Woman’s car torched in Saudi Arabia in suspected hate crime
A woman’s car in a town near Makkah was deliberately set on fire in a suspected hate crime less than two weeks after Saudi Arabia lifted a decades-long ban on women driving.
Police said they were in pursuit of the arsonists, having extinguished the fire on Tuesday morning.
Dr Aati bin Atiya, a police spokesman in Makkah, said an investigation was under way.
Although not confirmed, it is widely felt that the perpetrator set fire to the car to express disapproval at women being allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.
A video posted on Twitter showed the car burnt out, and a woman, purportedly the owner of the car, saying: “May God deal with them.”
Many Saudis took to Twitter to express support for the woman. The incident took place in Al Sammad, a town an hour from Makkah by car.
“If the act was done because the owner of the car was a woman, then it is a terrorist act, under a terrorist crime, and should be dealt with accordingly,” Nayef Al Mansi, a lawyer in Jeddah, said in a tweet.
Public sentiment in the kingdom has been overwhelmingly supportive of the royal decree to allow women to drive, with many citing economic development and social liberties among the benefits.
“Every Saudi Arabian I spoke to has been happy, we are incredibly happy for our sisters, mothers, wives, women to be able to take this step forward,” said Ahmed Omran, a Saudi banker.
Okaz, a daily Saudi newspaper, interviewed the owner of the car, Salwa Sharif, who said she was distraught after being subjected to the attack on the first day that she drove.
Saudi conservatives who are against the royal decree have expressed their discontent, but doing so publicly would be considered criticism of the state and carry a hefty punishment.
“God help us, I don’t know why this is the change they want, I am afraid of what will happen,” said A K, a Saudi Uber driver who spoke to The National.
Thos who criticise the lifting of the driving ban say it is one of many measures that have limited the power of the kingdom’s morality police under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.