Less than two years after a cleric in Saudi Arabia explained why women shouldn't be allowed to drive, saying the vibration caused during the drive would shake their vaginas leading to a sexual euphoria which according to him is nothing but "Haram" (sin), the country started issuing the first driving licenses to women in decades.
On Monday, June 4, 10 Saudi women exchanged their foreign licenses with the Saudi ones in several cities, including capital Riyadh, just days ahead of the kingdom's move of lifting ban on female drivers. The date when Saudi Arabia is set to take the major step towards modernity is June 24. As a mark of preparation for the historic move, Saudi Arabia last week legalised criminalisation of sexual harassment, starting a penalty of up to five years of imprisonment and a maximum penalty of 300,000 riyals or $80,000. "Ten Saudi women made history on Monday when they were issued driving licences," said the country's information ministry's Centre for International Communication. It also said that 2,000 more women are expected to become licensed drivers in the next week. The women drivers who got their licences on Monday had to give a "practical test", MSN cited a report by the official Saudi Press Agency as saying, though the details were not known. The decision has made the Saudi women happy as driving, for many of them, is about freedom. Saudi Arabia took the decision to allow its women to drive in September 2017. We though not know what the "vagina shaking" theorist cleric is thinking at the moment. Saudi Arabia has seen reforms under its Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, who has focussed on changing his country's austere image, and besides allowing women to drive, he has also ensured lifting ban on cinemas, mixed-gender concerts and even clipping wings of the religious police.