Saudi King Abdullah Saudi King Abdullah said on Sunday that women in Saudi Arabia are now allowed to vote, run in municipal elections and be appointed to the consultative Shura Council, local media reported. “Because we refuse to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior ulama [clerics] and others… to involve women... 

Women in Saudi Arabia have been openly driving cars in defiance of an official ban on female drivers in the ultra-conservative kingdom. The direct action has been organised on social network sites, where women have been posting images and videos of themselves behind the wheel. Saudi women have been encouraged to challenge the status quo and get behind the wheel Friday. The initiative is called “Women2Drive,”...