Al Ittihad claims top spot in Saudi Pro League after victory over Al Fateh    Saudi delegation participates in the 7th U20 Deans Summit in Brazil    Al-Jubeir discusses with EU officials enhancing bilateral cooperation    GASTAT: Non-oil exports up 22.8% in September 2024    Saudi Arabia to host 28th Annual World Investment Conference in Riyadh    Saudi Arabia allows licensed flour milling companies to export flour    Saudi Arabia joins international partnership initiative to boost hydrogen economy    Israeli drones kill two paramedics, injure four in southern Lebanon    Trump's new attorney general nominee sparks concerns over DOJ independence    Australia drops proposed laws to regulate social media misinformation    Six Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on central Gaza    Riyadh Emir inaugurates International Conference on Conjoined Twins in Riyadh    Al Khaleej stuns Al Hilal with 3-2 victory, ending 57-match unbeaten run    SFDA move to impose travel ban on workers of food outlets in the event of food poisoning    Al Okhdood halts Al Shabab's winning streak with a 1-1 draw in Saudi Pro League    Saudi musical marvels takes center stage in Tokyo's iconic opera hall    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Why are some Saudis against cinemas and women driving?
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 17 - 02 - 2017

MY wife and I studied and worked abroad. My wife has three driving licenses from three different countries. My children say she is a better driver than me.
Why do so some conservative Saudis not want women to drive? Why is it that only Saudis are against women driving while the rest of the world is okay with it? Religion cannot be the reason otherwise Islamic countries would ban women from driving. I do not really understand. Do Saudis who oppose women driving think that computers and cell phones are less dangerous to women? Women can talk to anyone over a cell phone and can read and write whatever they want using computers.
On the other hand, let us look at women driving from another angle. What are the negative effects that women face because of not being allowed to drive? Those who oppose women driving have to recruit drivers from abroad to help their wives get around. It really does not make any sense to me. How can they trust a driver when they cannot trust their own women? How can they trust a driver and let him drive their children to school? Some people make the housemaid accompany the driver on these errands. But how can we be sure that the driver and the housemaid will not engage in an illicit relationship?
When my wife and I were working abroad, we used to take turns dropping off our children at school. Our sons are over 18 now and they all drive. When our daughter becomes an adult, she will drive her own car. It is a natural thing. What is unnatural is to make our women and children remain at the mercy of a driver's whims, a man who is under a lot of pressure as he is away from his home and family. Moreover, drivers need to be paid and provided with accommodation; all of these are additional expenses.
What about cinemas? Why do some Saudis oppose them? They oppose them because, in their opinion, cinemas open the door for the intermingling of the sexes and immoral behavior. If you have been to a cinema, I want to ask you a question. Do the seats inside a cinema look the same as those on an airplane? You can choose who sits next to you in a cinema but you do not have that privilege on a plane. Sometimes, a family refuses to let a man sit next to them on an airplane and asks the air hostess to make him change his seat.
The intermingling of men and women takes place in malls and hospitals. Why men and women are not allowed to attend a match at a stadium does not make sense. Stadiums are like cinemas, you go there to watch a movie or a match and leave without knowing who was sitting next to you.
As for the content of movies, we all know that immoral content can be censored. Those under 12 and 15 would not be allowed to watch certain movies. Can we control what our children watch at home? I am not generalizing here. But there is a good chance that children may watch violent or immoral scenes without us knowing about it. In cinemas, this cannot happen. For example, there are cinemas in the United Arab Emirates and the government imposes strict control on what is shown. We can certainly do the same.


Clic here to read the story from its source.