Woman Driving in Saudi Arabia Conflict

Freedom is one of the reasons why human-beings want to live. The conflict of women not being able to drive in Saudi Arabia became a highlighted title that is associated with human rights issues. It’s been classified as a social, cultural and legal conflict that impact the role of Saudi women in the society. It has taken many years for this conflict to be resolved and restored.

This conflict was composed of supporters and objectors who play a huge role in determining a positive solution to this issue. Supporters, who are majorly women, believe that one of their basic rights as a human is to be able to make decisions on their own. While objectors, who are majorly men, think that women driving might effect the role of men in society. The complexity of how this issue has been viewed is a remarkable proof, which shows that a matter that is easy in parts of the world, doesn’t imply it’s simple in other parts.

Saudi society has been struggling for decades at methods and approaches that will transport the country to a radical change in which it makes them reaches the 3rd world. This optimization process won’t be done without the hands of its own citizens. Saudi society is ruled by Islamic laws, customs, and traditions, in which is known as a patriarchal society. Therefore, a qualitative leap is required and can’t be achieved without the voice of the women. Allowing women to be part of the country growth requires giving them their rights. One of these conflictual rights is a woman driving.

Women driving is a rightful movement that doesn’t require any form of violence. Rather it needs a peaceful resistant solution that lasts forever, until the demand has been responded to. This demand isn’t easy to be obtained in a country that is known for its restricted laws toward freedom. Therefore, breaking the laws by any means will cost a lot. And yet the law has been violated by a few human rights figures, and cost them a bad reputation and an image of disgrace.

There are a few Saudi rights activists who are one of the main reasons for a positive and peaceful change toward woman driving in Saudi Arabia. One of these activists is Manal Al-Sharif. According to Manal Al-Sharif (2017), she was the founder of a movement called “Women2Drive” campaign, back in 2011. She got her first driving license back in 2009 when she was in the US. Al-Sharif started her movement by taking the risk of driving in Saudi Arabia with her brother filming her historical moment. Unfortunately, she ended up being in jail for nine days for breaking the law.

Also, there is another young woman who was also a woman rights activist, Loujain al-Hathloul. According to Caroline Mortimer (2017), Loujain got her first driving license from Saudi’s neighbor country, UAE. Then, she tried to drive, crossing the border using her first driving license as an excuse for doing such action. As a result, she was detained for 73 days, by Saudi authorities refusing any mediation.

I believe that Loujain was obviously inspired by Manal, who was the founder of this a powerful movement. However, Manal drove her car with an American license which isn’t acceptable, due to the differences in its language and a county’s regulations. While Loujain drove her car by using her Emirate driving licensee, which is acceptable due to the similarities both countries have in common. However, these actions weren’t acceptable regardless of what the reason is.

These sorts of actions can be seen as rational and irrational at the same time, in terms of the effectiveness of this case. It can be rational because it emerges out of bravery of a woman who is fighting for herself, for her women, and for her community. While others can see it as an irrational action due to the consequences behind it. However, these actions can have a hidden positive impact, that many wouldn’t acknowledge because of the intensity that the majority live by.

The hidden meaning is to show the objectors and the supports of this case that women can drive peacefully inside the country, without causing any conflicts to the objectors’ interests and positions. According to personal activism, it says to be the change that you want to be and take previous powerful activists such as Martin Luther King as an example to start one. Indeed, their intention was neither to break the law nor do they want to risk their lives and reputation for their rights, but to show the peaceful reality in the actual life.

The issue of women driving is a deep matter that requires many steps to build a particular perspective of what this conflict implies. Therefore, any form of violence or recklessness can result in more damages, instead of constructing the beautiful image of this basic human right. Since Saudi culture is very strict and known for its segregation of genders in most public places, other options have to be a substituted.

Social media network is one of the powerful tools that is used as a discussion board between the two parties to declare their voices. Restorative justice, interfaith dialog, and international laws can be used as nonviolent communication practices that will lead to a satisfying conclusion. This process might be classified as a rational approach or interest-based negotiation that seeks to complement the regular life of human-beings.

As we know now it’s the period of social media networks. Many people nowadays use social media networks on a daily basis. Whether they use it for fun, wasting time, sharing information, and so on. Twitter was one of the social media networks that was used as a form of freedom of speech. It’s designed for expression in a form of tweeting. As a result, Twitter was the discussion board that was used to bring all of the points of view together.

Saudi males and females were sharing information, expressing thoughts, clarifying misconceptions between each other. I know sometimes the language of writing can cause misconception between the sender and the receiver, due to the ambiguous intentions. However, this case has no choice of bringing all parties together to a dialog table, but through social media networks.

Also, these networks can build a lot of non-violent communications by using active examples of women who are from a different country and drive their cars comfortably without the need for their guardians. This will help a lot of objectors to rethink for one second if they can take these examples into considerations. Objectors, specifically men, believe that hiring a personal driver for her will make her feel like more a queen than her driving her own car as an independent woman.

Men’s points of view comes from their experience working afternoons at a temperature of over 130 Fahrenheit. While Islamic teaching prohibits non-lawful meeting. The non-lawful meeting occurs when a stranger and woman hang-out at one place alone. So women were questioning the objectors: “It’s okay for me to be with stranger personal driver in one car, while it’s not acceptable to drive my own car, although being with stranger contradicts the Islamic teaching.” This line was one of the strongest responses that refute their claims for not allowing women to drive which showed their weak hypocrisy.

Since it’s a lawful conflict, government intervention has to be applied. It’s hard for all parties to come along on one table due to the strict roles that Saudi society is run by; however, there is another option that might be a key toward an optimistic change, besides social media networks. Petitions to a Royal Court and Saudi Advisory Council are elements that can work together towards a solution.

Since government intervention is inevitable, the resolution is in their hands. There are two governmental circles that influence the authority to issue laws which are Royal Court and Saudi Advisory council.

The Royal Court is a governmental association that is created to build a close relationship between the royal family and the citizens through responding to citizen’s problems. This service is fundamental because the government itself doesn’t have a problem with lifting the ban on woman driving, as much as it worries about the public society.

According to Jess Staufenberg, Saudi crown prince, Muhammed ben Salman says that the "woman driving issue" is neither religious problem nor is it a government problem, rather it’s cultural acceptance. Therefore, writing petitions or letters with a huge number of supporters will make the government realize the big support of lifting the ban on woman driving.

Saudi Advisory council is another advisory tool that can contribute to the resolution. This council was designed to discuss social problems and Saudi affairs that concern Saudi society. This council doesn’t have legitimacy powers in terms of issuing laws, but can present these issues directly to the authority to make a decision.

Also, since woman participation is necessary, there are several members of Saudi advisory that are females. According to Aljazeera, there are 30 women sworn in the capital of Saudi, Riyadh, before they take seats with 130 males at the council. This transformation in Saudi society made a remarkable difference in defining their future. Personally, the participation of Saudi women in social decisions will open another door, not just for a woman driving but other woman rights that have been hidden for decades.

This process is intended to unify all the points of view through sharing, expressing, and posting all the points that they believe in through social media. First, Social media networks can be used as a digital tool that intend to change the perspective of objectors toward women driving in Saudi, and how it has a positive impact on society. Second, Saudi Arabia is run by a royal family. Therefore, writing a letter or petition to the Royal Court is a great step that directly delivers the voices of women. Third, Saudi Advisory council is a governmental association that convenes meetings, regularly discussing Saudi issues and working on how to improve them. This segment can be the voice of justice & equity and the bridge between citizens and the authority.

These elements can be transferred into processes that will help to make a destructive conflict into constructive conflict. These are concrete bases that can show how non-violent communication and personal activism, through public activists showed violence isn’t the answer. Who would believe that someday Saudi woman will be involved in such a decision?

The use of peaceful movement or activism that Manal and Loujain did play a major role in showing what it feels like for a woman to drive her own car in real life. Also, Saudi advisory council brings all thoughts between men and women. It eased the conflict, which shows interest-based negotiation between both parties. The majority of objectors started to believe that it’s time to think purely about positive changes that woman driving can bring to our country growth. Also, these changes influence a lot of inactive supporters of this issue, as a fear of being attacked by the surroundings. These inactive supporters were acting like we are with whatever the majority says. They were lost because they are unaware of what the problem is and how it’s more like a human right than it’s associated with woman rights.

The case of women driving in Saudi is classified under more than one category, due to the effectiveness of a better society. It’s classified as a social case that throughout its solution will develop the mentality of objectors, about how the role of women will impact positively on the growth of the community.

Also, it’s classified as a cultural case whose solution will eliminate a lot of innovations that made the process of development go backward. As well, it can be classified as an economic case that its solution will help to grow the Saudi economy by giving the other gender the opportunity to be part of economy success growth. As a result, the solution of this conflict will be a major key to success to all these categories for the long run.

I believe that the lifting ban policy on woman driving is a great resolution for a short and long term at the same time. Since it’s an ultimate decision that lasts forever, it’s a change that can make a historical qualitative leap to Saudi Arabia. When women are able to drive, it’s an indication of women being independent. Also, this resolution will allow more women to apply for jobs and not worrying about who is free and who isn’t to give her a ride. As more women will be employed, the chances of the growing economy will increase, as another gender is completely active in society.