The Associated Press reported this weekend that an unnamed Saudi Shoura member confirmed its body had “recommended that the government lift its ban on female drivers,” a report that a government official quickly denied after it surfaced.
As the AP reports, “The council member said the Shura Council made the recommendations in a secret, closed session held in the past month. The member spoke on condition of anonymity because the recommendations had not been made public.” The news agency then said, “After the AP story first appeared, Shura Council spokesman Mohammed al-Muhanna told Al-Riyadh newspaper that reports about ‘the approval of the council of women driving’ are not true.”
The UPI reports that al-Muhanna said the AP report was “misinformed,” and that the report “showed a ‘lack of authenticity.'”
The reported recommendations by the Shoura Council placed conditions on permitting women to drive, including that they be over 30 years of age and have the permission of a male relative, among other time and date restrictions.
The full report by the AP, though unconfirmed by the Saudi Press Agency or other officials except for the aforementioned denial in the Arabic press, is worth a read for greater detail on the proposal. If true, the change would certainly be embraced by Western allies of Saudi Arabia and another change toward modernization under the reign of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah.
