Originally Posted by Fahd

Driving is not a big or main problem for women here , but the western media blow it and making a false picture about Saudi women.

i always said that we are a TOTALLY different culture don`t make a wrong comparison between western and Saudi culture .

like in western culture when the kids become adult "over 18 " many parents kike them out then they kids leave home and never come back . which something unfair for little girls to live alone she will do anything to eat even if she sell her body to be a hooker .

sometime we read that UK government assist Gays marriage and community , which is TOO much weird for us .and like going backwards to the old ages when the humans live like animals .

But for me I try to accept all the differences .so i hope you do .

Originally Posted by Fahd

sometime we read that UK government assist Gays marriage and community , which is TOO much weird for us .and like going backwards to the old ages when the humans live like animals .

Originally Posted by Bahtatboy

And how does Saudi treat gays? With respect and as human beings, or like animals?

Originally Posted by Fahd

Driving is not a big or main problem for women here , but the western media blow it and making a false picture about Saudi women.

Originally Posted by iamthestig

And lets not forget that in civilised countries, burning witches at the stake was outlawed centuries ago, while "sorcerers" are routinely beheaded in KSA, the most recent only last week.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20110921109257

Originally Posted by Bahtatboy

Strange, then, that the Saudi Gazette carries this article today:

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20110927109550

In view of the popular campaign for allowing women to drive in the Kingdom, the Shoura Council is thoroughly reconsidering the issue, said Dr. Misha’l Mamdooh Al-Ali, Chairman of the Council’s Human Rights Committee.
Allowing women to drive does not conflict with Islamic law, he said, adding that the majority of people oppose women driving based on tradition and customs. “It has nothing to do with religion,” Al-Ali was quoted by Al-Hayat Arabic daily as saying.
Many Saudi women say their driving does not contradict the Shariah and there is no religious reason that prevents them from driving, he added. He said these women have appointed a lawyer to follow up the issue at the Shoura Council.
“The human rights committee is waiting for the Chairman of the Shoura Council to study the case and refer it back to the committee,” he said.
“The Shoura Council will study any issue put on the table as long as it is in the interest of citizens and residents,” he said. The Shoura Council will allow the lawyer and his female clients to attend the session when the issue is discussed, he said.
Dr. Al-Ali hoped that Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom, and other senior Ulema (scholars) would give their opinion on the issue. “We will comply with what they say because they know better and know what is best for us.”
The Shoura Council members are studying the issue thoroughly from different social, economic and security aspects, he said.
One important goal that his committee seeks to achieve is to ensure that there are female police so that female drivers are treated with respect, he explained.

And that last bit: so Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom, and other senior Ulema (scholars), admit that Saudi policemen cannot be trusted to treat women with respect. I have to admit that I agree with what you say--there is no way to compare Saudi with the west.

Originally Posted by Spugsy

I fail to see how it is in any way possible to ban women from driving under the name of religion, it makes no sense to anyone at all.

Originally Posted by Oyibopeppeh

So what exactly IS their justification?

Originally Posted by iamthestig

For their "protection". The same reason they have to walk around with a bag over their heads and wear a black bin liner (so you don't attract unwanted attention from men), and can't leave the country without a guardian, and can't have any kind of contact with government officials (only a guardian can, a real problem if you are widowed).

I regularly see women, presumably widowed, begging at traffic lights, and never refuse them, soft touch I guess. The government has schemes to help widows without any means of financial support, but won't allow them access to the schemes without an official guardian. How f***ed up is that!

Originally Posted by Spugsy

Hang on, if you're a woman you can't leave the country on your own??

Originally Posted by iamthestig

Nope. A female colleague was invited to Dubai for a conference and she was stopped at the airport, despite a valid entry/exit visa and a note from her husband. She may have got the really bolshy immigration official, but she missed the flight and had to go home.

Originally Posted by Fahd

Driving is not a big or main problem for women here , but the western media blow it and making a false picture about Saudi women.

Originally Posted by NorthernLad

So what about this?