Will the driving ban in Saudi be lifted?
RIYADH: It’s only for women over 30, who must be off the road by 8 pm and cannot wear makeup behind the wheel. But it’s still a startling shift.
The Saudi king’s advisory council has recommended that the government lift its ban on female drivers, a member of the council said.
The Shura Council’s recommendations are not obligatory on the government, but simply making the recommendation was a major step after years of the kingdom staunchly rejecting any review of the ban.
There have been small but increasingly bold protests by women who took to their cars over the past year. The driving ban, which is unique in the world, is imposed because the kingdom’s ultraconservative Muslim clerics say “licentiousness” will spread if women drive.
Saudi Arabia has no written law barring women from driving — only fatwas, or religious edicts, by clerics.
Under the recommendations, women would need permission from a male relative to drive. The conditions also require that a woman driver wear conservative dress and no make-up.
Female activists had launched a latest campaign to defy the ban on October 26, when dozens drove around their neighbourhoods.