Stuck in reverse in Saudi Arabia?
It's somewhat sobering to realize that one of this nation's closest allies in the Middle East is also the only country in the world that still refuses to allow women to drive.
We're speaking of Saudi Arabia, of course, and one of its unfathomably reactionary internal policies. And what brings it to mind is an Associated Press report over the weekend that said the Saudi king's advisory council was preparing to recommend a loosening of the rules so that women over 30 could drive, provided they were off the road by 8 p.m. and had obtained permission from a male relative — "usually a husband or father, but lacking those, a brother or son."
A son? To Western ears, that sounds like a bad joke. But then so does the entire proposed "reform," which even if implemented would still impose more restrictions on over-30 women than 16-year-olds in this country with probationary licenses.
Somewhat predictably, though, the AP report provoked denials from various officials in Saudi Arabia that any such reform of the driving ban was in the works. After all, once you let women drive, who knows? Soon they'll be wanting to travel and get married without permission from a male, too.
http://www.denverpost.com/editorials/ci_26909638/stuck-reverse-saudi-arabia