Hanadi: first Saudi woman pilot, seeks to work in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, Culture, 5/26/2003

At a time when education level for Saudi girls is advancing to a great extent like their Arab counterparts, it has become possible to see "the first Saudi woman pilot" riding a plane inside a plane cabin in the Jordanian Maraqa airport.

Captain Hanadi Hindi says shyly, wearing her scarf, a pilot trousers and a shirt, that she had met difficulties in moving from the life of the veil and protection in saudi Arabia to a routine which is of less restrictions in Jordan where she has been trained now.

While Hanadi points to a small American plane of "Pierre Acher 2000" at the runway at Maraqa airport near Amman, she asserts "but after 7 months in Jordan, I feel I am a new and different person. Now I can make my own private decisions." Hanadi (24 year old) comes from a very religious family from Mecca, the holiest of Islamic places. Her eyes are filled with tears remembering her father who had always himself wanted to by a pilot, who encouraged her to surpass the outdated traditions which date back to centuries and to achieve his dream -- refusing the tough criticism from his relatives and friends and sent her to the Middle East aviation academy in Jordan, where she is studying and flying with two women and 70 men.

Hanadi has four sisters and 2 brothers and a very conservative mother who is still angry for being obliged to let her daughter study aviation. Hanadi said "many people in my country were angry and criticized for two reasons: because I came to Amman to study aviation, and because I am travelling abroad alone without "Muhram" ( a female escort of relatives according to the Islamic jurisprudence)."

She added "women are forbidden from riding cars in Saudi Arabia and therefor it is impossible to imagine a woman as a pilot. She added that Saudi Arabia is a religious country where religion and tradition restrict women strongly on all walks of life.

They are deprived from mixing with men, from travelling abroad or inside the country without a male escort. The only matter which Saudi Arabia has done recently was the issuance of IDs for women. However, the Saudi women were put under the limelight in 1991 when several Saudi women protested openly over being prevented from driving cars.

Hanadi said that the freeze of change, rather the wind of change, are blowing into Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has been always supportive of the education of women.

Many women defied the barriers and restrictions in Saudi Arabia, which is the most conservative Arab state, by assuming high posts in banks, universities, hospitals and private companies.

Hanadi wants to be one of the women who eliminate obstacles, but she admits she would not have succeed without the support of her father. She added she wants to return back to Saudi Arabia and work for the Saudi airlines but she can not guarantee to have a job opportunity where all are males.

Hanadi said "I will return back and apply for work. I am a Saudi and I do love my country, and I want to serve my country. She continued "I am convinced that women should struggle for their rights. They are always followers to men. It took a long time with me to be familiar with freedom here and to fly with a male teacher." Aviation's Captain for Hanadi Muhammad al-Dour " who is a former jet fighter captain said " Hanadi was a very shy girl when she arrived in the academy. Now she has become, with a different world, a different person." I think that aviation gave her a feeling of freedom she always yearned.

However, Hanadi does not call for complete equality for women. She said that encouraging women's right does not necessarily mean surrendering to western values. The woman is just a woman, and never can be a man. I will not bring up my daughters the way I was (brought up) -- I want them to be able to make their decisions on their own.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Watan: Saudi human rights committee to be declared within days   (5/20/2003)
  Saudi crown prince: constitutional reforms are a matter of time   (2/1/2003)
  Saudi Arabia, Human Rights Watch discuss judicial system, women rights   (1/27/2003)
  Saudi Arabia: no place for woman before the wheels of the car   (4/27/2001)
  Thurayya Obeid: The first Saudi woman to acquire a post at the UN   (4/19/2001)

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