Saudi Arabia Will Finally Allow Women to Drive Cars

Saudi Arabia’s government announced on Tuesday that it will grant women the right to drive cars next year in a major sign of social change for the ultraconservative kingdom. The civil rights breakthrough follows years of civil disobedience since the 1990s by women demanding the right to drive in a country that whose social mores have been constrained since its founding in 1932 by a conservative religious establishment. The decision on Tuesday came in the form of a decree issued by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. “We refer to the negative consequences of not allowing women to drive vehicles and the positive aspects of allowing it to do so,” the government wrote in a royal decree. The royal directive also comes during a time of turbulence in Saudi Arabia’s political system, following the elevation in June of a new crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, who is 32 and set to inherit the country’s reins of power in the coming years. Bin Salman is seen by as a supporter of some social reforms and is also in charge of overhauling the Saudi economy, but his rise to power also triggered a government clampdown, including the arrest of prominent religious figures. Advocates of women’s rights in the kingdom responded with elation to the government’s decision. “I’m in tears,” tweeted Manal al-Sharif, a prominent activist for women’s right to drive and the author of a book on the subject. #NewProfil...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized onetime Saudi Arabia Source Type: news