Craving is one of the common symptoms of pregnancy. Usually, women during pregnancy tend to crave certain foods not normally considered a favourite. Those cravings are not completely understood, but many doctors think they are related to hormonal changes. However, they are not limited to foods, and in our local culture pregnancy cravings are taken very seriously due to the belief that if a craving is not satisfied the baby will be born with a skin mark that resembles the craving.
Now, why am I talking about this? Well, this is why…
A policeman was patrolling the ring road in Hofuf, east of Saudi Arabia, when he noticed a car that was being driven in a strange manner. He asked the driver to pull over. To his surprise, the driver was a woman, and her husband was in the passenger seat. The husband tried to convince the policeman that he had to let his wife drive because she is pregnant and has been craving driving the car for days. The husband said he knows it is illegal for women to drive, but he allowed her to do so because she was craving it so badly and he was afraid his baby would be harmed. The policeman handed a ticket to the husband and warned him not to repeat the offense.
Moral of the story? Pregnant or not, Saudi women should not crave driving because they will simply be asking for a ticket. Unless, of course, they have a big fat wasta, but that’s another story…
Saudi Jeans 
I find this post somewhat sexist… :D
Ok….Im Craving Ruling The World =o…
OH…OH…im craving Omitting they hay’a from this PLANET!! …
FOR THE FIRST TIME I FEEL EMPOWERED !!
I wonder if they baby will now get a birthmark that looks like a car or a car emblem, just hope it does not look like a 1.8 ;)
In keeping with the times, it should at least be in the shape of a hybrid, or are they verboten in the oil kingdom? LOL :)
This is an interesting post in many ways. I knew of this belief about refusing a pregnant woman a craving, but didn’t realize it extended to the Arab world beyond Morocco.
Pica (eating unusual non-food substances, like clay, laundry starch, dirt, lead paint, etc) is well known as a phenomenon and apparently occurs with increased frequency in pregnant women with cravings. It can be at times the body’s attempt to replace a mineral it is deficient in, but also can lead to anemia and folate deficiency in pregnant women.
Indeed, the temptation is to take over the world, via pregnancy cravings + immense wasta, but for now, not being pregnant, I shall have to satisfy my own craving for my newly discovered blackcurrent bubble tea. LOL :)
Too funny! Many Americans, especially rural folk, believe the same thing. One thing we seem to share. Thanks.
In spain we believe in that too…but only applied to food…not to cars, so just have to say…smart woman, she’s been able to drive!!
LOL–just proving how incomplete the Reconquista of Al-Andalus was LOL :)
Jesus! What a culture!
And just WHY should not women be as well aimed to drive as men?
Stone age thinking…
Since women driving a car to satisfy their cravings is illegal in Saudi Arabia, why not have them fly airplanes instead?
If the police will tolerate craving as a reason for items that the police do not ordinarily tolerate, perhaps a group of ladies who are pregnant should gather and determine that they have a craving for watching films in a cinema?
Perhaps our ladies will lead the way on such issues.
I’m pretty sure building a cinema takes longer than 9 months :P
In Britain there’s an old law allowing pregnant women to pee in Policemen’s hats if they crave it.
Andrew–Good point. One should never underestimate the power of organized mothers: breaking the code of silence of the Italian Mafia, demonstrating with pots in hand against Pinochet, Argentinian grandmothers demontrating weekly to have their “disappeared” children and grandchildren returned…I;m sure the pregnant women of Saudi can effect transition too.
whats the rationale behind banning women from driving in Saudi Arabia..
There isn’t one
I did not realize the effect of this “no women driving” on the very psyche of people until my three year old commented voluntarily and out of his own observation “mommies can’t drive, they make accidents, only daddies can drive.” I was surprised by his comment especially that both hubby and I are his primary source of input. “But mommies can drive too,” I told him. “No, if mommies drive the police will catch them.” There I realized that he simply concluded that people caught by police are bad people who disturb the road, and this is the category set for women…
“Out of the mouths of babes!”