Saudi females head to UAE for driving licences

Dubai Al Din road, Saudi women can drive in the UAE Dubai – Arabstoday Saudi women are increasingly seeking to acquire driving licences in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Saudi Arabia has a law banning women from driving, prompting women to turn to other countries to learn the skill. Bikya News reported that Dubai traffic police are witnessing a surge in the number of Saudi women applying for licenses in the city and other cities within the UAE. Speaking to the news website, Dubai Chief of Police, Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan, said police are receiving driving-license applications from Saudi women wanting to drive in Dubai and other cities, although he noted the number of requests is not particularly high. Saudi women with driving license are allowed to drive in the country. Although Khalfan points out that figures of Saudi women pursuing licenses outside of the conservative Kingdom are relatively low, there is greater interest to get behind the wheel.  Bikaya reports that an increasing number of Saudi husbands and fathers are also growing supportive of the idea, as it means convenience for the families and independence for their wives and daughters. Ferdous Abbar, a 27-year-old Saudi living in Dubai, discovered that learning to drive was difficult, but preserved because she had to do it. “When I first moved here, I used to rely on my husband and taxis to get around the city, but then my husband made me apply to driving school to get my license,” Abbar said. “At first, I found it difficult and could not get over my fear and learn quickly. Had I learnt how to drive at an early age, it would have been easier,” she told Bikaya. Sabria Jawhar, a Saudi newspaper columnist recently wrote about women needing to take the initiative and learn how to drive. “We live at an age where Saudi women work in the Shoura Council and we are witnessing a boom in the labor market. All we need is to be independent from our drivers,” Jawhar said. “I sometimes wonder why don’t we just go for it, like the time King Faisal opened educational institutes for women and told his people it is optional for them to enroll,” adding, “If this issue is only being delayed because society is rejecting it, then they shouldn’t we open driving schools and leave it up to society to decide if they want to send their girls to learn or not.” Jawhar said she is not surprised to see women flying to other countries to learning to drive elsewhere. “This is a skill that everyone may need at one time or another. We all need to learn how to drive in case of emergency and women are taking the initiative to sit behind the wheel and learn,” she said. “They are getting a license because their own country is not providing them with one so they are pushing them to go somewhere else.” Jawhar noted that if there is “nothing from a religious point of view against driving,” then there isn’t anything preventing women from driving.
Source: Bikayanews