Saudi imams, Muslim academics against allowing women to drive

DUBAI - More than one hundred Muslim clerics, shaikhs, judges, Islamic scholars, Islamic university teachers and other Muslim leaders in Saudi Arabia have signed a statement against allowing women to drive.

The Saudi newspaper Arab News reported on Monday that the statement was released on the Internet on Friday saying that, “The enemies of Islam are seeking to destroy the great role women have been given in Islam by corrupting them and hence corrupting the Islamic world.”

It said the enemies of Islam have portrayed the image of Muslim women being without rights and having “a broken wing,” saying that their homes are prisons, their husbands mistreat them, and their hijabs or robes which covers them from head to toe are a sign of backwardness.

The statement also said that the ruling in Islam that “closing all doors leads to corruption” was clear and was for the protection of people and society.

“Women driving cars is not permissible because the ruling of closing doors that leads to corruption applies to it directly,” said the statement.

The statement pointed out that allowing women to drive would have economic burdens “like the multi-ownership of cars in one family instead of just one being used by the driver; the replacement of a car by another one since women are known to like everything new and the burden of the government having to open special female sections in all Traffic Departments.”

Saudi Arabia applies a strict interpretation of the Islamic law and forbids women not only from driving, but also from traveling without a written permit from a male relative.

DPA

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