Saudi Arabia Refuses to Even Consider Allowing Women to Drive
Local Editor
Saudi Arabia's most influential advisory council - one that has great sway over the king - has refused to even consider allowing women to drive.
The Kingdom is the only country on the planet that still bans women from driving.
The proposed inquiry would have contemplated questions such as "What are the difficulties if they start?" and "What is required to allow them to drive?"
One male member of the Shura Council - the formal advisory body to King Salman - had proposed looking into the possibility, an unnamed member of the council told AFP.
But the suggestion failed to get the 50 per cent plus one support required among the 150 members, which includes 30 women. While the Shura council has the power to propose laws to the King, it cannot pass or enforce laws.
In April, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud said the country was not ready for female drivers, while its top cleric said women would be ‘exposed to evil' if allowed to drive.
In this regard, activists said women's driving is not technically illegal but that the ban is linked to tradition and custom.
A slow expansion of women's rights began under the late King Abdullah, who appointed female advisers to the Shura Council in 2013.
He also announced that women could for the first time vote and run in municipal elections. At least 20 women were elected for the 2,106 contested council seats last December.
Some activists challenged the driving ban by getting behind the wheel and posting images of themselves online.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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