Saudi woman detained for defying driving ban

[Hassan_Abdillah]

To clarify, it's all about interpretation and culture. The Middle East has always been misogynistic, even before the advent of Islam. The way the Saudis choose to interpret the laws set down in the Islamic faith doesn't neccesarily apply to every single Muslim in the world. People need to learn that the Middle East are not representative of Islam.

That's essentially the gist of it. To Western Culture, this seems shocking, as it's so different from what we're used to, and especially since Islam is rarely understood for what it truly is in America/The western world.

Who are you to call anybody backwards? The Saudis have a completely different culture than we do. We're the backwards ones for judging other people's cultures based on the values of our own.

That goes against my personal morals, but it's a different culture. Things there work for them, it's just their way of life. Most of them are perfectly fine with it, and there's really not much we can do about it even if we wanted to do so. As time has shown, the more we try to meddle in foreign affairs, the more people want us out. If they change, it'll be from within, not from our whining.

All of the above.

Echoing Soari, I guess it would be worthwhile to clarify that while Islaam does have some (and I do mean some, not most) gender-specific rules, as far as my (near-zero) knowledge goes, women driving isn't anything prohibited by Islaam. There are authentic narrations in our scriptures which tell us that women used to ride, even drive, camels and donkeys and mules and all that in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him), which I guess would be the 7th-century equivalent of automobiles.

I guess the KSA is against women driving for their own socio-cultural reasons -and I have no idea whatsoever what they are- and not religious ones.

As for the gender-specific rules, those are based on the premise that men and women have differences, so the laws, rights and responsibilities pertaining to them needs to be different as well.

However this is an altogether different topic I have no intention of going into.

EDIT: I'm quite impressed by the open-mindedness exhibited by some posters in this thread.

 

[インフェルノの津波]

There are actually places in the world that actually believe women can't drive?

...

Up till now, I thought that was just something bad trolls created over five minutes of herp chips and derp soda. You know you've done an awful thing when your trolling is not only unfunny to anyone that isn't on drugs but comes off as so stupidly obvious to people watching that they no longer believe such a thing could possibly exist in the real world.

Anyway. That aside, I think it's pretty reasonable to say the belief that women can't drive is terribly unfounded and should probably be disposed of.

Well, the Saudis have their own of doing things. They've been around for quite a while, longer then most countries, plus look at things their way. They have their reasons.

 

[Esper]

Well, the Saudis have their own of doing things. They've been around for quite a while, longer then most countries, plus look at things their way. They have their reasons.

Saudi Arabia as a country didn't exist until the 20th century. But regardless, how long someone or something has been in place is not enough justification for anything if that's all they have to back it up. Neither is "having their reasons" because everyone has their reasons for doing things.