28 October 2013
Washington – Saudi King Abdullah has banned women from driving within two military hospitals, according to a secret Saudi government document obtained by the Institute for Gulf Affairs. Women are banned from driving in Saudi Arabia; however, female employees at two hospitals have been allowed to drive golf carts within the compounds until now.
The document signed by Saudi King Abdullah’s son Metab details the king’s anger at reports of female healthcare staff driving battery operated carts to move between the wings of the vast national guard’s hospitals in Riyadh and Jeddah. The Saudi Monarchy bans women from driving and many other basic rights like organized sports and fitness activities.
Many in the Western media have attributed the ban on women drivers to Wahhabi religious conservatives and/or societal rejection. This document clearly traces the ban to the king and his family who ban women driving to tighten the grip on society’s demands to share power and wealth with the absolute monarchy.
View original Arabic document and English translation by clicking HERE
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