On Tuesday, October 4th, Saudi state media announced that a decree from King Salman bin Abdulaziz has granted Saudi women the right to drive. Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where women were not allowed to drive. According to AFP, this law will be implemented starting June 2018. In recent years, the issue of the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia has been a contentious topic, with women's efforts to defy this ban making headlines multiple times. It is said that the king's decree may provoke dissatisfaction among conservative clerics. The official Saudi news agency stated that, based on the king's decree, women can obtain driving licenses just like men. The announcement of the lifting of the driving ban comes at a time when, during recent national celebrations, women were allowed to attend sports stadiums for the first time and participate in street festivities. AFP described the presence of women at the national celebration as unprecedented in Saudi history. This permission is said to be part of the implementation of the 'Vision 2030' plan for economic and social reforms. In 2013, over 60 Saudi women protested the driving ban by getting into cars and driving. Manal al-Sharif, a women's rights activist, was the first Saudi woman to take the wheel in a protest in 2011.
Saudi King Grants Driving Rights to Women
King Salman of Saudi Arabia has issued a decree allowing women to drive, a significant change for a country that was the last to impose such a ban. This move is seen as part of broader social reforms under the 'Vision 2030' initiative. The decision may lead to backlash from conservative factions within the country.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
King Salman of Saudi Arabia issued a decree allowing women to drive, marking a historic change as Saudi Arabia was the last country to impose such a ban. This law will take effect in June 2018 and is part of broader social reforms under the 'Vision 2030' initiative.
- Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where women were not allowed to drive.
- The decree may lead to backlash from conservative factions within the country.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving has been a focal point of international criticism and a symbol of gender inequality in the kingdom. The lifting of this ban is part of a larger initiative aimed at modernizing the Saudi economy and society.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%