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Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that the ban on women drivers will be lifted. Many welcome the decree as a way forward. Read here.
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia issued a statement granting women the privilege to get behind the wheel. This comes after an announcement by the Saudi Foreign Minister about a placement of a royal decree.
The Gulf Kingdom is the only country in the world that has banned women from driving. Women in Saudi Arabia, if found driving, could be issued with a fine or arrested.
What Is Happening Now?
The country's ministerial committee will have 30 days to implement the ruling. Thereafter, the government will have until June 24, 2018 to implement the decree.Saudi Arabia's US Ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman has expressed excited in response to the announcement. "This is a historic big day in our Kingdom," explained bin Salman.Many working women have until now, had to order drivers to drive them around. Most of their finances have gone into transport to and from work. This law will finally be a step forward, and away from Saudi Arabia's oppressive stance on women. According to an article by the New York Times, there are various reasons why women have never been allowed to drive.
- One reason is that men wouldn't know what do to if they were in a car with a woman driving.
- Another mentioned that this could lead to promiscuity and a collapse of the Saudi family.
- Another clergy member argued, obviously without any evidence, that driving could cause damage to a woman's ovaries.
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But Here's What Others Had To Say
US President, Donald Trump jumped on the bandwagon and also had something to say. In a tweet, Trump said that "it was a positive step" in promoting woman's rights. In 2011, a woman was sent to jailed for a video that she posted on YouTube. The video showed her wearing a black headscarf and sunglasses and driving a car. Once people saw the video, Manal al-Sharif received death threats for her 'wrong-doing'. This spurred her to start the Women2Drive Campaign.
In light of the news, al-Sharif tweeted a picture of herself smiling in her car. She followed this with another tweet which read, "Saudi Arabia will never be the same again. The rain begins with a single drop."