Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive

Today the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced that a decree has been issued authorizing the issuance of driver's licenses for women in the Kingdom.

The implementation of the order is for June 2018. Until then, agencies will be making changes to the current system, such as expanded licensing facilities and driver education programs in order to accommodate the number of new drivers.

The National Assembly for Human Rights (NHRC) has welcomed the HIgh Court’s decision to allow women to drive, according to a statement issued by Saudi Arabia’s Press Agency.

Saudi @KingSalman issues order allowing women to drive. Implementation to be next June.

— فيصل بن فرحان (@FaisalbinFarhan) September 26, 2017

“Saudi Arabia is changing,” His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States, said. “We are implementing our Vision 2030 initiative through which we are empowering women and youth to play a greater role in the Saudi economy and take better advantage of the increasing opportunities that result from the Kingdom’s modernization and economic reform initiatives.”

Ambassador Khalid added, “The issue of women driving was never a religious or a cultural issue. In fact, the majority of the members of the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom agree that Islam does not ban women from driving. This was a societal issue. Today, we have a young and vibrant society and the time had come to make this move.”