Men burn Saudi woman's car because they 'believe' she shouldn't drive

On June 24, Saudi women were finally granted their legal right to drive - a historic milestone for the kingdom - but it hasn't been all positive news.

A woman in Saudi Arabia was reportedly threatened and harassed by a group of young men for practicing her basic right to drive.

"From the first day of driving I was subjected to insults from men," the woman said, according to Arab News.

Salma Al Sharif shared her story with local media, saying that several men demanded she stop driving because it was "against the will of God". 

After going against their misogynistic views, they set her car on fire.

The vile incident reportedly took place in the Saudi city of Mecca. 

The 33-year-old called her harassers "barbaric" for the hate crime they committed. A crime against women. A crime against humanity.

According to Arab News, one of the men had purchased gasoline while the other assisted him in setting the car on fire. 

On Wednesday, two men involved in the crime were arrested and referred to public prosecutors.

Following the news, an Arabic hashtag titled "the burning of a woman's car in Mecca" began making the rounds on Saudi Twitter, with many referring to the incident as a "terrorist attack".

"This is not only an offense against private property, this is a crime against the state's system and its decisions. It is an act of terrorism, an attack terrorizing women, so those involved in the attack must be given severe penalties."

"The men in the neighborhood burned a peaceful car only because the woman drives a car. May God burn your hearts the same way you burned her car"

"This is lie and fabrication. The goal behind it is clear - this is an attempt to distort the image of Saudi Arabia and its security measures"

Prior to the kingdom's official ban lift, a video of a female Saudi motorist being harassed on one of the kingdom's highways went viral earlier this year. 

In it, a group of men filmed themselves as they verbally harassed the woman and her friends after they spotted them driving by. The footage - which went viral at the beginning of May - came just a month before Saudi Arabia's ban lift on women driving. 

The incident led many to call on authorities to finalize the anti-harassment law currently underway in the kingdom. At the end of May, Saudi Arabia's Shoura Council passed a draft law criminalizing sexual harassment, with a maximum 5-year prison term and fine of up to 300,000 riyals ($80,000).