Saudi women get keys to the new world

Global car maker Ford was one of the first off the starting line yesterday, launching a major campaign to celebrate – and no doubt capitalise on– the historic day when women in Saudi Arabia finally joined the rest of the world in being permitted to drive.

Ford’s Africa and Middle East division’s eye-catching campaign said: “Now that you’re in the driver’s seat, you have the power to move freely. Behind the wheel, you’re in control. Your path is wide open. Your place is assured. You drive in front.”

It may have been a subtle sales pitch, but it summed up what will be a revolutionary social change in the oil-rich kingdom, all driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to modernise Saudi Arabia.

News reports said women in the capital, Riyadh, and other cities began zipping around streets bathed in amber light soon after the ban was lifted at midnight, with some blasting music from behind the wheel.

The triumph was tempered by the fact that some of the women who agitated for the lifting of the ban have been detained, indicating the kingdom is still a long way from being truly free.

But at least, ladies, you can now get your motors running.

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