Saudi grants women some freedom

From behind the veil to behind the wheel — Saudi Arabia will lift the ban on women drivers in an attempt to stem a rising suffragette-style movement in the deeply conservative Islamic state.

“There has been a decision to move on this by the Royal Court because it is recognised that if girls have been in schools since the 1960s, they have a capability to function behind the wheel when they grow up. “We will make an announcement soon,” British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday, quoting a senior government official as saying.

Now, women in Saudi Arabia can also stay in a hotel or a furnished apartment without a male guardian according to a decision by the Ministry of Trade, reported the local press on Monday.

Al-Watan said the ministry issued a circular to the hotels, asking them to accept women in their rooms even if they were alone provided that all their information immediately be available to a police station in the area.