Who said women can drive

He said the Interior Ministry would have to decide whether they could be professional drivers. That has sparked tensions with influential clerics upon whose support the ruling family relies. How come it has suddenly become halal permissible?

The decision could also have broad economic impacts, making it possible for women to get to work without a driver but also curbing the popularity of car hailing apps like Uber and Careem.

Prince Khaled, a son of the king, said the decision was as much about economic reform as social change. Manal al-Sharif, started the campaign back in She was sent to prison after posting a YouTube video of herself driving a car. She celebrated the change by posting a photo of herself behind the wheel of a car. Another campaigner Sahar Nassif says she laughed, jumped and screamed when she heard the news. She now plans to buy her dream car - a convertible Ford Mustang.

But not everyone is happy. Some traditional and religious leaders in Saudi Arabia have been saying the new law is "bending the verses of Sharia" which is the religious law Muslims follow. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres tweeted it is "an important step in the right direction".

But other organisations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said that this is "just one step", and that there are lots of things that women in Saudi Arabia still aren't allowed to do. They are now calling for all the other laws and practices which discriminate against women in Saudi Arabia to be scrapped. Back in the previous leader King Abdullah decided to start appointing women to his royal advisory council, the Shura, and also changed the law to give women the vote.

Rules were also changed to allow women to play sports and compete in the Olympics. In women were elected to local councils for the first time, and there are now more Saudi women going to university than men. Since King Salman has been in charge there have been even more changes. In May rules stopping women from using government services without getting permission from a man were relaxed. In September women were allowed to enter a sports stadium for the first time to take part in the country's National Day celebrations.

Saudi women are now legally able to drive. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. A Saudi woman practices driving in Riyadh on April 29 before the ban against women driving was lifted. Next Up In World. Delivered Fridays. Thanks for signing up! Check your inbox for a welcome email. Email required.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. He said you are ordered not to comment on the women driving issue or procedures will be taken against you. The government says the allegations are false and cites women who have spoken out, with op-eds in the New York Times and CNN. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 32, is the face of that change.

Yet the crown prince has been noticeably absent from the rollout of the new driving policy, which was presented to the media in Washington rather than Riyadh.

That may reflect the riskiness of the move, which was welcomed by many but met with confusion and outrage by others. Police however issued two arrest warrants over the weekend for men who posted threats against women drivers.

Activist Hala al-Dosari, who lives in Boston, said lifting the ban had also been intended to silence women activists.