At the stroke of midnight local time on Sunday, extraordinary scenes unfolded on the roads of Saudi Arabia.
Women were seen behind the wheels of cars and astride motorcycles — driving on the country’s streets for the first time in decades, following the Islamic kingdom’s decision to lift the world’s only ban on female drivers.
Pedestrians cheered as women motorists drove by, and male drivers shouted words of support and offered thumbs-ups through car windows. Photos shared on social media showed Saudi police officers giving out flower bouquets and cards with words of encouragement emblazoned on them to women drivers.
“I always knew this day would come. But it came fast. Sudden,” talk show host Samar Almogren told The Guardian as she drove across the capital Riyadh. “I feel free like a bird.”
Other women used similar language to describe their maiden driving experiences. “It’s liberating,” one woman told Al-Arabiya on Sunday.
“I feel happy, relieved, I feel like I’m free,” an oncologist in Jeddah enthused, according to CNN, as she drove her husband and children around the city.
Women were seen behind the wheels of cars and astride motorcycles — driving on the country’s streets for the first time in decades, following the Islamic kingdom’s decision to lift the world’s only ban on female drivers.
Pedestrians cheered as women motorists drove by, and male drivers shouted words of support and offered thumbs-ups through car windows. Photos shared on social media showed Saudi police officers giving out flower bouquets and cards with words of encouragement emblazoned on them to women drivers.
“I always knew this day would come. But it came fast. Sudden,” talk show host Samar Almogren told The Guardian as she drove across the capital Riyadh. “I feel free like a bird.”
Other women used similar language to describe their maiden driving experiences. “It’s liberating,” one woman told Al-Arabiya on Sunday.
“I feel happy, relieved, I feel like I’m free,” an oncologist in Jeddah enthused, according to CNN, as she drove her husband and children around the city.
Dang. I would be happy to say Saudi is taking in change like nothing happened now. They first lifted the ban on cinemas, now on woman driving. Your opinion?
