Though women in Saudi Arabia have been afforded more rights in recent years, they are still not allowed to drive. As The Week reports, there is no official law banning a woman from driving, but deeply help religious beliefs prohibit most women from getting behind the wheel of a car.
Fortunately one Saudi woman was taught how to drive when she was younger, for the skill ended up saving the life of a bus driver. The New Arab reports that 20-year-old Ashwaq al-Shamri and her female friends were being driven home from university when the driver transporting them said that he felt dizzy. Suddenly, he pulled the vehicle over. It was then that the girls sprung until action, helping him off the bus then running to a nearby store to get him cold water.
The bus driver was having a stroke, but the nearest hospital was miles away. So, al-Shamri got behind the wheel and drove the man and her friends to his house. There, the driver’s family took over and transported him the rest of the way to a hospital.
Upon learning that al-Shamri had driven the bus and, in effect, saved the driver’s life, the university student’s father revealed that he is “extraordinarily proud.” Reportedly, the girl was taught how to drive at a young age so she could help out on the family’s farm.
As a result of this incident, many Saudi Arabian activists are rallying once again for the driving ban to be lifted. Though there is no sign change in this department will take place anytime soon, some positive developments have taken place in the kingdom. For instance, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced last week that women no longer need to receive a man’s consent to work, study, and seek health care. Additionally, the country held its first public election in which women could vote and run for office in 2015. What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!
