A new music video of Saudi women skating, playing basketball, singing and dancing has gone viral.
Titled "Hwages" translating to "concerns," the video has garnered more than half a million views since it was first posted on Dec. 23.
Directed by Majed Alesa, the clip starts off with three women wearing the niqab, getting into a car with a young boy as the driver,criticizing the kingdom's >ban on women driving.
It then shows women in the kingdom breaking all kinds of stereotypes. They shoot some hoops, skateboard and showcase some epic dance moves.
"May all men be erased as they've hurt us psychologically," the women repeatedly say in the song's chorus.
Produced by Saudi production company 8ies Studios, the video is a remake of a low-quality video that surfaced in 2014. Both videos use the same lyrics.
Women in the kingdom demand their right to drive
Saudi women definitely know how to aim and shoot ... pretty well actually
They are unstoppable
And people are inspired
Because the music video perfectly tackles a sensitive topic with humor
Women are discriminated against in nearly all aspects of public and private life in Saudi Arabia. This is mainly due to a legal code influenced by a fundamentalist interpretation of Sharia law.
But, in just the past couple years, the kingdom has amended a >number of laws in an effort to empower women in the kingdom. These include opening municipal elections to female candidates and making women's verbal consent to marriage mandatory.
The Saudi Council also announced an amendment to laws governing travel documents, giving women a right to obtain a passport without male permission.
This all puts a dent in the kingdom's guardianship system, which prohibits women from traveling, marrying and working without the permission of a male guardian, typically her husband, father or brother.
The kingdom's ban on women driving has also received significant attention. In November, billionaire businessman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal took a stand for women's right to drive in Saudi Arabia.
In an >open letter titled "It is High Time that Saudi Women Started Driving their Cars," Prince Alwaleed emphasized the importance of progress in today's world.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.