Saudi authorities asked to allow school sport for girls: agency

Under a strict interpretation of sharia, Saudi women are banned from driving and must gain formal permission from a male relative to leave the country, start a job or open a bank account. But King Abdullah is pushing cautious social reforms improving women’s rights in the face of conservative resistance. SPA said Saudi Arabia’s appointed Shoura Council, which advises the government on policy, had asked the education ministry to look into including sports for girls in state-run schools with the proviso they should conform to Sharia rules on dress and gender segregation. Although it would not become law until the ministry and cabinet approved the idea, the council’s vote represented a further pigeon step of progress for Saudi women.