In a progressive approach towards strengthening gender equality concepts, Saudi Arabia, which adherently follows ‘Wahhabism’ that strictly forbids women from driving a car and from enjoying many other rights which men are allowed to do, has, at the behest of King Salman, finally released a decree to revoke the ban on the women ‘driving’ rights.
Many world leaders including the US president Donald Trump and several Saudi leaders and scholars, among those who are the part of the government, have welcomed the revolutionary step, though some conservative elements, who are in a view that the verses of the Sharia have been misinterpreted to justify the action, have strongly criticised the government.
The women activists, who have been campaigning for the right for the last few years, have expressed their happiness violently by frantically jumping up and down.
As per the International media report, the law is likely to be implemented by 24 June 2018.
In the recent past, several people, including activist Loujain al-Hathloul, were severely punished for flouting the ban.
Many International activists and the West have been pressurising the Arab kingdom for the last few years to reconsider some of its harsher laws related to the gender rights.
The recent political change implies that the country aims to achieve rapid economic growth and is not ready to let the conservative elements block its pathway towards achieving it.
What more can the kingdom do to empower the Saudi women?
Vignesh. S. G
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright
