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| Saudi Arabia had lifted the driving ban on women |
Two days ago, as I walked back home,
my phone was bombarded with messages of joy and celebration:
In a rare reversal of a
long-standing rule, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman had announced that women will
now be allowed to obtain driving licenses and drive for the first time in the
kingdom’s history.
I couldn't believe my eyes! There
was no denying the rush of excitement, the sheer elation I felt, being able to
witness this historic moment.
I wanted to tell the people walking
beside me in the street that I will now be able to drive in my country, but I
wasn’t sure if they would understand how much this meant to me.
Related: My life as an expatriate
girl in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Growing up in Saudi, between us four
siblings – three of whom were sisters to a younger brother – going out was
somewhat of a monumental task. My father’s job compelled him to live abroad,
and there wasn’t any adult male around to drive us. Also, I have to mention
here our middle-class status.
For a Saudi woman of means, having
the luxury of a pre-disposed driver and a car, the driving ban was never a big
issue. One might even be used to feel deserving of a lifestyle of this kind.
However, the majority of women were
not as fortunate. They suffered to go to school, or work, or anywhere really,
with no choice but to depend on carpooling or some such arrangement, in the
absence of which they would simply be forced to stay home.
For people living under trying
circumstances like these, the lifting of the driving ban comes as an
alleviation of this suffering.
We used to go to school with my
aunts and cousins. A big car, with one driver carrying six females to school,
was the story every morning. Whereas I won’t deny the joy I used to feel
travelling with my cousins every morning, it was hard to arrange going anywhere
else.
I was an active girl and my
after-school programmes were a must for me. I still remember my mother calling
my grandmother trying to borrow her driver to take me to my programmes. Most of
the time, my mother was able to arrange a driver for me, but sometimes she was
unable to.
When I was in intermediate school,
we were thankfully able to have our own driver and car. We all felt so blessed
to have that luxury. But then again, there were many of us with only one car at
our disposal, and so we all couldn’t go wherever each of us wanted.
I
used to feel so trapped and helpless. I couldn’t go to spend time with my
friends. I had to pick and choose and go to important events only.
My mother used to complain about the
time and energy she put to arrange for and schedule the driver between us all.
We used to have to change drivers as they would decide to leave because of the
hard work we thrust on them, driving all of us around.
I remember trying to somehow
convince them to feel sorry for us, invoking a sense of sympathy in them. Us
females were having a hard time, too.
One unfortunate morning, the driver
decided that he was tired and refused to take me to school. I had a show to
participate in for which I had been practicing for weeks. I could stand to miss
a school day or two, but could not bear the idea of missing out on going to
this particular event.
I can still vividly recall how
crushed I was to hear he would not be taking me. Feelings of anger, resentment
and utter uselessness washed over me as I realised this would all have been
avoided if we weren’t so dependent on the driver for taking us everywhere.
I had never asked for much. I just
wanted to be a part of my after-school programmes. I remember shutting my eyes
tight and praying silently, pleading with God to just somehow make it possible
for me to get to school that day. I called my uncle, and he was able to take me
to school, though we reached late. Still, it was fine because I was able to
make it to the show, after all.
You want a statement here is one:
"Saudi Arabia will never be the same again. The rain begins with a single
drop" #Women2Drive ❤️
— منال مسعود الشريف (@manal_alsharif) September 26, 2017
Using our car was the only way to
commute as public transportation was mostly for the working class and women
didn't use it. This made stepping outside a daily struggle for an active girl
like me.
After I graduated from high school,
I was able to enroll in the government scholarship programme and travel abroad.
I lived in the United States and obtained my first-ever driver license from
there.
The whole driving experience was a
very stressful one for me, not as fun and liberating at the beginning as I had
imagined it would be. I felt anxious every time a car whizzed by.
I had hardly ever looked out the car
window in Saudi. I was usually buried in my phone or had my nose in a book
while travelling. The whole experience of watching the road was not something I
considered because I knew I will never drive.
Slowly, I was able to learn how to
feel comfortable about driving. Getting my license was a huge accomplishment
for me. I got it not out of a need for driving – I used to use public
transportation – but merely for the very act of getting one.
We are finally allowed to drive!!!!
Congratulations to the Saudi women.
— madeha al ajroush (@madehaAlajrous) September 26, 2017
On my first visit to Saudi after
having obtained my license, I showed it to everyone jubilantly. I was proud of
myself, and felt it was a great achievement, although I still was not able to
drive in my own country.
Better now than never. I can’t wait
to visit Saudi after it is implemented between 23 and 24 of June, 2018 to
actually see women driving in the country.
I am delighted that Saudi women will
now be able to go anywhere they want. I would personally like to thank everyone
who has made this happen, especially King Salman for allowing women to drive.
This is a great step toward gender
equality right alongside many previous decisions that have allowed Saudi women
to achieve greater success in studying, working, and competing with and
alongside Saudi men. Also, Saudi women will be able to compete with women all
around the world on a more equal footing now.
The lifting of one ban has opened
countless doors for women in Saudi Arabia. Once an obstacle, now it is an opportunity.
Congrats Saudi women and drive safe!
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