CLOSE Women finally have the right to drive in Saudi Arabia. The desert kingdom lifted its ban on Sunday. USA TODAY

Hessah al-Ajaji drivers her car down the capital's busy Tahlia Street after midnight for the first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday. (Photo: Nariman El-Mofty, AP)

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – The sound of revving engines filled roadways and parking lots at shopping malls early Sunday as this desert kingdom became the world's last country to lift its ban on women driving.

“As an independent woman, driving is one of the main aspects of my life that’s been missing,” said Shefa Mohamed Aldwelah, 26, as she prepared to take to the road in her car.

She admitted being afraid of driving for the first time, as is every other first-time licensed driver around the world. But getting behind the wheel means "I will be able to open the door to new horizons.”

Parking spaces were painted pink before this historic move. Car companies such as Ford and gasoline retailer Shell launched advertising campaigns that featured female drivers who are now potential customers.

"Our sisterly women drivers, we wish you continued safety," flashed roadside digital signs operated by the Saudi government's Department of Motor Vehicles. Police officers handed out roses to women entering highway ramps at midnight.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman lifted the ban as part of a package of changes designed to loosen the rigid rules governing the Muslim country's society and economy. The king’s son and successor, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, spearheaded the changes amid unstable oil prices that threaten to destabilize the country’s political order.

Lifting the driving ban might already be paying dividends.

"We are already seeing more women in our showroom," said Maram al Hazar, a manager at Al Jazirah Vehicles, a Ford dealership in Riyadh. "Many of them say that they are on waiting lists for drivers’ education classes that are already booked for the first half of 2018."

More: Women in Saudi Arabia gear up to legally drive for first time this Sunday

Saudi women have sought the right to drive for years.

“I’ve waited long enough, and now, to know that my daughter-in-law and granddaughters will have a normal life, I feel at peace," said Layla Moussa, 67, who has three granddaughters. “I didn’t think it would happen in my lifetime.”

Civil rights activists noted that Saudis who fought to overturn the ban remain imprisoned for challenging it.

“There can be no real celebration on June 24 while the women who campaigned for the right to drive and their supporters remain behind bars,” Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch said Saudi authorities arrested and detained a handful of men and women who campaigned for women's rights and to end the driving ban.

Many Saudi women were less concerned about civil rights and more elated about the practical means of being able to drive.

“It’s going to make things much, much easier – going to work, dropping the kids off to school and just having the choice to go out whenever we want to,” said Nada Farsi, a dental school instructor at King Abdulaziz University and mother of two.

“Before, we’d have to wait for the Uber driver if it was too hot to walk. It could take up to an hour to wait," she said. "Now a 10-minute drive is exactly that: a 10-minute drive.”

Wirtschafter reported from Cairo.

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2tyM1pE</s>Change was announced as a royal decree in 2017 by Crown Prince Mohammen bin Salman

Screenshot of video posted by Wajeha al-Huwaider driving along public streets in Saudi Arabia, which was illegal in 2008. (YouTube)

It’s a landmark day for women in Saudi Arabia, who will soon be sitting in the driver’s seat after the country’s historic driving ban is lifted.

In a matter of hours, the ban on women drivers will come to an end. Women will no longer have to pay for private male chauffeurs to get around.

Saudi Arabia remained the only country in the world to have such a ban until midnight GMT.

The change was announced as a royal decree in 2017 by Crown Prince Mohammen bin Salman, about 25 years after women were arrested for driving in the central city of Riyadh in 1990.

On International Women’s Day in 2008, Wajeha al-Huwaider made international headlines when she posted a video driving alone as part of a social media campaign called Women2Drive.

READ MORE: Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive for the first time

What followed, was a culmination of years of activism by women in the ultra-conservative country.

Women were issued driver’s licenses earlier in June in preperation for the law’s amendment. Since then, many have been taking lessons to prepare for hitting the road alone.

This week, Amnesty International called the reversal of the ban a “testament to the bravery and determination” of women’s rights activists – some of whom remain detained.

“Loujain al-Hathloul, Iman al-Nafjan and Aziza al-Yousef are among eight activists still being detained in Saudi Arabia for their peaceful human rights work,” Amnesty International said in a news release.

“Some have been detained without charge for more than one month, and may face trial before the counter-terror court and up to 20 years in prison for their activism.”

The international rights group said the lifting off the ban “must now be followed by reforms to end a whole range of discriminatory laws and practices,” including ridding of the contentious guardianship system, which means women are unable to travel, engage in paid work or higher education, or marry without the permission of a male guardian.

The driving ban will be lifted at midnight in Saudi Arabia, or 2 p.m. PST.

@ashwadhwani ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.</s>Saudi Arabia's women are finally allowed to drive from Sunday (File)</s>Women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to drive on Sunday, ending a ban that stained its reputation, kept women subjugated and hindered economic growth.

The move places Saudi women at the centre of a major transformation being spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

There is also a tug-of-war between those agitating for more openings for them and a religious majority that remains wary of changes that could be influenced by the West.

It was only a few years ago that religious police enforced an austere interpretation of Islam that banned music of any kind in public, much less the sound of a woman's voice.

They could detain groups of unmarried men and women for simply standing or sitting together. They ensured restaurants and shops closed for daily prayers and waved sticks at women who had their hair or face uncovered.

Unlike previous Saudi monarchs who took cautious steps on reform, King Salman has granted his 32-year-old son and heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a free hand to usher in dramatic moves.

Allowing musical concerts, opening cinemas, easing restrictions on gender segregation and reigning in the powers of the religious police have all been signature reforms of the young prince.

He's seen as the force behind the king's decision to lift the ban on women driving.

Saudi Arabia began issuing its first driving licences to women in decades earlier this month.

Pink women-only parking spaces have also been set up across the country.

On Friday outside a shopping centre in capital Riyadh, young single men and women walked through an open-air exhibit where Saudi women and traffic police explained the details of handling a car.

A song with a woman's voice blared through the loudspeakers, singing: 'I love you Saudia. My love, Saudia.'

Just four years ago, this government-sponsored event was unthinkable.

'I can say that Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince, came at the right time. He is young and motivated,' said Lulwa al-Fireiji.

The 60-year-old quickly clarified that while there was 'nothing wrong' with previous Saudi rulers, now is the time for change.

'I will get a license, but I won't drive right away because the elders are always scared. But the young people are motivated and we need at this time someone like Mohammed bin Salman - motivated, God bless him, and daring. He will move the country (forward) faster,' she said.

Granting women the right to drive is part of a wider blueprint for the future drawn up by the crown prince. The government is pushing Saudis to become less reliant on the government for jobs, handouts and subsidies.

Official statistics show women make up the overwhelming majority of job seekers in Saudi Arabia.

The state cannot create enough public sector jobs to keep up with the pace of Saudis seeking work, so foreigners are being booted out of jobs to make way. Companies must stack their workforce with a minimum number of Saudi nationals or face heavy fines.

To encourage two-income households, Saudi women are taking on jobs that were once reserved for men.

On Sunday, when they start driving, many will no longer need to hire drivers. Women will even be allowed to work as drivers.

Under the crown prince, the message pushed by officials is that Saudi Arabia is modernising, not Westernising.

The prince has branded the reforms a return to 'moderate Islam'. Even the country's ultra-conservative clerics, who for decades warned against allowing women to work and drive, have toed the line with muted statements of support.</s>Women in Saudi Arabia can take a victory lap on Sunday.

The kingdom is lifting its longstanding ban on women driving, decades after Saudi feminists began fighting for that right.

Some see the end of the ban as a message from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that women will play a larger role in the conservative country’s future. It’s among recent moves like allowing concerts and movie theaters, easing restrictions on gender segregation and reigning in the religious police that the 32-year-old prince has put forth as part of modernization efforts.

But many of the women who led the movement to drive won’t be able to get behind the wheel.

Since May, the Saudi government has detained about 12 activists who fought for a long list of reforms and civil rights. Critics say the arrests show how quickly reforms can be pulled back, and that the government still rules with an absolutist hand.</s>Saudi Arabia overturned Sunday the world’s only ban on female motorists, sending Saudi women in wild celebrations as they take the wheel for the first time in decades.

The much-trumpeted move is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to modernise the conservative petrostate — but it has been dented by the jailing of female activists who long opposed the driving ban.

Women in Riyadh and other cities began zipping around streets bathed in amber light soon after the ban was lifted at midnight, with some blasting music from behind the wheel.

“I feel free like a bird,” said talkshow host and writer Samar Almogren as she cruised across the capital.

Television presenter Sabika al-Dosari called it “a historic moment for every Saudi woman” before driving a sedan across the border to the kingdom of Bahrain.

The lifting of the ban, long a glaring symbol of repression, is expected to be transformative for many women, freeing them from dependence on private chauffeurs or male relatives.

Euphoria was mixed with disbelief as women across the kingdom flooded social media with videos of their maiden car rides, with a heavy presence of policemen, some of whom distributed flowers to the first-time drivers.

“This is a great achievement,” billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal said as his daughter Reem drove a family SUV, with his granddaughters applauding from the back seat.

“Now women have their freedom,” he added in a video posted on Twitter.

Many Saudi women ebulliently declared plans online to drive for coffee or ice cream, a mundane experience elsewhere in the world but a dazzling novelty in the desert kingdom.

“The jubilance, confidence and pride expressed by Saudi women driving for the first time in their country, without fear of arrest, brought tears to my eyes,” tweeted activist Hala al-Dosari, while lauding the jailed campaigners.

“I’m happy and relieved that… girls in Saudi will live a bit freer than their mothers.”

But many women are keeping away, testing reactions in a society torn between tradition and social change — and bracing for a possible backlash from hardliners who have long preached that allowing female motorists would promote promiscuity and sin.

The decision to lift the ban was catalysed in large measure by what experts characterise as economic pain in the kingdom owing to a protracted oil slump.

The move is expected to boost women’s employment, and according to a Bloomberg estimate, add $90 billion to economic output by 2030.

For now, the women taking to the roads appear mainly to be those who have swapped foreign licences for Saudi ones after undergoing a practical test.

Some three million women in Saudi Arabia could receive licences and actively begin driving by 2020, according to consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

A handful of female driving schools have cropped up in several cities, training women to drive cars as well as Harley Davidson motorbikes — scenes unimaginable even a year ago.

But many women fear they are still vulnerable to sexist attitudes in a nation where male “guardians” — their fathers, husbands or other relatives — can exercise arbitrary authority to make decisions on their behalf.

The government has preemptively addressed concerns of abuse by outlawing sexual harassment, and authorities have sternly warned against stalking women drivers.

“To all men I say, be gentle towards women” drivers, popular Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu said in an online video.

Prince Mohammed, appointed heir to the most powerful throne in the Middle East a year ago this month, has also lifted a ban on cinemas and mixed-gender concerts, following his public vow to return the austere kingdom to moderate Islam.</s>RIYADH – Women in Saudi Arabia have been legally allowed to drive for the first time in the history of one of the most conservative countries.

The driving ban on women was lifted on Sunday after decades of allowing only male citizens and residents to drive.

In the early hours, women have been driving on the road, while the Saudi traffic police handed out roses to them, according to Al Arabiya news.

On June 4, Saudi Arabia issued the first driving license to women, as Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud officially announced in September 2017 to allow women to drive.

Assistant Interior Minister for Operations Saeed Al-Qahtani has confirmed that security checkpoints would be set up to deal with expected changes in traffic after lifting the ban.

Driving schools for women have been set up in five cities in the kingdom. Teachers include Saudi women who obtained their licenses abroad. Women with foreign driving licenses will be able to apply for a local one through a separate process.

It is the most visible of a bundle of recent initiatives taken by the Saudi King and the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, to strengthen the role of women in Saudi society.

These include more public sector job openings for women, an apparent relaxation of women’s strict dress code, the extension of suffrage to women to vote and stand as candidates in the 2015 municipal election, and small but important steps to decrease influence of the country’s male guardianship system, which requires a women to obtain the consent of a male relative for major decisions.</s>Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive from today, overturning the world’s only ban on female motorists, a historic reform that is expected to usher in a new era of social mobility.

The lifting of the ban, which follows a sweeping crackdown on women activists, is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reform drive to modernise the conservative petrostate.

Potentially thousands of female drivers are set to take the wheel as the desert kingdom ends the decades-old ban, long a glaring symbol of repression against women.

“It is a historic moment for every Saudi woman,” Sabika al-Dosari, a Saudi television presenter who drove minutes after the ban was lifted in the eastern city of Al-Khobar, told AFP.

The move is expected to be transformative for many women, freeing them from their dependence on private chauffeurs or male relatives and resulting in big family savings.

“Those days of waiting long hours for a driver are over,” Hatoun bin Dakhil, a 21-year-old pharmacy student, told AFP.

The kingdom earlier this month began issuing its first driving licences to women in decades, with some swapping their foreign permits for Saudi ones after undergoing a practical test.

Some three million women in Saudi Arabia could receive licences and actively begin driving by 2020, according to consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

A handful of female driving schools have cropped up in cities like Riyadh and Jeddah, training women to drive cars and also Harley Davidson motorbikes — scenes that were unimaginable even a year ago.

Many Saudi women have ebulliently declared plans on social media to drive their mothers for coffee or ice cream as soon as the ban ends on Sunday, a mundane experience elsewhere in the world but a dazzling novelty in the desert kingdom.

For decades, hardliners cited austere Islamic interpretations to justify the driving ban, with some asserting that women lack the intelligence to drive and that lifting it would promote promiscuity.

The decision to lift the ban was catalysed in large measure by what experts characterise as economic pain in the kingdom owing to a protracted oil slump.

The move is expected to boost women’s employment, and according to a Bloomberg estimate, add USD 90 billion to economic output by 2030.

Many women fear they are still easy prey for conservatives in a nation where male “guardians” — their fathers, husbands or other relatives — can exercise arbitrary authority to make decisions on their behalf.

The government has preemptively addressed concerns of abuse by outlawing sexual harassment, with a prison term of up to five years and a maximum penalty of 300,000 riyals (USD 80,000).

Prince Mohammed, appointed heir to the most powerful throne in the Middle East a year ago this month, has also lifted a ban on cinemas and mixed-gender concerts, following his public vow to return the kingdom to moderate Islam.

But much of the initial optimism over his reforms appears to have been dented by a sweeping crackdown on women activists who long opposed the driving ban.

Authorities have said that nine of 17 arrested people remain in prison, accused of undermining the kingdom’s security and aiding enemies of the state.

The detainees include three generations of activists, among them 28-year-old Loujain al-Hathloul, also held in 2014 for more than 70 days for attempting to drive from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia, and Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at Riyadh’s King Saud University.

State-backed newspapers have published front-page pictures of some of the activists, the word “traitor” stamped across them in red.

Human Rights Watch this week said the kingdom has arrested two more women activists — Nouf Abdelaziz and Mayaa al-Zahrani, in what it denounced as an “unrelenting crackdown”.

Even some of the prince’s ardent supporters have labelled the crackdown a “mistake”.

 It has been seen as a calculated move both to placate clerics incensed by his modernisation drive and also to send a clear signal to activists that he alone is the arbiter of change.

“If the authorities give credit to the women who championed lifting the driving ban, it means conceding that reforms can be won through activism, and then the Saudis may demand more,” Human Rights Watch said this week.</s>Saudi women are in the driver’s seat for the first time in their country and steering their way through busy city streets just minutes after the world’s last remaining ban on women driving was lifted on Sunday.

It’s a euphoric and historic moment for women who have had to rely on their husbands, fathers, brothers and drivers to run basic errands, get to work, visit friends or even drop kids off at school. The ban had relegated women to the backseat, restricting when and how they move around.

But after midnight Sunday, Saudi women finally joined women around the world in being able to get behind the wheel of a car and simply drive.

“I’m speechless. I’m so excited it’s actually happening,” said Hessah al-Ajaji, who drove her family’s Lexus down the capital’s busy Tahlia Street after midnight.

Al-Ajaji had a US driver’s license before obtaining a Saudi one and appeared comfortable at the wheel as she pulled up and parked. As for the male drivers on the road, “they were really supportive and cheering and smiling”, she said.

In a few hours, she says she’ll drive herself to work for the first time in Saudi Arabia.

For nearly three decades, outspoken Saudi women and the men who supported them had called for women to have the right to drive. They faced arrest for defying the ban as women in other Muslim countries drove freely.

In 1990, during the first driving campaign by activists, women who got behind the wheels of their cars in the capital, Riyadh, lost their jobs, faced severe stigmatization and were barred from travel abroad for a year.

Ultraconservatives in Saudi Arabia had long warned that allowing women to drive would lead to sin and expose women to harassment. Ahead of allowing women to drive, the Kingdom passed a law against sexual harassment with up to five years prison for the most severe cases.

Criticism against women driving has largely been muted since since King Salman announced last year that they would be allowed to drive.

Simultaneously, however, at least 10 of the most outspoken supporters of women’s rights were arrested just weeks before the ban was lifted, signaling that only the king and his powerful son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will decide the pace of change.

With state-backed support for the move, many Saudis now say they support the decision allowing women to drive and see it as long overdue.

Not all women are driving at once, though. The overwhelming majority of women in Saudi Arabia still don’t have licenses. Many haven’t had a chance to take the gender-segregated driving courses that were first offered to women only three months ago. There’s also a waiting list of several months for the classes on offer in major cities. And the classes can be costly, running several hundred dollars.

Other women already own cars driven by chauffeurs and are in no rush to drive themselves. In many cases, women say they’ll wait before rushing to drive to see how the situation on the streets pans out and how male drivers react.

“I will get my driver’s license, but I won’t drive because I have a driver. I am going to leave it for an emergency. It is one of my rights and I will keep it in my purse,” said 60 year-old Lulwa al-Fireiji.

While some still quietly oppose the change, there are men openly embracing it.

“I see that this decision will make women equal to men and this will show us that women are capable of doing anything a man can do,” said Fawaz al-Harbi. “I am very supportive and in fact I have been waiting for this decision so that my mother, my sisters will drive.”</s>Saudi Arabian women celebrated being able to drive for the first time in decades Sunday, as the kingdom overturned the world's only ban on female motorists, a historic reform expected to usher in a new era of social mobility.

The move is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's wide-ranging drive to modernise the conservative petrostate -- but it has coincided with a sweeping crackdown on female activists who long opposed the driving ban.

Women in Riyadh and other cities began zipping around streets bathed in amber light soon after the ban was lifted at midnight, with some blasting music from behind the wheel.

"I always knew this day would come. But it came fast. Sudden," said talk show host and writer Samar Almogren as she drove across the capital. "I feel free like a bird."

Television presenter Sabika al-Dosari said the end of the ban was "a historic moment for every Saudi woman" before driving a sedan across the border to the kingdom of Bahrain.

The lifting of the ban, a glaring symbol of repression, is expected to be transformative for many women, freeing them from dependence on private chauffeurs or male relatives.

Euphoria was mixed with disbelief as women across the kingdom flooded social media with photos and videos of their maiden car rides, with a heavy police presence in major cities.

"This is a great achievement," billionaire Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal said as his daughter Reem drove a family SUV, with his granddaughters applauding from the back seat.

"Now women have their freedom," he added in a video posted on Twitter.

Some three million women in Saudi Arabia could receive licences and actively begin driving by 2020, according to consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The kingdom earlier this month began issuing its first driving licences to women in decades, with some swapping their foreign permits for Saudi ones after a practical test.

A handful of female driving schools have cropped up in several cities, training women to drive cars as well as Harley Davidson motorbikes -- scenes unimaginable even a year ago.

Many Saudi women have ebulliently declared plans online to drive for coffee or ice cream, a mundane experience elsewhere in the world but a dazzling novelty in the desert kingdom.

However, in a nation torn between modernity and tradition, many are also cautiously bracing for a backlash from arch-conservatives who spent decades preaching that allowing female motorists would promote promiscuity and sin.

Saudi society has been dominated by Wahhabism, a harsh strain of conservative Islam, since the 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque of Mecca by around 400 extremists.

The decision to lift the ban was catalysed in large measure by what experts characterise as economic pain in the kingdom owing to a protracted oil slump.

The move is expected to boost women's employment, and according to a Bloomberg estimate, add $90 billion to economic output by 2030.

Many women fear they are still easy prey for conservatives in a nation where male "guardians" -- their fathers, husbands or other relatives -- can exercise arbitrary authority to make decisions on their behalf.

The government has preemptively addressed concerns of abuse by outlawing sexual harassment, and authorities have sternly warned against stalking women drivers.

"To all men I say, be gentle towards women" drivers, popular Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu said in an online video.

Prince Mohammed, appointed heir to the most powerful throne in the Middle East a year ago this month, has also lifted a ban on cinemas and mixed-gender concerts, following his public vow to return the kingdom to moderate Islam.

But much of the initial optimism over his reforms appears to have been dented by a major crackdown on women driving activists.

Authorities have said nine of 17 arrested people remain behind bars, accused of undermining security and aiding enemies of the state.

The detainees include 28-year-old Loujain al-Hathloul -- also held in 2014 for more than 70 days for attempting to drive from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia -- and Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at Riyadh's King Saud University.

State-backed newspapers have published front-page pictures of some of the activists with the word "traitor" stamped across them in red.

Human Rights Watch last week said the kingdom has arrested two more female activists and many others have been barred from travelling outside the kingdom, in what it denounced as an "unrelenting crackdown".

Even some of the crown prince's ardent supporters have labelled the crackdown a "mistake".

It has been seen as a calculated move both to placate clerics incensed by his modernisation drive and also to send a clear signal to activists that the prince alone is the arbiter of change.

"If the authorities give credit to the women who championed lifting the driving ban, it means conceding that reforms can be won through activism, and then the Saudis may demand more," said HRW researcher Rothna Begum.
Saudi Arabia lifts its ban on women being allowed to drive.