<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia\u2019s King Salman has issued a decree allowing women to drive for the first time, to the joy of activists.<\/p>\n
The Gulf kingdom is the only country in the world that bans women from driving.<\/p>\n
Until now, only men were allowed licences and women who drove in public risked being arrested and fined.<\/p>\n
Praise for the move has been pouring in from inside the Saudi kingdom, as well as around the world. US President Donald Trump said it was a \u201cpositive step\u201d towards promoting women\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n
Campaigner Sahar Nassif told the BBC from Jeddah that she was \u201cvery, very excited \u2013 jumping up and down and laughing\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to buy my dream car, a convertible Mustang, and it\u2019s going to be black and yellow!\u201d<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s US ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman, confirmed that women would not have to get male permission to take driving lessons, and would be able to drive anywhere they liked.<\/p>\n
He said it was \u201can historic and big day\u201d and \u201cthe right decision at the right time\u201d.<\/p>\n
Rights groups in the kingdom have campaigned for years to allow women to drive, and some women have been imprisoned for defying the rule.<\/p>\n
Because of the law, many families have had to employ private drivers to help transport female relatives.<\/p>\n
Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who was detained for 73 days in 2017 for flouting the ban, tweeted \u201cthank God\u201d following the announcement.<\/p>\n
The move was welcomed by the US state department, which called it \u201ca great step in the right direction\u201d.<\/p>\n
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n
Manal al-Sharif, an organiser of the Women2Drive campaign who has also been imprisoned for driving, said on Twitter that Saudi Arabia would \u201cnever be the same again\u201d.<\/p>\n
The hashtags \u201cI am my own guardian\u201d and \u201cSaudi Women Can Drive\u201d quickly gained traction on social media.<\/p>\n
Not everyone reacted positively, however, with conservative voices accusing the government of \u201cbending the verses of Sharia\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I remember, Sharia scholars have said it was haram (forbidden) for women to drive. How come it has suddenly become halal (permissible)?\u201d one critic tweeted.<\/p>\n
Others emphasised that despite the latest development, Saudi Arabia remains a long way off gender equality.<\/p>\n
Amnesty International\u2019s Philip Luther said it was \u201cjust one step\u201d, adding: \u201cWe also need to see a whole range of discriminatory laws and practices swept away in Saudi Arabia.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n