The story behind the first driving license given to a Saudi woman 66 years ago

 AlArabiya.net reported on the first Saudi woman to be granted a driver's license. A link to the story is here and the text is printed below.

 

Mohamed al-Harbi, AlArabiya.net Sunday, 1 October 2017

Sixty six years ago, a judge granted one woman a license to drive in Saudi Arabia.

Historian Abdulkarim al-Hawqil, speaking to Al Arabiya about what happened at the time, said that the story involved a blind man who had two daughters and a car that was driven by one of them in order for her to care for her father with ease.

There were times when the man would sell items in a local market.

"At that time, people in the market considered it a disgrace," Hawqil said. "How can a lady drive the car? It is strange for them to see behind a woman behind a steering wheel."

The historian went on to say: "The market people took the blind man and his daughters to a judge, Sheikh Ali bin Suleiman al-Roumi. He listened to the words of the blind man and his circumstances and the for his daughter to drive the car.

“The judge became the first to allow a woman to drive in Saudi Arabia, 66 years ago.”

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia announced that it will end its long-standing prohibition on women drivers following a decree issued by King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
 

Last Update: Sunday, 1 October 2017 KSA 09:27 - GMT 06:27