Not just passengers anymore

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are banned from getting behind the wheel of a car, but not for much longer -- nine months to be exact. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is allowing women to legally drive for the first time from next June. The royal decree removes a cornerstone of Saudi conservatism and, in effect, some conservative voices are accusing the leadership of “bending the verses of Sharia” -- while human rights activists are delighted that Saudi women are finally being allowed to do something that is entirely normal everywhere else. But will the decree accelerate existing tensions in the kingdom? And, is it a major step towards gender equality in the male-dominated society? It is, undoubtedly, one of the most visible signs of modernisation, an effort made by the current Saudi government -- even though there have been many other reforms over the last one or two years under King Salman. Rightfully, this has made global headlines.A bold step forwardIt is unclear to me if there had been any political or ideological reason behind the timing of this reform, or that if any political influence or agenda had prompted this reform. Regardless, from a historical point of view, this is a breakthrough for Saudi women. Even as recent as in 2013, there had been videos on Twitter of Saudi women driving secretly. The videos were a window for the world to look into the regressive nature of law related to women in Saudi Arabia, and in this case it was women being banned from driving. I believe this reform is a product of change. Change is something that may happen very slowly, but, nonetheless, happens for the greater good. It is a form of protest against patriarchy, against male domination, and upholding women’s rights. As they say, better late than never, and with the Saudi women, even the world at large is rejoicing this bold step forward taken by the Saudi government.

I believe this reform is a product of change. Change is something that may happen very slowly, but, nonetheless, happens for the greater good

There are still innumerable issues related to gender equality, gender politics, and women’s rights that need to be addressed and reformed, not just in Saudi Arabia but also in many other parts of the world. I honestly believe that there has been great progress in terms of change within Saudi Arabia. I know this from the perspective of films that were made within the country.Behind the lensOne has to remember Haifaa al-Mansour’s film Wadjda -- the first ever film directed by a Saudi woman that came out in 2012 -- in which issues such as gender segregation, the driving ban, forced marriage, child rights, and so on, are highlighted and articulately pointed out. Now, I think there is good reason to not label the Middle East, the Arab world, or Saudi Arabia with the term “backward culture,” which needs to change and evolve. We need to take the reforms and changes already taking place into account, and change the labels on this region as a whole. Because it is the change in our perception of the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, that will propel their path to reformation, to an extent. And I would really like to focus on Saudi Arabia and the progress it is making, along with the rest of the Arab world. I would refrain from demeaning their norms and stereotyping their practices in harsh criticism. I want to recreate how we speak about this region with refined language, so the positives and progressive elements of the region are focused on.Still not a bed of roses  In Saudi Arabia, over the years, we have seen prominent human rights defenders who have been arrested and are still serving 10-15 years of imprisonment. Last year, many activists on Twitter expressing their opinion had been arrested or continue to be harassed and intimidated by the authorities. While Saudi Arabia does have a Vision 2030, it talks about reform in the country in a variety of ways. We can only hope that the understanding of reform is about human rights. We hope these are not mere ambitions and big talk by the Saudi authorities that will forevermore remain on paper, but rather we hope these reforms and changes materialise. By June 2018, we can expect to see how this reform will take root.Sharif Hasan is currently working as a field researcher on behalf of Centre for Genocide Studies (CGS), University of Dhaka.