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Saudi Arabia driving ban on women to be lifted | Saudi Arabia driving ban on women to be lifted |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time, state media say. | Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time, state media say. |
Government ministries are to prepare reports within 30 days and the order will be implemented by June 2018, the Saudi Press Agency reported. | Government ministries are to prepare reports within 30 days and the order will be implemented by June 2018, the Saudi Press Agency reported. |
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to forbid women from driving. | Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world to forbid women from driving. |
Under the current system, only men are allowed driving licences and women who drive in public risk being arrested and fined. | |
Because of the law, many families have had to employ private drivers to help transport female relatives. | |
Rights groups in the kingdom have campaigned for years to allow women to drive, and some women have been imprisoned for defying the rule. | |
"The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licences for men and women alike," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. | "The royal decree will implement the provisions of traffic regulations, including the issuance of driving licences for men and women alike," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. |
The country's US ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman, said it was "an historic and big day" and "the right decision at the right time". | |
He confirmed that women will not have to get permission from their male guardians to take driving lessons, and would be able to drive anywhere they liked. | |
What was the reaction? | |
The move was welcomed by the US state department, which called it "a great step in the right direction". | The move was welcomed by the US state department, which called it "a great step in the right direction". |
Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who was detained for 73 days in 2017 for flouting the ban, tweeted "thank God" following the announcement. | Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who was detained for 73 days in 2017 for flouting the ban, tweeted "thank God" following the announcement. |
Manal al-Sharif, an organiser of the Women2Drive campaign who has also been imprisoned for driving, said on Twitter that Saudi Arabia would "never be the same again". | Manal al-Sharif, an organiser of the Women2Drive campaign who has also been imprisoned for driving, said on Twitter that Saudi Arabia would "never be the same again". |
Activist Sahar Nassif in Jeddah told the BBC she was "very, very excited - jumping up and down and laughing". | Activist Sahar Nassif in Jeddah told the BBC she was "very, very excited - jumping up and down and laughing". |
"I'm going to buy my dream car, a convertible Mustang, and it's going to be black and yellow," she said. | "I'm going to buy my dream car, a convertible Mustang, and it's going to be black and yellow," she said. |
Not everyone reacted positively, however, with conservative voices accusing the government of "bending the verses of Sharia". | |
"As far as I remember, Sharia scholars have said it was haram (forbidden) for women to drive. How come it has suddenly become halal (permissible)?" one critic tweeted. | |
Analysis: A massive change for Saudi society | |
By Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent | |
This decree is huge for Saudi Arabia. For decades now, Saudi women, many of whom are extremely well-educated and ambitious, have been waiting for their chance to participate fully in their country's economy. | |
For all this time families have had to stretch their budgets to the limit, as they have had to hire in imported chauffeurs from south and south-east Asia, house them, feed them and insure them. | |
An estimated 800,000 imported chauffeurs currently ferry Saudi women around. The reason it has taken so long is the long-standing opposition from religious conservatives, who have expressed views varying from "they are too stupid to drive" to "it will lead to intolerable mingling of the sexes". | |
Yet this decree is in line with a programme called Vision 2030, promoted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, to modernise Saudi society and bring it more into line with the rest of the world. | |
Lifestyle limits for Saudi women | |
Saudi law enforces a strict form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism and is known for its gender segregation rules. | Saudi law enforces a strict form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism and is known for its gender segregation rules. |
Women have to adhere to strict dress codes, must not associate with unrelated men, and if they want to travel, work or access healthcare they must be accompanied by - or receive written permission from - a male guardian. | Women have to adhere to strict dress codes, must not associate with unrelated men, and if they want to travel, work or access healthcare they must be accompanied by - or receive written permission from - a male guardian. |
The Islamic kingdom recently faced a backlash from conservatives on social media after allowing women to participate in Saturday's National Day celebrations for the first time. | The Islamic kingdom recently faced a backlash from conservatives on social media after allowing women to participate in Saturday's National Day celebrations for the first time. |
The festivities included fireworks, light shows and a concert in King Fahd International Stadium in the capital, Riyadh. | The festivities included fireworks, light shows and a concert in King Fahd International Stadium in the capital, Riyadh. |
What is your reaction? Are you a woman who'd like to drive in Saudi Arabia? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | What is your reaction? Are you a woman who'd like to drive in Saudi Arabia? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
Or use the form below | Or use the form below |