Saudi Arabia was the center of attention this weekend. International sports stars and DJs gathered in the port city of Jeddah to watch the world’s best drivers race in Formula 1.
The country is developing rapidly with more and more international activities and more and more freedom for the population. But people paid a high price for it. Anyone who dared to criticize the crown prince risked going to jail.
An example of the latest development: women have been allowed to drive since 2018. Everything has gone pretty fast since then. An international women’s rally was held in the desert last week.
“This rally is also primarily about women’s empowerment. Now you can get your driver’s license here and go wherever you want. This is freedom. “I am really proud to be a part of it,” says Izabella Rekiel, who participated in Rally Jameel last year and is now involved with the organization.
Middle East correspondent Daisy Mohr traveled to Saudi Arabia’s Qassim province to attend the rally:
She says the Jameel Rally is intended to be a training ground, a stepping stone for women in the region who want to pursue a career in motorsport. “It’s good to see how international rally drivers impress Saudi women during the rally.”
After long dark years, the rudder has changed radically in Saudi Arabia. Cultural pressure in the kingdom was a ticking time bomb. A country with seventy percent of the population under thirty yearned for more freedom.
Criticism can lead to jail
But do not think that women’s liberties emerged without a struggle. Countless people have paid the price of trying to make a revolution in prison.
“The changes in Saudi Arabia are both incredible and alarming,” said Kim Ghattas from Beirut. He is the author of Black Wave, a book about Saudi Arabia and Iran.
It is still very difficult to find critical voices in Saudi Arabia, as dissident views can be severely punished. Ghattas: “Even a critical tweet about the crown prince or supporting people in prison can get you jailed for years. There are hundreds of people who are imprisoned this way.”
That’s why there’s a mixed feeling that women are now driving at rallies, while women campaigning for driver’s licenses are gagging. Ghattas said, “The one who accepted the honor is Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. There is no one else,” he says.
“The same goes for women who advocate driving. This group went to jail when Saudi women finally started driving.”
For example, Loujain al-Hathloul. He was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to nearly six years in prison in 2020 for his activism. He was released in February 2021, despite being subject to a five-year travel ban.
Ghattas: “It is only the crown prince and the royal family who can change everything. Defending your rights or greater freedom of expression is not an option in Saudi Arabia today.”
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
