http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=70158&d=16&m=9&y=2005
Friday, 16, September, 2005 (12, Sha`ban, 1426)
Saudi Woman Pioneer to Pedal for Peace
Siraj Wahab, Arab News
Dr. Hayat Sindi, a leading Saudi medical researcher,
displays a pendant with the likeness of King Abdullah, that she will wear
during the "Follow the Women" bicycle ride that kicks off in Beirut on Friday.
(AN photo by Peter Mascarenhas)
JEDDAH, 16 September 2005 - Fed up with the painfully slow
pace of the Middle East peace process, about 250 women from 25 countries will
be riding bicycles to pedal for peace. One bicycle will sport the flag of Saudi
Arabia, and it will be ridden by one of the Kingdom's most remarkable women.
The 288-km ride, which starts in Beirut today and winds
through Syria and Jordan before concluding at Ramallah in Palestine, is called
"Follow the Women" and is meant to send a message to world leaders to get on
with it and stop the suffering that continuous conflict brings.
Dr. Hayat Sindi's participation is appropriate, as her
leadership and pioneering spirit already serves as a model for the Saudi women
of the future. A leading Saudi medical researcher who graduated from Cambridge
University with a doctorate degree in biotechnology, Dr. Sindi is taking part
in the ride with the encouragement of several members of the Saudi royal
family, including Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Kingdom's ambassador to the
United States, and Princess Seetah bint Abdul Aziz, who gave Dr. Sindi a
pendant with the likeness of King Abdullah, the princess' brother, to wear
during the bikeathon.
Dr. Sindi spoke with Arab News during a telephone interview
from France, enthusiastic and resolute in her belief that women working
together can help bring peace to the Middle East. "The ride is aimed at raising
awareness of how the spiral of violence in the Middle East is blighting the
lives of women and children who often suffer the worst consequences of the
painfully slow pace of the peace process," she said.
The Follow the Women bike ride, which concludes Sept. 26, is
sponsored by the UK's Centre for High Performance Development. Well known
international youth worker, Detta Regan, is the organizer of the event. Regan
won the "UK Woman of Europe" award for 2001. "Women do not traditionally cycle
in the Middle East," Regan said. "So the sight of a large female-only group
will attract huge interest."
For part of the journey where the terrain is too difficult
the women will travel by coach with their bikes going by truck. They get back
on their bicycles near the Syrian border, then cycle to Damascus and on the
desert road to Yarmouk University, Jordan and finally into the West Bank.
"We will visit the Sabra and Shatilla camps and share the
pain of the Palestinian people," Dr. Sindi said. "They have gone through the
worst in life. We want to see firsthand how they are coping and share their
grief and to express our solidarity with them."
She said this might seem like a small exercise and to some it
may be an exercise in futility but there has to be a beginning for peace. "My
advice to my countrymen in Saudi Arabia is to take that small step. Let us not
just sit tight and do nothing. We all can make a difference."
Prince Turki Al-Faisal has called Dr. Sindi the model Arab
woman; this latest effort attests to that endorsement.
Dr. Sindi was born in Makkah to a modest family. She is one
of eight children. From an early age, she admired scientists, such as Al-Kindi,
Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina, Newton and Einstein.
In her 20s, Dr. Sindi invented a device combining light and
ultrasound for use in the field of biotechnology. She dreams of one day
establishing a center of excellence in Saudi Arabia.
"There are a lot of misconceptions about Saudi women and I
want to dispel them. If I can make a small difference in the way Saudi woman
are perceived outside, then all this will be very good," Dr. Sindi said. "By
taking part in this ride, I want to convey to the larger world that Saudi women
are second to none.
We have our traditions, and we are proud of them. But we live
in a global village, and we should contribute to the peace effort worldwide."
The ride will be challenging but Dr. Sindi regularly goes to
the gym, believing that a healthy mind needs a healthy body. As a Saudi woman
she has a point to prove and, trusts in Allah to see her through the test.
Dr. Sindi remarked that Prince Turki encouraged her to take
part in the ride when he was the ambassador to the United Kingdom and she
thanked him for his inspiration.
"It gives me a great thrill to ride a bike that will have the
Saudi green fluttering proudly at the back. Plus, I am carrying a picture of
our beloved King Abdullah on my necklace.
Also, I have a pin that says 'No to Terrorism,'" she said.
"We need to learn from each other, respect others and hold onto our dreams and
work to realize them. It is time for all the good people of the world to come
together and work for peace."
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