Alhamdulilah. Alhamdulilah. Alhamdulilah.
Thank you to King Salman, who has finally allowed for women in Saudi to drive, Alhamdulilah.
Prince Faisal bin Abdullah said it best, quoted in this article, when he said:
““Let me tell you about our leadership’s view on women, never mind driving a car, which is coming, no doubt ... I want her to drive society.””
While this is kind of a bad time for me to get this news as I just sold my beautiful car last month assuming I would never be able to drive it here, I am still absolutely thrilled for this news.
Honestly, there was no reason for women to not be able to drive in Saudi and it was much more cultural than it was a religious issue (women rode camels in the time of the Prophet (saws)). Accordingly, it was about time we had the option to drive.
Will I be driving? Probably not. Or, at least not often. I'm not comfortable in the backseat here, let alone the front seat. I clinch the "oh sh-t bar" as my grandma calls it, and pray for survival in dicey traffic. Still, my friends and I are famous for cruising 24/7 in Los Angeles, so I'm sure the tradition will be relived in Riyadh.
I will say that one person who I will be thinking of every time I do drive is Nicole Hunter-Mostafa, Allah yarhamha. She would be so proud of Saudia for this huge shift. I wish she was here today to see and to celebrate in this landmark decision for the country. Still, I can't wait to see Lavender and Juliette, her daughters, driving down the road a few years from now and singing along to her favorite tunes with the amazing same spirit.
Congratulations, ladies. See you out on the roads June 2018 ;)
