#Trending: Saudi Twitterati debate lifting women driving ban
The right for Saudi women to drive is not a "luxury" and is a "national request", Twitter users have said, as officials are set to discuss lifting the ban.
3 min read
Riyadh has come under increasing pressure from activist groups for denying women their rights [Getty]
The long-running debate over granting Saudi Arabian women the right to drive has been reignited following recent calls from Shura Council members and media personalities, demanding that women be allowed to get behind the wheel.
Haya al-Minai and Latifa al-Shaalan, both members of the Shura council which can propose legislation to the country's king, asked on Sunday for the laws to be amended to make driving an equal right for men and women.
"I hope that our proposal to amend the traffic laws will be voted on in the next Shura Council meeting. Giving women the right to drive will increase their productivity," said Minai.
"Women occupying leading positions is no longer considered a cultural taboo. The right for women to drive was proposed three years ago but the Shura Council voted against it. However, I expect a different result this time around," Minai added.
She said the recent success of women in municipal council elections, which saw women vote and run for public office for the first time, was proof that women could contribute to the country's future.
Author and journalist Samar al-Mogren has also been leading the calls for women's rights, saying: "Allowing women to drive is not just a popular requirement it is also a national one."
The renewed calls for women's driving rights has sparked much debate on Twitter in Saudi Arabia, with many using the Arabic-language hashtag #ShuraDebatingWomenDriving to express their views on the controversial topic.
"At the time of the Prophet, women rode camels and horses and they weren't accused of being infidels or criticised. Women around the world can drive and nothing has happened to them," said one Twitter user.
Journalist Halima Muthfar tweeted: "Women driving has become a necessity in the lives of Saudi families, it is not a luxury at all."
Another user agreed: "How much longer are we going to debate this subject? Enough already, we want to drive, it's such a shame what's happening to us."
Others were not as enthusiastic, calling for better job opportunities for women and listing other issues they deemed more important - housing, health, education and unemployment, instead of the right to drive.
Last week, Saudi Arabia's grand mufti defended the ban, saying that "driving is a dangerous matter" for women because it "exposes them to evil".
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that prohibits women from driving. Despite the ban, dozens of women took part in a campaign in 2011 dubbed Women2Drive, posting pictures and videos online of themselves driving.
Riyadh has come under increasing pressure from activist groups for denying women their rights.
Amnesty International said in a recent report that Saudi women "remain subject to discrimination in law and in practice".
Join the debate. Tweet to us: @the_newarab
Haya al-Minai and Latifa al-Shaalan, both members of the Shura council which can propose legislation to the country's king, asked on Sunday for the laws to be amended to make driving an equal right for men and women.
"I hope that our proposal to amend the traffic laws will be voted on in the next Shura Council meeting. Giving women the right to drive will increase their productivity," said Minai.
"Women occupying leading positions is no longer considered a cultural taboo. The right for women to drive was proposed three years ago but the Shura Council voted against it. However, I expect a different result this time around," Minai added.
She said the recent success of women in municipal council elections, which saw women vote and run for public office for the first time, was proof that women could contribute to the country's future.
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| Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that prohibits women from driving [Getty] |
The renewed calls for women's driving rights has sparked much debate on Twitter in Saudi Arabia, with many using the Arabic-language hashtag #ShuraDebatingWomenDriving to express their views on the controversial topic.
"At the time of the Prophet, women rode camels and horses and they weren't accused of being infidels or criticised. Women around the world can drive and nothing has happened to them," said one Twitter user.
Journalist Halima Muthfar tweeted: "Women driving has become a necessity in the lives of Saudi families, it is not a luxury at all."
Another user agreed: "How much longer are we going to debate this subject? Enough already, we want to drive, it's such a shame what's happening to us."
Others were not as enthusiastic, calling for better job opportunities for women and listing other issues they deemed more important - housing, health, education and unemployment, instead of the right to drive.
Last week, Saudi Arabia's grand mufti defended the ban, saying that "driving is a dangerous matter" for women because it "exposes them to evil".
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that prohibits women from driving. Despite the ban, dozens of women took part in a campaign in 2011 dubbed Women2Drive, posting pictures and videos online of themselves driving.
Riyadh has come under increasing pressure from activist groups for denying women their rights.
Amnesty International said in a recent report that Saudi women "remain subject to discrimination in law and in practice".
Join the debate. Tweet to us: @the_newarab
Follow the Middle East's top stories in English at The New Arab on Google News
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