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Hello steemians
Today i'm going to talk about the condition of women in Saudi Arabia. In today's judgement King Salman bin abdulaziz al saud (ohh! man why they don't have any pet names) finally issued a royal decree that has allowed their women to drive (yes! you read that right ). And guess what, Saudi Arabia has become the last country to allow its women to drive. What a historical moment it is !
Although that change will take effect in June 2018. After that decision many working women will not need any driver or will not need to depend on any male relatives. In 1990, there was a protest initiated by 47 women against this ban, because of which some women were arrested and some lost their jobs. Since that day, Saudi women have been asking for the right to drive, and finally it arrived.
Saudi Arabia considered as Islams holiest sites, therefore it is an absolute monarchy ruled according to the Shariah Law. Therefore the majority of the Council of Senior Scholars had agreed that the government could allow women to drive if done in accordance with Shariah law.
The reason women were not allowed to drive because "it might harm their ovaries"
See how much Saudi Arabia cared about its women. But now they don't cared about their ovaries. how sad!
There are many things that women in Saudi Arabia cannot do:
- All females must have a legal male guardian : means they cannot marry, divorce, travel, open a bank account, get a job or have elective surgery without permission from their male guardians.
- They cannot appear in public without wearing a full-length black abaya: means they cannot wear clothes that show their beauty.
- Interaction with man is off-limits: just imagine when this policy will going to implement most police official(mostly men) do not how to interact with women. In fact most public buildings like banks and offices have separate column for different sexes.
- They cannot retain custody of their children in a divorce : After they reach the age of 7 for boys and 9 for girls.
- They don't get a fair hearing in court: The legal position in Saudi Arabia of a woman is equal to that of a minor, and therefore she has little authority over her own life.
- They aren't allowed to use gyms or swimming pools
- They cannot try the clothes they are buying: yes they don"t have any changing rooms.
- Even competing in sports looked as sinful: women are not allowed to practice sports freely in the country. when two female were allowed to take part in London Olympics, the local people weren't too happy about it and they were called prostitutes for representing their country on global level.
We should celebrate this singular victory but must not forget that women are still treated as second-class in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
