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Saudi human rights activist fined for driving herself to the hospital
Arabian Business ^ | 9/17/2014 | Courtney Trenwith

Posted on 09/19/2014 3:47:02 AM PDT by markomalley

A female member of Saudi Arabia’s National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has reportedly been fined for driving herself to the hospital.

When police pulled her over, Aliyah Al Farid said she had a medical emergency and there was no one available to drive her to the hospital so she took her husband’s car.

The officers reportedly allowed her to continue driving. They followed her to the hospital and waited while she saw a doctor, before taking her to the traffic department where she was fined for driving without a licence.

Women are unable to get a driver’s licence in Saudi Arabia, despite there being no law against women driving.

Al Farid has been arrested for driving twice previously and has participated in campaigns to allow female drivers, but told Arabic daily Al Hayat on this occasion it was an emergency.

“I told the traffic officers that I had to drive because it was an emergency case,” she said.
“I didn’t do it on purpose and I’m not after fame or media hype. I was very sick and that was it.”

She said she also occasionally drove patients at her centre for persons with special needs when they urgent medical attention.

“We can’t leave an epileptic patient convulsing on the ground while waiting for our male driver to come and transport him to hospital,” she said.

“I have to get behind the steering wheel and do it.”

Al Farid has refused to sign an undertaking not to drive again, citing the fact there is no law prohibiting women from driving; it has become a cultural custom routinely enforced by the unofficial religious police (haia).


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: rop

1 posted on 09/19/2014 3:47:02 AM PDT by markomalley
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To: markomalley

Last month they beheaded a woman for being a witch. But hey, they’re our friends, when they’re not funding terrorists and flying planes into our buildings.


2 posted on 09/19/2014 4:33:59 AM PDT by Wolfie
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To: Wolfie

Any religion or political party which seeks to curtails, restrict human freedom or dictate behavior, in the long run will always be doomed to failure. History has shown that there are no exceptions.


3 posted on 09/19/2014 5:37:30 AM PDT by saintgermaine
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To: markomalley

Not a moo to be heard from the NOW Cow herd.


4 posted on 09/19/2014 7:03:30 AM PDT by Iron Munro ("If you want to test a man's character, give him power." -- Abraham Lincoln)
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To: markomalley

5 posted on 09/19/2014 9:32:57 AM PDT by South40 (Hillary Clinton was a "great secretary of state". - Texas Governor Rick Perry)
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