[ad_1]
It has been five years since Jawhara al-Wabili became one of Saudi Arabia’s first women drivers – a reform she saw as revolutionary, even as some activists dismissed it as window-dressing.
Issued on: Modified:
“I drove as soon as it was authorised,” the 55-year-old from the central city of Buraidah proudly told AFP, recalling a milestone that drew global attention to sweeping social changes fast-tracked by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the conservative kingdom’s de facto ruler.
Wabili has gone on to give free driving lessons to other women, sharing a skill she views as essential in a country sorely lacking in public transportation.
It is just one example, she says, of how women’s rights have blossomed in recent years, allowing them to become ambassadors, bank directors, university administrators and even astronauts. Saudi scientist Rayyanah Barnawi took part in a mission to the International Space Station just this past May.
The changes can also be felt in daily life, especially now that the religious police have been sidelined and rules requiring gender segregation in public and the wearing of abaya robes have been scrapped.
But some human rights campaigners cast doubt on how deep the reforms actually run, stressing that women have been ensnared by a broader campaign of arrests targeting government critics.
Their ranks include some of the very women who led the campaign for driving licences.
“We have more and more women in prisons, either for not wearing abaya or, you know, for dancing in public or for tweeting their opinions, whatever the subject, even on unemployment,” said Lina al-Hathloul, head…
[ad_2]
Source : france24
