Re: Saudi women driven to drive

Every country has its culture, and each culture is unique and different. People who live in their culture are expected to respect it even if other people from another culture see it to be very weird or abnormal. What pushed me to write about my culture is the stereotype that most of the people have about Saudi Arabia, and Saudi woman especially.

A few weeks ago, I read a column in the Indiana Daily Student under the title “Saudi women driven to drive,” and I was surprised.

I am a Saudi woman, but what I read was not about me or my female friends and my family members in Saudi Arabia. I am writing to explain some things about my culture.

In Saudi Arabia the religion is a fundamental part of its culture. Also values and norms are very important for Saudi people, and they take their values and norms very seriously. It is not easy for them to break the roles. I know it is not always a good thing, but this is what our culture is about, and every one must respect his or her culture.

In the typical Saudi family, the man takes care of things outside the house. He must get a job so that he can take care of his family. On the other hand, the woman takes care of the inside of the house. She cooks, cleans and takes care of the children. And each one in the couple knows his or her
responsibility.

Saudi women are considered to be Saudi men’s responsibility, and they must take care of them. In addition, Saudi men are very protective. As a result, the Saudi man is the one who should drive a car. And we have lived with this fact for many years, and we do not mind to continue our life without driving a car.

However, that does not stop us from doing anything — we are living a normal and peaceful life. Many Saudi women are successful and ambitious. They are studying, teaching, working and taking care of their men and their children.

I want to mention that there are some exceptional situations for some women that need to drive a car, but for myself and others I know, we could live a normal life even without driving a car.

There are other women in other countries who need help because they do not live a normal life. They are suffering from poverty, or their country is at war that is killing them and their men and children.

So I understand the need for them to do things on their own. But this is not the situation in my country.    

— ealoufi@indiana.edu