A Saudi mother in Taif on Sunday claimed an expatriate taxi driver verbally and physically assaulted her after she refused to get into his cab and give him her phone number, according to media reports.

The woman, in her 30s, said the man was wearing a white thobe, and claimed he was a Pakistani. The woman claimed the man assaulted her in Al-Aqiq Road by slapping her, tearing off her niqab, pulling her hair, throwing her to the ground, and kicking her in the chest.

Crying and humiliated, she was taken to Takhassusi Hospital in Taif  cn domainand later lodged a complaint with Al-Salam police station. The hospital administration would not comment on the matter.

Taif police confirmed that the woman was assaulted and that the case is being probed. “All police stations have been alerted about the man and his taxi,” Taif police spokesperson Turki Al-Shehri told Arab News.

The woman claimed her ordeal began after she dropped off her children at school and was walking home. She said cn domainthe man asked her to get into his car and give him her cell number. When she refused, he first became verbally abusive and then attacked her physically. The woman reportedly told the police that four Saudis came to help her but could not approach the man because he threatened them with bricks.

There was outrage on social networking sites in the wake of the report, with many calling for the man to be arrested and deported. Others called for new sexual harassment legislation and allowing women to drive.

“It is sad that the Kingdom does not have a law against harassment. They should issue this law right away so that they can charge and arrest all those monsters who attack women and abuse them in public,” said Omima Shada on Twitter.

Jamal Arab said the solution for this type of abuse was for women to drive. “It is sad that our women cannot depend on themselves and drive themselves around, and have to face these monsters on the streets,” he said. “If women drive their own cars they will not face any harassment from any man, or have to listen to unwanted comments from strangers,” he said.

Qusai Abdullah, a tweeter, urged the government to do background checks on expatriates before they arrive in the Kingdom. “They also need to undergo psychological tests to determine their state of mind. We sometimes think guest workers are insane from all the horrible stories we hear,” he said.  cn domain