Women in Saudi..

I just came across this blog of a Saudi Journalist and i realised..
Women are banned from driving in Saudi Arabia!

Okie i see some guys smiling at this idea (esp u bee), since many have this preconceived notion that women make bad drivers, the worst etc. watever. but still e reasons stated in the blog are.. errmm i choose nt to comment - yet.

Clerics and religious conservatives maintain that allowing women to drive would open Saudi society to untold corruption. Women alone in a car, they say, would be more open to abuse, to going wayward, and to getting into trouble if they had an accident or were stopped by the police. The net result would be an erosion of social mores, they say.

Erosion of social mores? Going wayward?
I think this just points to the lack of trust. If the men do not have sufficient trust in their women (be it wife, daughter, sister etc) of cos they would think they will go wayward, get in touch with bad company etc.

Open to abuse?
I cant say much about this.. maybe the men there are just more violent? and itchy? hmmm

Getting into trouble when they have an accident?
Ok, i admit women are weaker in terms of strength. They may injure more easily, pain alot more and break down frequently. but hey, accidents can happen to jus about anyone. and if god has willed at that moment that the person's life has to come to an end, it would. So then what trouble?

Of course, i truly believe in Islam (thought i admit i am unable to put into practice much of what is required). And in islam, women are to be protected by men. I 100% agree that men have to be the providers and head of the home. A man must be able to provide for his family should his wife decide to stay home and tend to the family. he should have the upper-hand and say in the household. BUT he absolutely cannot be domineering. OK, i've digressed a lil.

Going back to what i was saying, how can women behind the wheels cause a denegration of the society and erosion of moral values? I truly do not understand.

Many atimes, I am truly thankful that I am born and bred in this safe society. Maybe its cos safety is never an issue here that I take it for granted. Maybe if i was born in Saudi or malaysia, I'd nt take be saying this. I would nt be thinking in this manner. I would nt be so confident.

For one thing, even if i choose nt to wear the hijab here, I know i am still safe. and i know EVEN if i wear the hijab i am safe. No matter what time i choose to return home, or with whom i hang around.

And of cos education here is never a problem. I get to study the courses I want, in any school that i choose (co-ed or otherwise), I can choose the genre of work I wanna do, the gender and race of the frens I hang out. I believe that adapting to the sorrounding we live in is important. We live in a multi-racial society. Thus many atimes we cannot incorporate alot of the impt practices into our lifestyles.

But of cos, a woman living in Saudi (or Malaysia or Indonesia) probably has less chances of physically 'sinning' as compared to us who sometimes do not even have the opportunity to complete our fardhu prayers on time. There was once i had this conversation with my friend Fatima, whom i made a trip to penang with.

me: people in m'sia are fortunate. they have prayer halls everywhere and have no reason to miss any. work, school or whatsoever, things can be put on hold for u to go finish ur prayers and come back
fatima: yea thats true. we dun have it as easy. but hey, we make e extra effort to stop by at a mosque or go down when we r on our way out, even it its nt on the way. that way, the blessings we get will be more than they do.

makes perfect sense to me. God is fair.

One thing i do believe is religion is something between man and God. and HE is all forgiving. even if one, in the eyes of the others, may nt make a good muslim - its still between god and the individual.

Not quite sure hw to put my point across.. but hope u get the gist of what i mean when i say its between god and him.

oh well..