[list_indonesia] [ppiindia] Saudi Champ Rallying for Drive for Development

From: "Ambon" <sea@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@freelists.org>
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 18:20:17 +0100
** Mailing-List Indonesia Nasional Milis PPI-India www.ppi-india.da.ru **

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=8&section=0&article=60372&d=13&m=3&y=2005

Sunday, 13, March, 2005 (02, Safar, 1426

      Saudi Champ Rallying for Drive for Development
      Raid Qusti, Arab News 
        
            

            Marwa Al-Eifa behind the wheel of a race car.    
            
      RIYADH, 13 March 2005 - The first Saudi female rally driver, who won the 
Dubai International Rally for Women a few weeks ago, said that she did not 
intend to upset Saudi women by the remarks she made in an interview with a 
Saudi daily.

      In an exclusive interview with Sayidaty, a sister publication of Arab 
News, Marwa Al-Eifa said that there were more important things women in Saudi 
Arabia should consider doing for the time being: To first prove themselves in 
society and demand full participation in its development.

      On Feb. 24, Marwa said in an interview after winning the rally trophy 
that first "women in Saudi Arabia need to participate in the actual development 
and the structuring of the country." 

      Her remarks that women should not consider driving as a first priority at 
this stage, has upset many Saudi women who support women driving and who have 
long asked for that right.

      "I did not mean to upset Saudi women by those remarks. All I wanted to 
say was that they should first prove themselves in society and get the 
appropriate posts that suit their capabilities and ambitions," she said.

      "This will eventually lead them to being allowed to drive cars," she 
added.

      When asked if she thought Saudi women had not yet proven themselves in 
Saudi society, Marwa said: "The Saudi woman is educated and intelligent. She 
has been able to prove herself abroad, however in Saudi Arabia her public 
participation is still limited to certain jobs such as education, medicine, and 
some jobs related to women-only areas."

      Marwa, who lives in Dubai with her family, made history last month by 
being the first Saudi woman to win an international rally. Unlike other 
contestants, Marwa did not receive any special training and relied on her own 
driving skills.

      "My love for the racing car world tempted me to join the rally. I had 
never participated in such a contest before, neither have I received any 
special training. But I joined to prove to myself my driving skills and whether 
they were as good in a rally as they are on the streets."

      "A male colleague at work was the person who told me about it. He said 
the organizers at the rally were looking for women to join. He knew that I had 
a craze for car racing and how much I loved it," she said.

      Marwa said that she passed the acceptance test by keeping a ball on the 
hood and swirling the car without it falling. "Contestants were timed for not 
letting the ball fall off the hood for a certain period of time," she said.

      She said when she first informed her family about her intention to 
participate in the rally; they did not believe her and thought she was just 
joking.

      Marwa's racing skills and her love for speed and thrill has got her in 
trouble many times on the street.

      "I'm known for getting tickets on the streets for speeding. Many times I 
would be stopped by police officers for driving really fast. Once I got a 
ticket for driving fast 'in a way that could endanger public safety'. Despite 
that, I never had a car accident since I started to drive in 1998."

      Asked about her victory Marwa said, "I was overjoyed. I had an inner 
feeling that told me I would win that stemmed from my confidence in my skills. 
But I am not arrogant that I won. I only proved something to myself and was 
successful in doing that, especially when my male colleagues thought I would 
lose," she said.

      "I would want to see more Saudi women participate in such rallies to show 
their skills. My family was overwhelmed with my victory. They did not believe I 
actually won first place," she added. Marwa, 25, is single and is a graduate of 
media advertising. She works in the Dubai Commission for Investment and 
Development. Her father migrated to Dubai 38 years ago before he married her 
mother. A black belt in karate, she is fond of sports, travel and drawing. 
     


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