Equality campaigners were today celebrating as Saudi Arabia made a long-overdue change to its oppressive rules which prevent men from making jokes about women’s driving.
King Salman’s decree, which is due to become law by June 2018 will allow men to make hilarious quips about female driving skills without fear of persecution.
Until now men who made witty and original observations based on their clear superiority behind the wheel risked being arrested or fined; while a few protestors have even been imprisoned for bravely defying the ban.
The country’s US ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman, has described the move as “the right decision at the right time”, before adding, “Why don’t women need a driving licence? Because there’s no road between the cooker and the washing machine.”
Men in Saudi Arabia have to live with some of the least progressive comedy material anywhere in the world and they still face the very real risk of encountering jokes that were deemed unfunny in the West long ago.
Although the Middle Eastern country still has a long way to go in terms of men’s comedy potential, it is hoped that this change will bring the country forward many decades, up to a standard almost equivalent to Britain in the 1970’s.
Campaigners hope that with continued support Saudi men will not only be able to enjoy saying ‘How do you make a woman blind? Put a windscreen in front of her’, but may one day even be able to use cutting edge material about not getting on with their mother-in-law and living next door to a black person.
