Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive

Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive
https://www.yahoo.com/news/saudi-arabia-allow-women-drive-191526867.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=69f70237-124f-3ea9-acd0-fc922af945e2&.tsrc=notification-brknews
The Telegraph
Harriet Alexander
,The Telegraph•September 26, 2017
Women in Saudi Arabia were only allowed to vote in 2015; now they are allowed to drive - Reuters
Women in Saudi Arabia were only allowed to vote in 2015; now they are allowed to drive - Reuters
More

Women in Saudi Arabia are to be allowed to drive - ending a law which made the Gulf nation the only country in the world to forbid female drivers.

On Twitter, the news was being celebrated widely.

The change, which will come into force in June, was announced on state television and in a simultaneous media event in Washington.

Follow
Ensaf haidar @miss9afi
Urgent: #SaudiArabia Officially allow Saudi women to drive the car
7:57 PM - Sep 26, 2017
4 4 Replies 36 36 Retweets 49 49 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Follow
Sara Hussein @sarahussein
It is sort of depressing how genuinely big of a deal this feels https://twitter.com/ezzsaid/status/912756661122748416 …
8:13 PM - Sep 26, 2017
4 4 Replies 17 17 Retweets 29 29 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy
It comes just days after the country allowed women to enter sports stadiums for the first time.

Campaigners have for many years argued that women should be allowed to drive, saying that it makes virtual prisoners out of women who do not have a male family member or chauffeur to drive them around.

Women were recently allowed into stadiums to celebrate the 87th annual National Day of Saudi Arabia - Credit: Reuters
Women were recently allowed into stadiums to celebrate the 87th annual National Day of Saudi Arabia Credit: Reuters
More
In June 2011, about 40 women got behind the wheel and drove in several cities in a protest sparked when Manal Sharif, one of the founders of the movement, was arrested and detained for 24 hours after posting a video of herself driving.

Another was arrested and sentenced to 10 lashes – a sentence later overturned by the king – and the rest were told to sign statements guaranteeing they would not drive again.

Follow
Lexi Alexander ‎ @Lexialex
Bravo @LoujainHathloul and shout out to your fellow courageous feminists who have been arrested for driving https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/912753854206312448 …
8:12 PM - Sep 26, 2017
1 1 Reply 33 33 Retweets 55 55 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy
In October 2013, shortly after a prominent cleric claimed that medical studies showed driving damaged a woman's ovaries, 60 women took part in a protest, driving in spite of warnings from the authorities.

In response, 150 clerics staged a demonstration outside the royal palace. The ministry warned against marches or gatherings under the pretext of the driving campaign. It said those “disturbing public peace” will be dealt with firmly.

But since then resistance to women driving has ebbed somewhat.

The movement gained prominence with the rise in power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a 32-year-old son of the king. who has laid out a far-reaching plan to reform the kingdom’s economy and society.

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia, hit by the fall of oil prices, is aware of the economic contribution that women could make.