Saudi cleric suspended for calling women ‘quarter brained’

RIYADH: A Saudi cleric who said women should not be allowed to drive because they have a "quarter" of the brainpower of men has been banned from preaching, media reported on Friday.

Saad al-Hijri was suspended from all religious activity in the southern province of Asir after his comment was widely pilloried on social media. Hijri said women -- who normally are "half-brained" compared to men -- "end up with only a quarter" when they go shopping and therefore must denied driving licences, according to an online video identifying him as a senior religious figure. Saudi Arabia applies a strict interpretation of Islam, which imposes a range of restrictions including a ban on women driving.

Unrelated men and women are normally segregated in Saudi Arabia, where offices and restaurants have separate sections for single men and families. Hijri’s comment sparked a storm on social media, with women’s rights activists calling for his suspension, but he also had pockets of support from conservative followers.