RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The wife of one of Saudi Arabia’s most high profile and richest men said she’s ready to get behind the wheel if women are ever permitted to drive, highlighting again issue authorities in this conservative desert kingdom prefer to play down. Princess Amira al-Taweel, who is one global tycoon Prince Alwaleed [...]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The wife of one of Saudi Arabia’s most high profile and richest men said she’s ready to get behind the wheel if women are ever permitted to drive, highlighting again issue
authorities in this conservative desert kingdom prefer to play down.
Princess Amira al-Taweel, who is one global tycoon Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s wives, told the Saudi daily Al-Watan that she already drives when she travels abroad.
“Certainly I’m ready to drive a car,” said al-Taweel, whose husband is a nephew of Saudi King Abdallah and is ranked as the world’s 13th-richest person by Forbes magazine. “I have an international driver’s license, and I drive a car in all the countries I travel to.”
Her answer came after the interviewer noted that her husband had said in a previous interview he would be the first to let his wife and daughter drive if the ban was lifted.
Women in Saudi Arabia are not permitted to drive. Saudi officials usually sidestep the question by saying the issue is a social and not religious one, but over the years a handful of princesses have spoken out in support of driving, including Princess Lolwah Al-Faisal, daughter of the late King Faisal, at the World Economic Forum two years ago.
“I prefer driving a car with my sister or friend next to me instead of being with a driver who is not (related to me),” al-Taweel said in her interview, referring to the drivers women are forced to employ.
The attention the issue receives from Saudi newspapers, which are government-guided, is intermittent. Readers and columnists have over the years debated the pros and cons of women’s driving with no progress being made on the ground.
This kingdom is the only country in the world to ban women — Saudi and foreign — from driving. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers, and those who cannot afford the $300-$400 a month for a driver must rely on male relatives to drive them to work, school, shopping or the doctor.
But change will be difficult in this ultraconservative society, where many believe that women at the wheel create situations for sinful temptation. They argue that women drivers will be free to leave home alone, will unduly expose their eyes while driving and will interact with male strangers, such as traffic police and mechanics.
[Saudi princess says she's ready to drive]
13 Responses
Great step taken by her. It should be allowed by now!
I’m an Indian but born n brought up in Saudi Arabia n very much indulged with Saudi society n culture, myself doesn’t mean anything to this advanced world nowadays listening extra-ordinary issues on contrary, but would like to give an opinion, that women should not be allowed in this one n only one beloved and less crimed country in the world….. it will affect the social life as well as the religious issues will be unbarred……….
You may have been brought up in Saudi but you’re no Arab.
Why on earth would letting women drive affect the social and religious life in anything other than a positive way?
Hey..!! lilytalent…. dont get excited u women’s in Saudi Arabia wont be allowed for drivnig a car for next 10 to 15 years…. u got my point, its not that this country is backward or under-developing, but the main propaganda is your own I mean Arabs… traditioin is not allowing it……… u see when a girl in Riyadh walks on the street without a face piece covering her face……… how the hell she’s being stared by the hungry dogs around the street……… n do u still think that the preference to the women driving should be given early these dayz…… and one more think i would like to tell you is, in our countries men n women are given equal rights……. do you think that should be allowed in here…….. but dont slow down your heart rating……… the days are coming soon that in KSA “WOMEN DRIVING WILL BE ALLOWED” but firstly the tradition n trends ERA should be washed out……..after all its possible, but dont be eager to that……..!!!! Have a nice day!!
Lily & Abdul Rahman,
I just dont see how women driving will improve life in Saudi Arabia! I mean the unemployment rate is hitting the roof, food prices are increasing by the day, crime is at an all time high, education standards are plummeting etc etc!
In that list of all the problems around us…………….women driving just pales! As Abdul Rahman says ‘INSHALLAH women will drive in Saudi Arabia sometime in 2090, INSHALLAH’
Guys, have a cup of hot coffee somewhere in Tahliyah & chill out……………………..just enjoy the moment!!
thats is most hillarious argument i have heard so far,what have poor policemen and mechanics have done bad that they r missing the opportunity that all shopkeeps get to enjoy all the time when women go shopping with the UNmahram drivers….
Oh, youre argument are all nonsense, and you my dear indian, women are not the only target of hungry dogs outside, you know what this country is very conservative but all most of them are idiots, you know what? most arab are having sex with the same gender, male to male and thats it, arab usually grab foreigner mostly filipino and enjoy fucking with them..
Most Arabs are idiot people, what they want is sex only, some are snatchers and some are holdapers.
Goshh…do you think guys Allah is pleased on this?
Hey..!! Denver…You are partly right… i dunno what Arabs have done with you….i never mind..Hope ure never be a victim of the same. may be YES….insane…but its not the right way to blame ALL ARABS for that ridiculous deed your talking about….the topic that you have hit up never ever relates to the arguments goin on in here…..ita about the driving access for women in the Kingdom…..and if your a muslim…thn you would better know this…”Bcoz of Arabs we are here today surviving on this land….creating and amending our lives the way we want…within the boundaries of ISLAM….and thn u bite Arabs…covering all ure satisfaction on thier LAND…and abusing them for what they have never dreamt abt….and listen YES ALLAH IS PLEASED ON ARABS….n you can see that….n you will see tht in course of time…these ARABS will stand forth in front of all enemies of ISLAM one day…..again ISLAM will rise in this world through these ARABS…INSHA ALLAH….n tht day is not very FAR….you will see with your bare eyes….anywayz … i again say tht the Driving access for women in KSA will jz exploit the environment and not thing more thn tht….!!i have more to say abt it….but will fetch some other good time…..Bye for now.
hey denver, how do u know that all arabs are having sex with the same gender? lol… i’m sure u know alot about that… if ur not arab and living in Saudi, then get out before i have some african construction worker rape u… u should appriciate living in an arab country (if u do) because u and others like u are our servants, u come to our country, we give ur foriegn ass some money so u can go to ur shitty country of urs and start a family or whatever the hell u wana do…. if u never lived in an arab country, then shut the hell up and mnd ur own business…
I appreciate it so much…
I just love when you guys show how Islam is the religion of peace with all your kind comments and threats to each other. In’shallah
this is silly arguments, the article was focused on the access of women’s driving, yes i absolutely disagreed on women driving at this time, i believed that time will come in the right way, it’s not about the freedom, its a nature itself, i think as i can see, it’s too dangerous for them to drive.
in terms of silly answer of what above Arab and the Arab country, yes, for me it is truly amazing experience of living and working on this place, even though that “some” Arab are not know how to respect human, men or women, i believed that it is the way how we deal with them. as i can see, Arab people are most respectable person I ever met, of course “some are not”, mostly if you know how to respect and to deal with them. I have lots of colleagues here and they treating me so nice,
on Denver side, I think it’s a silly perspective of you working around the Arabs you are obviously looking on the one side of being human and humanities, I think you have to see a bigger picture of living and opportunities in the Saudi Arabia.
peace out men!!!, right,,, just take a cup of coffeee at Thaliah!!! that’s would be nice!!! LOl!!!
Women driving isn’t a joking issue, people can barely pay their own expenses these days, the law’s are gonna change whether you like it or not the economic and social issues will force it and if not people will demand it.
Sipping on a coffee in altahliya is never gonna solve our problems it’s just gonna sedate us for a while until we feel the pressure again, we have many issues concerning law enforcement that must be considered I suggest we start there.
P.S: how the hell did the comments deviate from driving to race hate and homosexuality some people just cannot keep their prejudices out of an argument.