Saudi historian says Western women drive because they 'don't mind rape'

London: A Saudi historian recently defended his country's prohibition against female drivers by saying that women, who drive, "don't care if they are raped on the roadside."

Saleh al-Saadoon, who claims that females can be attacked and sexually assaulted if their car broke down, said in an interview that women in the West "don't care" about being raped, whereas people in Saudi Arabia do, the Independent reported.

The horrified female host of the TV show then asked "Who told you they don't care about getting raped on the roadside?"

To which, Al-Saadoon replied that it' no big deal for the Western women beyond the damage to their morale, but in their case, however, the problem is of a social and religious nature.

Then, when the host asked what rape is if not a blow to the morale of a woman that goes deeper than the social damage, he went on to argue that Saudi women being driven around by their male family members is perhaps something they should appreciate because everybody is at their service and they are like queens.

When his claims were countered by the fact that women have been raped by their drivers, Al-Saadoon proposed that the solution is to bring in female foreign chauffeurs to drive their wives. The shocked host then put her head in her hands and asked "Seriously?"