Vogue Arabia Puts Princess in Driver’s Seat, With Not a Word About Jailed Activists

Likely a result of bad timing (magazines printing schedules require lead time), the Vogue Arabia cover story celebrating Saudi women hit a sour note with some observers. On May 31, 2018, Megan Specia of the New York Times reported. A link to the story is here, and it's pasted in below.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is putting women in the driving seat — and so are we.”

That’s how Vogue Arabia described its June cover, which features a glamorous woman behind the wheel of a classic car, parked in the desert.

But the problem for some has been which woman the magazine decided to put in the drivers seat in an issue that “celebrates the women of the kingdom and their wide-reaching achievements,” but makes no mention of the country’s most recent crackdown on women’s rights activists.

Princess Hayfa bint Abdullah al-Saud — one of the late King Abdullah’s 20 daughters — sits behind the wheel, even as some prominent female activists who fought for the right for Saudi women to drive remain locked behind bars.

In mid-May, at least 11 activists were arrested and labeled “traitors” by the Saudi government, a move that surprised many as the country is just weeks away from allowing women to drive. Some of the activists have been released, but others remain detained.

The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, announced in September 2017 that the notoriously conservative nation was lifting the ban on female drivers as part of a reform effort. Saudi women have long been restricted in most aspects of public life, from what they can wear to where they can travel, in part because of the country’s strict guardianship laws.

On June 24, Saudi women will legally be able to drive for the first time. But critics say the Vogue coverage fails to highlight some Saudi women whose activism helped draw international attention to the issue, and who now face persecution.

The issue does feature Manal al-Sharif, one of the Saudi activists who took part in the 2011 protests against the restrictions and was later arrested for the action, but does not mention the latest arrests.

Twitter users were swift in their reaction, calling out Vogue Arabia for what some saw as an oversight.

Others photoshopped faces of two detained women’s rights activists, Aziza al-Yousef and Loujain Hathloul, over the face of Princess Hayfa. Both women are still being held by Saudi authorities, according to Human Rights Watch. 

Others voiced support for Vogue Arabia, including Ms. Sharif, the activist featured in it. She said she was happy that her “country women are being celebrated” — but also urged readers not to forget the detained activists.

Vogue Arabia launched in November 2016, with a staff of 25 and a headquarters in Dubai.

One of a series of pushes into new and potentially lucrative foreign markets by the magazine publisher Condé Nast, the new title was pitched as a digital-first, bilingual effort to attract the hearts, minds and money of women in the 22 countries of the Arab League. Saudi Arabia makes up most of the readership, Vogue Arabia said.

Traffic chief refutes report on license swap

This May 28, 2018 story ran in the English language daily, the Saudi Gazette. A link to the story can be found here, and the text is pasted in below.

RIYADH — Director General of Traffic Department Maj. Gen. Muhammad Al-Bassami has refuted contents of a statement published in one of the electronic newspapers on Thursday about procedures for swapping foreign licenses held by women drivers. The statement was attributed to a Traffic Department source.

Maj. Gen. Al-Bassami said the tests for women holding foreign driving licenses and replacing foreign driving licenses with Saudi ones would begin only when preparations are complete.

The report claimed that foreign women visiting the Kingdom would be allowed to drive for a year if they have international driving licenses. It said women visitors will also be allowed to drive if the driving licenses they hold are recognized by the Traffic Department. They can drive for a year or until the expiration of their driving licenses, whichever comes first.

The report said the Traffic Department has started exchanging international driving licenses held by women with Saudi licenses and has set up a number of centers in various parts of the Kingdom for the purpose.

While refuting the claims published by the newspaper, Maj. Gen. Al-Bassami stressed the importance of sourcing information regarding public affairs to official spokesmen of the concerned departments.

All procedures for implementing the royal order on implementing traffic regulations and their executive bylaws on both male and female drivers have been made clear earlier, Al-Bassami said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Friday. — SG/SPA

Women driving: The countdown begins

The Saudi English language daily the Saudi Gazette reports on May 27, 2018 that women are gearing up to get their driving licenses. A link to the story is here, and the text is pasted in below.


JEDDAH – The countdown for women in Saudi Arabia to start driving has begun.

Saudi authorities are scheduled to lift a decades-old ban on women driving in the country as of June 24. As the date is drawing near, centers training women how to drive in Jeddah and other cities have been struggling to cope with the big turnout of prospective female drivers who have been enthusiastically responding to the historic decision by the Kingdom.

While Saudi women are making preparations to enter a hitherto male domain, training centers have started intensive programs to instruct them on traffic regulations and driving skills so that they qualify for a Saudi driving license, Al-Hayat Arabic newspaper said in a report on Thursday.

Deputy President of King Abdulaziz University (KAU) for Projects and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Engineers Council Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi said: “The total number of female applicants for obtaining driving licenses has reached 7,822 as of now. Of them, 261 have paid the fees and are given the dates to begin their training.”

The registration is open for all women who fulfill the required conditions announced by the Traffic Department.

The Jeddah Driving School for Women has a total of 125 trainers. The woman trainee can choose the time that suits her from the given training schedule, Al-Ghamdi said.

In late 2017, an agreement was signed between KAU and the Traffic Department to set up the first women’s driving school in Jeddah governorate. The school will award recognized driving certificates. At that time, the Traffic Department had made it clear that there would be no difference between the number plates of cars driven men and women. All cars will be subject to the number plate regulations in force at present, according to Article 7 of the Traffic Regulations.

The conditions for the photo to be used for a woman’s driving license are the same as those for male drivers. The royal decision stipulates implementation of the rules for Traffic Regulations and their executive bylaws on both male and female drivers alike.

Licenses were granted to five driving schools exclusively for women in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah and Tabuk. At present, applications for opening other driving schools are being studied in different Saudi cities and governorates.

Preparations are under way to issue driving licenses to women who complete their training programs and to replace international and foreign licenses held by female drivers, provided these licenses are recognized by Saudi Arabia, as stipulated by the Traffic Regulations and their executive bylaws.

All licensed women’s driving schools have seen huge turnouts of women keen to learn how to drive.

The Jeddah Driving School for Women at KAU has completed final preparations to begin training. The driving school has set up a website that provides guidance to Saudi women on licenses; how to renew or replace them, a general idea on the Traffic Regulations and basic driving skills.

The school confirmed that it has not set the fees for practical training, despite accepting the applications from the prospective trainees. What it provides now is electronic training only, which includes theoretical aspects of training, giving the trainee a general idea on the driving licenses, their types and the traffic violations that will lead to the withdrawal of the driving license. It also deals with getting women ready to drive in various conditions, and how to tackle hazards by following the steps for safe driving.

The school said in order for a female trainee to obtain a driving license, she must undergo a medical check-up at a recognized medical center, attend the lectures on theoretical aspects of driving and attend written and practical exams. She must obtain a document certifying that she has passed the examination. She will then take this document to the Traffic Department to be issued a driving license.

A closer look at 10 arrested Saudi women's rights activists

Ava Batrawy reports for the Associated Press on May 22, 2018. A link to the story is here and the text is pasted in below.

Saudi Arabia's arrest of 10 women's rights advocates just weeks before the kingdom is set to lift the world's only ban on women driving is seen as the culmination of a steady crackdown on anyone perceived as a potential critic of the government.

The group includes women ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s who have pushed to lift the ban on women driving and for equal rights, as well as men who have supported them. State-linked media and rights advocates have circulated the names of those detained.

Here's a look at who the detained activists are and how they became icons of the women's rights movement in Saudi Arabia:

LOUJAIN AL-HATHLOUL

The activist in her late 20s is among the most outspoken women's rights activists in the kingdom. She was detained for more than 70 days after she attempted to livestream herself driving from neighboring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia in 2014. She was detained by Saudi authorities as she attempted to cross the border and referred to an anti-terrorism court on charges of criticizing the government online. She was later released without trial. Activists say al-Hathloul was arrested again in June of last year in connection with her advocacy.

Activists say al-Hathloul was then stopped by authorities in Abu Dhabi, where she was residing, and transferred to Saudi Arabia earlier this year where she's been under a travel ban since March.

Al-Hathloul attended a humanitarian summit in Canada in 2016, where she was photographed in Vanity Fair magazine with former American actress Meghan Markle, who wed Prince Harry over the weekend.

AZIZA AL-YOUSEF

A retired professor at King Saud University, al-Yousef is a mother of five and a grandmother of eight. Although she hails from a conservative tribe with links to the royal family, she is among the most prominent women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia. In 2016, she delivered a petition signed by thousands to the royal court calling for an end to guardianship laws that give male relatives final say over a woman's ability to marry or travel abroad.

She has worked for years assisting women fleeing abusive marriages and homes. She also defied the kingdom's ban on women driving on several occasions.

"This is a good step forward for women's rights," al-Yousef told The Associated Press last year when the kingdom announced that women would be allowed to drive. However, she cautioned it was just "the first step in a lot of rights we are waiting for."

EMAN AL-NAFJAN

An assistant professor of linguistics and mother of four, including a toddler, al-Nafjan runs one of the first English blogs on Saudi Arabia. She describes the "Saudiwoman" blog as an effort to counter the many non-Saudis and non-Arabs "out there giving 'expert' opinions on life and culture" in the kingdom.

Al-Nafjan has protested the driving ban, including publicly driving in the capital, Riyadh, in 2013 as part of a campaign launched by women's rights activists. She has worked closely with al-Yousef and other women's rights activists to help domestic abuse victims and bring attention to repressive guardianship laws.

In recent years, she has been cautious about voicing her opinion on Twitter out of concern over a growing crackdown on rights advocates. She was among dozens of women who were warned by the royal court last year to stop speaking with the press or voicing opinions online.

MADEHA AL-AJROUSH

A psychotherapist in her mid-60s, al-Ajroush runs a private therapy practice in the capital, Riyadh, which specializes in gender orientation, according to activists. She helped initiate a nationwide program in Saudi Arabia to provide support for domestic abuse victims and train police and courts on how to receive and treat such victims.

A longtime advocate of women's rights, she took part in the kingdom's first driving protest in 1990 and subsequent campaigns to end the ban on women driving. She has faced years of harassment by authorities, including house raids, travel bans and being fired from her job.

Last year, al-Ajroush told the AP after women were promised the right to drive: "I had no idea it was going to take like 27 years, but anyway, we need to celebrate."

AISHA AL-MANA

Like al-Ajroush, the 70-year-old al-Mana took part in the kingdom's first driving protest in 1990, in which 47 women were arrested. She also took part in driving protests in 2011 and 2013.

She is director of Al-Mana General Hospitals and the Mohammad Al-Mana College of Health Sciences. She completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in the U.S. in sociology. In 1980, she became one of the first Saudi women to obtain a Ph.D., also in the U.S. from the University of Colorado.

In 2016, she established a scholarship program for Saudi women to study global health at her alma mater. She also established a $2 million endowment to support Saudi and Arab women at the American University of Beirut who are studying advanced degrees in nursing and health sciences.

Activists say she suffered a stroke last year and are concerned for her health while in detention.

IBRAHIM AL-MUDAIMIGH

Al-Mudaimigh is a lawyer who defended al-Hathloul during her detention in 2015 for attempting to cross the UAE-Saudi border while driving. He has supported human rights defenders in court and offered legal representation to activists in the kingdom.

He's also represented Waleed Abulkhair, a human rights lawyer now serving a 15-year sentence who'd represented Raif Badawi, a blogger who was publicly flogged in 2015 and is serving 10 years in prison.

Activists say al-Mudaimigh, who ran his own practice, was one of the few lawyers in Saudi Arabia willing to defend human rights activists since others have either fled or been detained.

HESSAH AL-SHEIKH

A longtime women's rights activist who took part in the kingdom's first driving protest in 1990, al-Sheikh is a professor at King Saud University and volunteers with Saudi-based charities focusing on women and children.

She hails from the prominent Al Sheikh family who are descendants of Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Abdul-Wahhab. His ultraconservative teachings of Islam in the 18th century are widely referred to as "Wahhabism" in his name.

She co-authored a 100-page study that was published this year by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in partnership with Rutgers University, examining Saudi women's advocacy since 1990. The study says questions remain over whether new policies will lead to real changes in how women's lives are governed in Saudi Arabia.

The study notes that international media exposure "can be a protective shield against severe punishment for active engagement in women's causes."

WALAA AL-SHUBBAR

Activists say al-Shubbar, in her late 20s, works as a nurse in the capital, Riyadh. She has been active in calling for an end to guardianship rules and appeared on Arabic news programs to discuss issues of patriarchy in the kingdom.

In an interview previously aired on France24, al-Shubbar is quoted as saying that in Saudi society "men are viewed as superior to women, and men are seen as capable of achieving anything and a woman is not."

MOHAMMED AL-RABAE

Al-Rabea is a writer and an activist in his 20s who has organized discussion groups about philosophy and social issues. He worked with some of the activists to push for greater women's rights.

ABDULAZIZ AL-MESHAAL

The Gulf Center for Human Rights describes al-Meshaal as a businessman and philanthropist who was listed as a board member in an application by activists to the government to establish a non-governmental organization called "Amina" to protect women survivors of domestic violence.

Women from the village waiting for the 10th of Shawwal

On May 19, 2018, the Saudi English language daily, the Saudi Gazette reported on village women in Saudi Arabia's southwestern region. You can link to the story here, and it's pasted in below. Rural women have learned to drive over the decades, but are glad to have it become officially legal. The date, the 10th of Shawwal, is June 24, 2018.

A number of women from the southern part of Saudi Arabia are waiting for the 10th of Shawwal when women will be allowed to drive.

NAJRAN — A number of women from the southern part of Saudi Arabia told Okaz that they are waiting for the 10th of the month of Shawwal when women will be allowed to drive.

That date will mark the end of the era of driving in fear and secrecy in rural areas and far away from the road. This time, they will be driving in city roads without any fear.

They told Okaz that they would be adhering to the rules and regulations of the road, and they even consider themselves strict followers of the rules than men.

A Saudi women, who did not mention her name, said that she has been driving from when she was 16 years old, but she only sat behind the wheel if the car was far away from the city and away from police eyes. When she became old, she was the only one who was able to drive.

She was transporting her parents to the hospital and health centers and to the social insurance department. Her younger children are also dependent on her to driverthem to school every day.

She said, “I am proud that I am driving the car and carrying out my duty toward my family. I feel proud when I am driving and serving my parents and helping my children to get their education.”

Another old woman who has been driving in a village south of Saudi Arabia, said, “Every time the traffic department stops me on the road I tell them who is going to transport my parents to the hospital or take me to the shopping center to buy groceries? Who is going to take care of our daily needs?”

She said that driving the car was a dream for women living in villages until the decision by the Custodian of the Two Holy mosques came. She said now women can take care of their daily needs.

Saudi Arabia women's driving activists 'targeted in smear campaign'

The BBC reports on a smear campaign against Saudi women driving activists who have been detained. Manal al-Sharif is interviewed in the story. Link to it here, and the story is pasted in below.

The woman behind the movement to allow women to drive in Saudi Arabia says she and her fellow activists in the kingdom are being targeted in a smear campaign.

Saudi native Manal al-Sharif said she has been receiving death threats online ahead of the ban's removal.
She was speaking after several activists in the kingdom were arrested.
They have been accused of being "traitors" and working with foreign powers - charges Amnesty International called "blatant intimidation tactics".
The group is accused of "contact with foreign entities with the aim of undermining the country's stability and social fabric", the human rights group said.
Manal al-Sharif, who is currently living in Australia, said the "organised defamation campaign" targeting the activists was similar to the campaign that targeted the movement in 2011.
as similar to the campaign that targeted the movement in 2011.

The ban is due to be lifted on 24 June.

'Crackdown on dissent'

Seven people - men and women - were arrested earlier this week. They are believed to include Loujain al-Hathloul, a well-known figure in the campaign for women's driving rights.
Ms Hathloul has been detained previously, including once in 2014 when she attempted to drive across the border from the United Arab Emirates. She served 73 days at a juvenile detention centre as a result, and documented many of her experiences on Twitter.

Image copyright Jason Schmidt

Image caption Loujain al-Hathloul (far right) attended the One Young World Summit along with Prince Harry's now-wife Meghan Markle, Pakistani author Fatima Bhutto and former Irish President Mary Robinson (C) in 2016

Amnesty said it believes that women's rights activists Eman al-Nafjan, Aziz al-Yousef, Dr Aisha al-Manea, Dr Ibrahim al-Modeimigh, and Mohammad al-Rabea have also been arrested.
Saudi Arabia's laws require women to seek male permission for various decisions and actions, and that extends to the ban on women driving.
Previously, that meant that families had to hire private drivers to transport female relatives.

• Saudi women troll 'You won't drive' trend
• Watch: Saudi women prepare to hit the road

Influential Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has widely been credited with a range of social reforms in the traditionally conservative kingdom.
He was, however, singled out for criticism in a statement from Amnesty.
"Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has presented himself as a 'reformer', but such promises fall flat amid the intensifying crackdown on dissenting voices in the kingdom," it said.
"His pledges amount to very little if those who fought for the right to drive are now all behind bars for peacefully campaigning for freedom of movement and equality."

Saudi Arabia detains women's rights activists weeks before female driving ban comes to an end

On May 18, 2018 the Washington Post broke the story that activists supporting women driving in Saudi Arabia had been detained. This story from the UK's Telegraph has now published it to. A link to the story is here and the text is pasted below. 

By Raf Sanchez

18 May 2018 • 3:58pm

Saudi Arabia has detained several prominent female activists who campaigned for women’s right to drive, taking them into custody just weeks before the decades-long driving ban finally comes to an end.
Human rights groups said Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan and Aziza al-Yousef - three of the most prominent voices demanding women be free to drive - were all detained on Thursday. Two male advocates for women’s rights were also detained, activists said.

The activists were detained as Saudi Arabia prepares for the driving ban to come to an end on June 24. The policy shift has become a symbol of the modernising drive of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the Saudi government is eager for positive media coverage of the move. 

The detentions appear to be an effort by Saudi authorities to make sure they do not have to share credit for the end of the driving ban with activists who spent years campaigning for it.
They may also be concerned that the women right’s campaigners would use the end of the driving to call for further advances in women’s freedom - like an end to the male guardianship system that severely limits Saudi women’s ability to travel independently.

A woman in a black niqab drives in Saudi Arabia

Neither Ms Narfjan nor Ms Hathloul could be reached for comment. Ms Hathloul told The Telegraph earlier this year that shortly before Saudi authorities announced the end of the driving ban in September she was warned not to speak publicly about it.

Instead, she Tweeted just the word “Alhamdulillah” in Arabic, or “Praise be to God”.
“Shutting up or submitting to these threats is unacceptable to me, it is not an option to stay quiet any more,” she said, breaking her silence in January. “We have been quiet for too long.”
Ms Hathloul had been detained twice before for her activism. She and other Saudi women sometimes filmed themselves driving in defiance of the ban and published the videos online, to the fury of the government.
Ms Hathloul was voted the third-most powerful Arab woman by Forbes in 2015, but was forced to quit her job that same year because of driving restrictions. Her husband, a well-known Saudi comedian who acts as her male guardian, was often out of the country meaning she had to pay for taxis to and from work.

Saudi women tour a car showroom for women on January 11, 2018, in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Credit: AFP

“The Uber and Careem applications would take more than 30 per cent of my salary. For instance I would pay 2,000-3,000 riyals (£375-560) a month to get around, while my salary was 6,000 riyals,” she said. “At the end of the month I basically had nothing.”
It was not clear if she or any or any of the other activists had been charged with a crime. Prisoners of Conscience, a human rights group, said that two men - Mohammed al-Rabjah and Ibrahim al-Mdmyegh - had also been arrested.

The driving ban has been in place since 1979 and women’s rights activists have been fighting it against for it for decades. In 1990, around 50 women launched the first high profile protest by driving in a convoy around Riyadh. They were eventually stopped by police.
The Saudi government under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed has shown itself willing to use detention as a tool against political rivals. Dozens of princes and prominent businessmen were arrested in November and detained at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh on allegations of corruption.
Most were released only after agreeing to pay large sums as part of a settlement with the authorities.

Saudi women drivers express hopes and fears as countdown begins

On May 17, 2018, al-Arabiyyah reports how Saudi women are reacting to and preparing for the upcoming change in the law regarding women driving. A link to the story is here, and the text is below.

By Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Thursday, 17 May 2018

The countdown has started in Saudi Arabia for women to sit behind the wheel, when females will be allowed to start driving in the kingdom starting from June 24.

While many Saudis are waiting to see this new scene on Saudi roads and which has been long awaited by women, many of whom are preparing for this day, while others are taking driving lessons in order to obtain driving licenses

A female driver in a training center in Saudi said a large number of applicants are ladies in their sixties compared to a trickle of applicants from among university students and teenagers. She said that’s because they rely more on their drivers and that some families would not prefer their daughters to drive at this young age. The situation is different with working females, as they prefer to be independent.

The trainer added that the older females become easily tired during the driving sessions, and they tend to fail the field tests.

When  Saudi women were asked about the first drive they will take on June 24 and what is their biggest fear, answers varied between taking a simple drive in the neighborhood, or to drive accompanied with family members or to drive to do some grocery shopping,  most of them agreed that meeting with an accident on the road was their biggest fear.

Sherin Bawzer, said that her first drive will be “to go to the supermarket” but she is scared of speedy drivers and from motorists who overtake from the right side. For Fatima al-Nisan it will be a family affair, who says: “On the first drive I will be accompanied by those who are close to me, whom I trust that they will be joining me in celebrating this day, while road curves and sudden breakdowns are very worrying and scary.”

Amani al-Salimi said she will drive to work on that day without waiting for the driver to pick her up, adding that she is terrified of traffic congestion and road accidents.

In a confident tone, Khulood al-Harithi says that the first time she will be behind the wheel she will take her family out and would tell them she does not need anyone with her anymore, but she is scared that a tree will fall on her or she will fall asleep while driving.

For her part, Khulood al-Ebrahim said she is mostly worried about motorists who do no respect the law, while Mariam al-Hasan is not fearful of anything and the first trip she will take will be just to wander around aimlessly.

Najat al-Majeed said shopping malls will be her focus when she starts driving, especially those around her home, and that she is scared of driving up hills, or of running out of petrol or a breakdown in remote areas which will put her in an embarrassing situation calling for help from others.

Mouna al-Qadri prefers to delay getting a driving license for a while and would watch the situation despite the fact that she is convinced that this experience is very good, but not necessarily she will take part in it.

Lubna Mohamed mentioned that women will be divided into two categories after driving lessons:  working females who will drive to their workplace and  “housewives” who can drive in emergency situations to hospitals, adding that she is “scared of breakdowns and flat tires. A situation will force me to order a cab and I do not like to be driven by a stranger.. also I am scared of running over animals..”

Fatima Outhman said her first drive will be with family and friends and she is scared of motorists who do not know driving laws, while Tahani Attif pointed out that her first time behind the wheel will be for grocery shopping while she fears narrow roads and accidents.

Meet ‘Captainah’ Enaam, Careem’s first female driver in Saudi Arabia

The May 16, 2018 Arab News reports the Careem (a ride service like Uber) has named and hired its first female driver. A link to the story is here and the text is below.

• Enaam Gazi Al-Aswad was selected to become the first “captainah” — the female version of the Careem “captain,” as the firm calls its drivers
• The 43-year-old learned how to drive in her native Syria

Careem, the Middle East’s ride-hailing firm, has named its first female driver in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom prepares to allow women behind the wheel from next month.
Enaam Gazi Al-Aswad was selected to become the first “captainah” — the female version of the Careem “captain,” as the firm calls its drivers — from among around 3,000 women looking for employment with the company. “When the authorities announced in September that women would be allowed to drive, I wanted to be the first and contacted Careem straight away,” Al-Aswad told Arab News at a media event in Dubai.
“It is wonderful to think that after all this time we will have the freedom to drive. It will help all of us build the future together in accordance with the Vision 2030 strategy.”
The 43-year-old divorcee learned how to drive in her native Syria, and has a driving license from that country. She expects to be able to obtain a Saudi license when she has completed 10 hours of driving tuition under the new laws.
“I already have my own car, a Kia I bought in 2013, and I hope to be able to do the 10 hours of lessons in a few days,” she said.
She has already received all the necessary training from Careem to enable her to become a “captainah,” having been hand-picked by the Dubai-based company soon after last year’s royal decree on women driving.
“It is good for women’s career enhancement, and for their social lives. But also I think it is our national duty. It is a job to do for the Kingdom,” she said.
Al-Aswad trained as an airline flight attendant in Saudi Arabia before studying management science at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, where she lives. She expects that being a Careem driver will be the stepping stone to a better life for her and her two sons.
“For a woman on her own, it is a good way to earn a living and pay the bills. My sons are excited and very supportive of me. Careem drivers earn good money, I know. I am telling lots of my female friends to think about it too. I would like to be a guide as well as a driver,” she said.
Mudassir Sheikha, the co-founder and CEO of Careem, said that he expected new business to eventually make up for any short-term fall-off in revenues when women — who previously formed a majority of the firm’s passengers in the Kingdom — are able to take to the roads themselves. About 95 percent of drivers in the Kingdom are Saudi nationals, he added.

Saudi women gear up to hit the road, test simulator

This article appeared in the May 15, 2018 Khaleej Times. You can link to the story here, and the text is below.

Women in Saudi Arabia are all gearing up for the red-letter day on June 24 when they will hit the road for the first time in a generation. The popularity of the ruling to allow women to drive was clear this week at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center from the scurry of activity at the venue of the Saudi capital's first women's exhibition for cars, dubbed 'Pinkish'.

The first day of the three-day show on May 13 drew curious visitors in droves, who carefully examined the many new vehicles on display, interacted with car dealers and insurance-company representatives, learnt about special offers and checked out car accessories. They also enthusiastically discussed with their relatives and companions which car would suit them best as they spent time on simulators to get a feel for the experience they expect to have in a few weeks when the Kingdom opens the way for them to take the wheel.

The organisers, who have braced themselves for at least 80,000 visitors over the course of the show, have arranged for special lessons for attendees on driving skills and how to choose the right car.

The event is organised with the support of General Directorate of Public Security, the administrative authorities of the Riyadh region, the Saudi General Department of Traffic Department, the General Entertainment Authority, the Ministry of Commerce and Investment and the Ministry of Culture and Information.

With the long-awaited start date for issuing driving licences to women in the Kingdom just around the corner, the General Department of Traffic's Director, Major General Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Bassami, has announced last week that all requirements for women in Saudi Arabia to start driving were in place.

‘My driver sisters:’ New traffic signs in Saudi Arabia address women drivers

The May 13, 2018 English daily The Arab News reports on new road signs going up around Saudi Arabia that explicitly mention female drivers. A link to the story is here, and the story is pasted in below.

CAIRO: Saudi social media users were widely sharing pictures of redesigned traffic signs that address both men and women drivers, according to Sabq news site.
The signs carried messages that read: “My brother driver,  My sister driver, abiding by traffic regulations protects your own life and the lives of others from danger.”
The traffic signs grabbed wide attention because they are for the first time directed at drivers from both genders.
In September 2017, Saudi King Salman issued a historic decree that lifted a driving ban on women.
June 24 of this year has been set for the implementation of this reform, to meet all requirements for women to begin driving, Director General Mohammed al-Bassami of the General Department of Traffic said on Tuesday.

Saudi Traffic Department all set for June 23, when women will be behind the wheels

This story originally appeared in the English daily, the Saudi Gazette but I found it on zawya.com. A link to the story is here, and the text is below:

All necessary formalities have been completed in this regard, Director of Traffic Department Maj. Gen. Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Bassami has said. 

By Staff Writer, The Saudi Gazette

Saudi Arabia - The traffic department is all set for June 23 (Shawwal 10) when women in the Kingdom will be behind the wheels, a historic step in the ongoing reforms initiated by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense.
All necessary formalities have been completed in this regard, Director of Traffic Department Maj. Gen. Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Bassami has said.

Several driving schools have been opened in cooperation with some Saudi universities. Apart from this, several locations have been earmarked to issue driving licenses to Saudi women holding foreign licenses. Al-Bassami also talked about computerized surveillance system for monitoring violations like not fastening the seat belt and talking on mobile phone while driving. He said there is a possibility of adding new violations to the list in the automatic monitoring system.
 Following are the excerpts from Maj. Gen. Al-Bassami’s replies to prominent questions on traffic regulations.
Q: What is the latest situation for implementing the royal order on traffic rules and the executive bylaw, including issuing driving licenses to men and women, alike?
A: All requirements are ready to enable women to drive. Licenses have been issued to open and operate special driving schools for women, according to the highest international standards. The objective is to raise the level of traffic safety in the Kingdom. The Traffic Department has set training programs for women in women-exclusive schools. Also the number of training hours has been specified for each female applicant. This depends on the evaluation of her ability to drive once the application is submitted. Some driving schools have already received applications from female applicants and started training them.
Q: What is the number of driving schools for women?
A2: Till now there are five driving schools for women in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah and Tabuk. The department is currently studying proposals to open driving schools in various cities and governorates of the Kingdom. Modalities are underway to issue driving licenses to women who have completed training, and replace foreign or international driving license with a Saudi license.
Q: Is the training program compulsory for obtaining a driving license and what is the duration of the training?
A: The amended bylaw for the Traffic Regulation stipulates that to obtain a driving license the trainee, who has the basic driving skills, must complete 6 training hours. The person who does not possess basic skills must get a maximum of 30 training hours. This will decrease depending on the speed with which the person gains the required basic skills.
Q: How do you evaluate your partnership with the universities with regard to opening driving schools?
A: We discerned keenness from the universities to provide high standard driving schools for women in the Kingdom, according to the new criteria adopted by the Traffic Department. Also, the participation of universities in training women to drive facilitates for female students to participate in the training program while they are still in the university. Their studies are not disrupted.
Q: What is the mechanism for dealing with Saudi or expatriate women holding foreign driving licenses? Has the Traffic Department provided them with services to facilitate replacement of international driving licenses?
A: Some 21 locations have been earmarked for the purpose. They are in Riyadh, Dammam, Al-Ahsa, Jubail, Buraidah, Unaizah, Hail, Tabuk, Jeddah, Taif, Makkah, Madinah, Abha, Arar, Jazan, Najran, Qurayyat and Sakaka.
Q: Is it allowed for a woman holding a driving license to work as a female driver in web-based cabs (i.e. Uber, Careem, etc)?
A: The royal order stipulates that the traffic regulations should be implemented on males and females on an equal footing. Therefore, a woman holding a driving license can work in web-based cabs.
As to the criticism that driving schools are charging exorbitant rates, the official said what has been levied is the maximum that is allowed. The same fees will be taken from male applicants also.
The conditions for a female applicant to obtain a driving license are clear: She should be at least 18 to have a private driving license and at least 20 for a public driving license. She should pass the medical test, and the theoretical and practical driving tests after completing the required number of training hours in a driving school.
Al-Bassami stressed that men and women will be treated equally before the law, as per the requirements of the royal order stipulating that both men and women should be treated equally. He added that the regulations are clear.
He said women are working in the Traffic Department in monitoring violations, like not fastening the seat belt and talking on the mobile phone holding the set. Women are being trained to work in the field and in administrative functions. “God willing, women will play an effective role in future”, he added.
As to when the electronic platform for receiving objections to traffic violations registered against motorists will be launched, Al-Bassami said the Traffic Department is working hard in completing the technical and administrative requirements and will launch the project soon.
Asked about the number of traffic violations detected for not fastening the seat belt and talking on the mobile phone while driving, Al-Bassami expressed deep thanks to all motorists for positively responding to the electronic monitoring of these violations. He said statistics show a tremendous increase in abidance by traffic instructions. This is evidence of the motorists’ full awareness of the dangers of such violations. He added that the Traffic Department still seeks full compliance of the rules by the motorists.
He said the Traffic Department is completing the infrastructure needed to cover all of the Kingdom’s cities and governorates with monitoring systems for detecting traffic violations, including CCTV systems.
Al-Bassami said some of the articles of the traffic regulations are being revised, especially fines for traffic violations. The department is also improving the electronic services it is providing to the public.
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© The Saudi Gazette 2018