointing them to the advisory Shoura Council.

 

(Reporting by Mahmoud Habboush; Editing by Angus McDowall and Alistair Lyon)

 

[GoldenEagle]

These were the reasons for this...

 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_rights_in_Saudi_Arabia

 

Women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, although it is often tolerated in rural areas.^[22] Saudi Arabia has no written ban on women driving, but Saudi law requires citizens to use a locally issued license while in the country. Such licenses are not issued to women, thus making it effectively illegal for women to drive.^[81] Furthermore, most Saudi scholars and religious authorities have declared women driving haram (forbidden).^[82] Commonly given reasons for the prohibition on women driving include:^[83][84]

1. Driving a car involves uncovering the face.
2. Driving a car may lead women to go out of the house more often.
3. Driving a car may lead women to have interaction with non-mahram males, for example at traffic accidents.
4. Women driving cars may lead to overcrowding the streets and many young men may be deprived of the opportunity to drive.
5. Driving would be the first step in an erosion of traditional values, such as gender segregation.

 

[MorningGlory]

 

These were the reasons for this...

 

 

 

Source: [22] Saudi Arabia has no written ban on women driving, but Saudi law requires citizens to use a locally issued license while in the country. Such licenses are not issued to women, thus making it effectively illegal for women to drive.^[82] Commonly given reasons for the prohibition on women driving include:^[84]

1. Driving a car involves uncovering the face.
2. Driving a car may lead women to go out of the house more often.
3. Driving a car may lead women to have interaction with non-mahram males, for example at traffic accidents.
4. Women driving cars may lead to overcrowding the streets and many young men may be deprived of the opportunity to drive.
5. Driving would be the first step in an erosion of traditional values, such as gender segregation.

 

 

The above would be laughable if it wasn't so STUPID! A society that keeps over 50% of it's citizens in what is, basically, house arrest and indentured servitude cannot progress.  They are stuck in the dark ages and will remain there until they free their women to work, contribute and succeed.  And here I didn't think Neanderthals were still around.....

[GoldenEagle]

 

The above would be laughable if it wasn't so STUPID! A society that keeps over 50% of it's citizens in what is, basically, house arrest and indentured servitude cannot progress.  They are stuck in the dark ages and will remain there until they free their women to work, contribute and succeed.  And here I didn't think Neanderthals were still around.....

 

 

 

I agree MG. It's very disturbing and sad.

[ayin jade]

How any woman in a western society ever converts to islam or how any muslim woman who is in western society remains in islam is beyond me. They see how islamic society treats women yet they stay in that religion.

[John Robinson]

I saw this for myself only last year. The company I work for sent a team of us to Saudi Arabia on a ten-day trade junket conducted by an agency with the State Department.

 

Not only can the women not drive there, they have to walk three paces behind the men. Matter of fact, the two women in our group were forced to put on an abiyah (kind of like a burkha but with thinner material) before they were even allowed off the plane once we landed. While there, they had to walk three steps behind us as well.

 

What happens if they don't? Well, believe it or not there are roving "morality police" who'll give a stern warning if you're not a Muslim. The Muslim women they catch "defiling themselves" they simply beat, right there on the street.

 

It was so weird to be in a city with so much money, and so many huge, modern buildings, yet the people there still seem stuck in the 12th century.

[Willa]

How any woman in a western society ever converts to islam or how any muslim woman who is in western society remains in islam is beyond me. They see how islamic society treats women yet they stay in that religion.

My husband laughed when he learned that his sister had converted to LDS. He said he wondered if she knew that if she was called by her husband to the third heven, she would spend eternity pregnant having spirit children.

Muslim women have to cope with the idea that their husbands will spend eternity with 70 virgins. Is that what heaven would be like for their wives? Lol Or don't women go to heaven.

Women in the USA have no idea what discrimination is.

My friend is a nurse who spent several years in Arabia. Each sheih is a total dictator in his area. We outsiders have no rights there, and women have even less. They have complete segration for women.

[GoldenEagle]

How any woman in a western society ever converts to islam or how any muslim woman who is in western society remains in islam is beyond me. They see how islamic society treats women yet they stay in that religion.

I wonder how much of being attracted to the "wrong guy" comes into play. I suppose men who follow Islam can be just like any others: charming, making promises, etc.

But you are right I don't understand how a woman in western society could convert to Islam.

[GoldenEagle]

I saw this for myself only last year. The company I work for sent a team of us to Saudi Arabia on a ten-day trade junket conducted by an agency with the State Department.

 

Not only can the women not drive there, they have to walk three paces behind the men. Matter of fact, the two women in our group were forced to put on an abiyah (kind of like a burkha but with thinner material) before they were even allowed off the plane once we landed. While there, they had to walk three steps behind us as well.

 

What happens if they don't? Well, believe it or not there are roving "morality police" who'll give a stern warning if you're not a Muslim. The Muslim women they catch "defiling themselves" they simply beat, right there on the street.

 

It was so weird to be in a city with so much money, and so many huge, modern buildings, yet the people there still seem stuck in the 12th century.

Wow 3 paces behind the men.

And beatings right there on the street for non-compliance.

[GoldenEagle]

 

How any woman in a western society ever converts to islam or how any muslim woman who is in western society remains in islam is beyond me. They see how islamic society treats women yet they stay in that religion.

My husband laughed when he learned that his sister had converted to LDS. He said he wondered if she knew that if she was called by her husband to the third heven, she would spend eternity pregnant having spirit children.

Muslim women have to cope with the idea that their husbands will spend eternity with 70 virgins. Is that what heaven would be like for their wives? Lol Or don't women go to heaven.

Women in the USA have no idea what discrimination is.

My friend is a nurse who spent several years in Arabia. Each sheih is a total dictator in his area. We outsiders have no rights there, and women have even less. They have complete segration for women.

 

 

Wow yes it's very sad. We need to pray for the women of Saudi Arabia. Need to pray that Jesus Christ will be made known there.

 

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