사우디 여성운전 허용 가능성에 대한 연구

A Study on the Possibility of Permitting Women to Drive in Saudi Arabia

This paper is designed to prospect the possibility of permitting women to drive in Saudi Arabia. Saudi women are banned from driving in the Kingdom, and needed permission from a close male relative(guardian) to travel, work, and open a bank account. Despite the modernization of Saudi, its society is ruled by conservatism, traditional Wahhabism, and fatwa. King Abdullah has recently introduced some cautious political and social reforms, and announced to give the Saudi women the right to vote and run in future municipal elections. In chapter Ⅱ, the situation of Saudi women rights is presented. More than half of Saudi's university graduates are women. But according to ILO, in 2009 just 17% of Saudi women were in employment. It is one of the lowest in the world. All restrictions enforced to Saudi women are regarded as a big loss. As for the Saudi women rights, women activists say the issue of being allowed to drive is key point to gaining other social and educational rights. In chapter Ⅲ, the October 26 Women's Driving Campaign is described. As for the women's driving campaign in Saudi, there were 3 times in 1990, 2011(Women2Drive), and 2013(Hamlat26Uktubir). The 2011 and 2013 campaigns were social media campaigns using Twitter, Facebook, and You-tube. Despite conservatives' denouncing the campaign in 2013, it was regarded as a practical necessity and another step forward gaining women's rights and freedom. In chapter Ⅳ, the relationship between banning from women's driving and Wahhabism is described. The ban against women driving in Saudi dates back to a fatwa in 1991 issued by the late grand mufti against gender mixing. Saudi women's rights group have been agitating for a change in the rule of banning from women's driving. In chapter Ⅴ, the view of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab on women is presented. Saudi is still split over the question of women driving. In addition to the driving ban, Saudi women are very critical on the issue of conservative guardianship for women. Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of the Wahhabism, sought to ensure women's right and give the appropriate place of women in Muslim society. He consistently urged the principles of social justice, the equality of all believers, and the need to preserve equality of status between men and women. So on the basis of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's approach on women, it is positively anticipated that Saudi women's driving will be permitted soon, and their social activities will be increased without legal regulations or fatwa.