Saudi Arabia To Let Women Drive For First The Time
Women in Saudi Arabia will finally be allowed to drive next summer after decades of being barred from driving. This was announced last Tuesday by state television, marking a major expansion of women's rights in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
Unlike other Muslim countries where women have been able to drive freely for years, Saudi women were not issued driver's licenses and were even detained if they attempted to drive. The absolute monarchy's blanket ban on women drivers has attracted negative publicity for years and has been protested both inside and outside the country.
There have been many examples of women being punished for driving a vehicle in the country. In 1990, 50 women lost their passports and their jobs after being arrested for driving. More recently in 2011, a woman was sentenced to 10 lashes for driving although Saudi's late King Abdullah overturned the sentence.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Interestingly, neither Saudi nor Islamic law explicitly prohibits women from getting behind the wheel. This has been among the many arguments women have been using in recent years as they organized countrywide days of driving on social media.
Now, Prince Khaled bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington and the king's son, said letting women drive is a "huge step forward" and that "society is ready."
Now, women can get their driver's license and drive even without permission from a male relative and without fear of being arrested. The prince told reporters in the US that this is the right time to do the right thing.
Aziza Youssef, a professor at King Saud University and one of Saudi Arabia's most vocal women's rights activists said that she is excited and that the move is a good step forward for women's rights. Speaking with The Associated Press from Riyadh, she said that women were happy with the first step in a lot of rights they are waiting for.
