A Saudi cleric recently declared that women drivers risk damaging ovaries and might even deliver children with clinical problems. This has raised quite a social media storm.
Sheikh Saleh al-Luhaidan made the comment when a group of Saudi activists launched a campaign demanding that women be allowed to drive in the country that permits only men to drive.
In an interview to Sabq.org al-Luhaidan said, "If a woman drives a car, not out of pure necessity, that could have negative physiological impacts as functional and physiological medical studies show that it automatically affects the ovaries and pushes the pelvis upwards. That is why we find those who regularly drive have children with clinical problems of varying degrees."
However, al-Luhaidan did not cite any medical research or studies supporting his arguments, reported Reuters.
A campaign, started on Twitter, has called upon Saudi women to challenge the ban on female driving on October 26. It has already been signed by over 11, 000 protestors.
Saudi Arabia does not have any proper law that prohibits women from driving. But only men are given driving licence. Women are fined for driving without license. Some have also been detained and undergone trial for not following the law.
Al-Luhaidan, who is a judicial advisor to an association of Gulf psycholigists, is all for curbing women's freedom in the country.
His comment garnered him negative reactions from people across the world and a lot of ridicule for his views. A Twitter user posted saying that if al-Luhaidan does not want women to drive then he should at least find some valid and reasonable excuse.
Another Twitter user Shamel Al- Sharikh wrote, "When idiocy marries dogma in the chapel of medieval traditions, this is their prodigal child."
