Working in KSA overrated for women?

[Nanees]

i used to plan on spending time in KSA as a working professional sometime in the future.... recently alhamdulilah one male family member and one female close friend were granted the exact same job by the same hiring agency in Riyadh. In that time, the male family member has gone to hajj, cumrah several times mashaAllah, has prayed in ever major masjid in the area, and the female friend has gone shopping 2x and has gone on a group trip to applebees with the rest of the female workers.

Its obviously understandable as a woman in KSA needs mahram to go anywhere, but I didn't expect it to be so different subhanAllah... what are your thoughts?

[Hargaysa1982]

I went there for hajj and was going with female family memebers alone to shopping malls in Riyad, Jidda with our own family driver who would drop us off anywhere we wanted to go!
I also lived in Makka for a month and Medina for three weeks and guess what I was going about doing my business going to the local shops at ease just like we do normally. Also was able to go the haram alone couple of times we lived close by so I would walk couple fo blocks alone and have some lone time, same goes for the Masjid Nabawi in Madina I used to go there by myself again by foot no problems whatsoever. No police stopping me harrassing me.
Don't know what your female family member is on but life was just normal and very safe. Had a wonderful time and whats more no one who lived there was complaining of the restrictions that the media yaps about that are supposedly placed on women.

[Nanees]

I went there for hajj and was going with female family memebers alone to shopping malls in Riyad, Jidda with our own family driver who would drop us off anywhere we wanted to go!
I also lived in Makka for a month and Medina for three weeks and guess what I was going about doing my business going to the local shops at ease just like we do normally. Also was able to go the haram alone couple of times we lived close by so I would walk couple fo blocks alone and have some lone time, same goes for the Masjid Nabawi in Madina I used to go there by myself again by foot no problems whatsoever. No police stopping me harrassing me.
Don't know what your female family member is on but life was just normal and very safe. Had a wonderful time and whats more no one who lived there was complaining of the restrictions that the media yaps about that are supposedly placed on women.

MashaAllah! thats great news my friend actually lives in the city, in one of those compounds for american workers. The only way they can get into mecca is by paying $$$$ to sign up for an all women's group! going to shops/malls is no problem, but who wants to go all the way to KSA just for the suuqs , it sounds like once ur in the city you can travel around at ease.

[BlackVelvet]

Isn't a muhrum part of the requirement before a Muslim woman is even granted entry?

[Nanees]

Isn't a muhrum part of the requirement before a Muslim woman is even granted entry?

Not if you have a work visa

[Hargaysa1982]

Ah..may be because she is in that compound thats why theres restrictions probably for her safety since she is an 'american' lol.
My cousin who is ultra-westernized the only member of the fam who still wears skinny jeans works there too she is a teacher. And her facebook page is full of pics of places/historic places that she's been to. Only thing is she wears abaya now and she looks adorable,,,,didn't have a chance to chat with her properly but she would have complained and. The media does pretty good job victimizing the saudi women and unfortunately many of us fall for that.....I always used to think I would end up in Saudi or Qatar too but don't want anymore foreign country am building me one smoking villa in Hargaysa and InshaAllaah moving there for good in the next 8years:) Insha Allllaaaah

[BlackVelvet]

I think Nabeela said public transport is kinda rubbish and since she isn't allowed to drive...can you hire a driver? That would mean being in a car with a non-muhrum, unless it's a woman oh wait yeah... So how does she travel?

[Nanees]

I think Nabeela said public transport is kinda rubbish and since she isn't allowed to drive...can you hire a driver? That would mean being in a car with a non-muhrum, unless it's a woman oh wait yeah... So how does she travel?

if your there on work visa, they provide you a driver.

[BlackVelvet]

So the evil of a woman driving is more than the evil of putting her in a car with a man she doesn't know?

[greenday]

I think Nabeela said public transport is kinda rubbish and since she isn't allowed to drive...can you hire a driver? That would mean being in a car with a non-muhrum, unless it's a woman oh wait yeah... So how does she travel?

You can breastfeed your driver like some sheikh suggested

[The_Patriot]

I will be honest Saudi is not a country for a black person or someone from the third world to leave.

The Saudis are very backward in regards to treatment of foreigners.

[BlackVelvet]

I think Nabeela said public transport is kinda rubbish and since she isn't allowed to drive...can you hire a driver? That would mean being in a car with a non-muhrum, unless it's a woman oh wait yeah... So how does she travel?

You can breastfeed your driver like some sheikh suggested

Could you explain that a bit more clearly?

[Nanees]

So the evil of a woman driving is more than the evil of putting her in a car with a man she doesn't know?

EXACTLY


I'm less likely to do the deed driving myself to the market than with a potentially hot guy driving me there can you just see it? long drive, stuck in a traffic jam. He has jungle fever and craves the taste of nubian flesh, I think his beard is cute...

[Nanees]

I think Nabeela said public transport is kinda rubbish and since she isn't allowed to drive...can you hire a driver? That would mean being in a car with a non-muhrum, unless it's a woman oh wait yeah... So how does she travel?

You can breastfeed your driver like some sheikh suggested

Could you explain that a bit more clearly?

DEADDEADDEAD

[greenday]

BVhttp://amren.com/news/2010/08/controversy_in/Meesha meel mahan