A news item that appeared on social media raged through the internet and went viral in less than eight hours. The topic? Saudi women driving. And the news item? It was reported that the Saudi Shura Council had tabled a resolution to forward to the Council of Ministers, seeking approval to allow women to drive in the country. The news was attributed to the Council President, Dr Shaikh Abdullah Al Shaikh, and it appeared to be genuine.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that apparently forbids by law women getting behind the wheels, and when such a news surfaced, it didn’t take long for it to spread like wildfire. In many tweets, Saudis lauded the decision. Said one such tweet: “Finally, the Shura Council brings us in equal footing with the rest of the world.”

Another exclaimed: “The last shackles against women in this country have been broken. Whoopee, let reality take hold.” A female who complained that the ban caused her considerable inconvenience tweeted: “Thank God, no more drivers with their outrageous financial demands. I will get myself to work by myself.” Among the many messages, there was very little in opposition to this latest development.

But within 24 hours, the Shura Council categorically denied plans to endorse a legislation that would allow women to drive.

Shura Council official spokesman Dr Mohammad Al Muhanna made a statement, refuting allegations being circulated on social media websites. “Shura Council president Dr Shaikh Abdullah Bin Mohammad Bin Ebrahim Al Shaikh did not make any press statements in this regard,” the spokesman said, voicing dismay over the baseless claims.

This debate over letting women drive has been going on for many years. More recently, influential personalities have voiced their support to let women drive. A few months ago, Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, one of the most influential Arabs in the region, had jumped into the fray by tweeting: “Stop the debate: Time for women to drive”.

The Prince, known for his intense commitment to empowering the kingdom’s women, said that “Preventing a woman from driving a car is today an issue of rights similar to the one that forbade her from receiving an education or having an independent identity. They are all unjust acts by a traditional society, far more restrictive than what is lawfully allowed by the precepts of religion. Having women drive has become an urgent social demand predicated upon current economic circumstances.”

In a veiled attack on the shrinking religious fundamentalists who oppose the move to grant women more freedom, the prince added, “What cannot be allowed is to have one segment imposing its preferences on the rest of society.” The Prince also suggested moderate steps initially that could achieve the goal of giving women their freedom in this respect. A number of restrictions, including preventing women from driving outside cities and not allowing them to drive vehicles larger than an automobile could be initially listed.

Prince Al Waleed also recommended “bringing female officers into the police’s traffic unit who will deal with women in the event of their being involved in accidents or traffic violations”.

Almost a year ago, the dynamic and powerful Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, stated that Saudi society and not the government will determine whether women will be allowed to drive cars and when. “So far, the society is not persuaded — and it has some negative influence — but we stress that it is up to Saudi society,” he said, adding that change cannot be forced.

This long and seemingly never-ending issue is perplexing indeed. Between hope that the driving ban will be lifted to the reality of it not being so has sent many into a conundrum of thought. What is it that is genuinely holding us back and what would it take for the issue to be resolved once and for all in favour of allowing women to drive?

It is the government that must take the lead. There have been enough voices of support for letting women drive. With measured steps, the government can introduce new legislation that would not only issue driver licences to women, but also protect licensed female drivers from any unwanted attention or distraction. Other measure such as driving schools, extra vigilance by traffic police and the possibility of a female traffic police section, as Prince Al Waleed, suggested should be also considered.

This issue will neither go away nor is it likely to be forgotten. The economic realities in the kingdom today dictate that women must have a greater say in their economic welfare and driving is one such issue.

Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. You can follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@talmaeena