Manama: A man was
questioned by the Saudi police after he delayed the departure of a plane
for two hours by insisting that all women traveling without male
companions should disembark.
Preparations for Flight 1108 between
the western coastal city of Jeddah and the eastern city of Dammam were
proceeding normally on the plane when a passenger stunned the air
hostess explaining the safety instructions by telling her that she
should not be without a male companion.
“Why are you on the plane without a mahram [companion]?”, the passenger asked in a loud voice, local Arabic daily Okaz reported.
The
passenger, who was not identified, insisted that the plane should not
take off until all the unaccompanied women passengers disembarked.
Efforts
by the plane crew to calm the passenger failed and the captain called
the airport security to offload the passenger and his son who was
accompanying him.
An investigation into the incident has been launched.
Conservatives
in Saudi Arabia insist that women should not be allowed to travel
without a male companion “to ensure their physical and mental
well-being”.
However, the tendency is being resisted by reformers championing what they see as fair treatment of women.
The
passenger’s attitude was widely condemned as “terribly negative and
inappropriate” in the comments posted on the Saudi daily website.
Women were in January allowed to become members of the Shura Council, the national advisory council.
The
bold breakthrough for women in the conservative country allowed them to
have 30 of the 150 seats and comes two years before they are allowed to
run and vote in the municipal elections in a landmark achievement.
Source: http://gulfnews.com
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