Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has called for an end to Saudi Arabia’s ban on women driving, saying it’s hurting the country’s economy.
“Stop the debate,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “It’s time for women to drive.”
Following the tweet, Alwaleed posted a four-page letter on his personal website arguing that it’s “high time we turn the page on this issue.”
“Such a ban on driving is fundamentally an infringement on a woman’s rights,” the letter says. “Particularly as it continues to exist after she had won her right to an education and a salaried employment.”
Saudi Arabia is governed by Sharia law, and is the only country in the world that doesn’t allow women to drive. “Saudi Arabia should not remain as the odd man out!” Alwaleed wrote.
Women also aren’t allowed to travel, marry or — in many cases — get a job or education without the permission of a male guardian. They were granted the right to vote for the first time in December 2015.
In his letter, Alwaleed stressed that the driving ban goes beyond the issue of women’s rights and pointed to economic, financial and political factors in his argument for doing away with the outdated practice.
He details how many middle-class and low-income families are forced to shell out around $1,000 a month on private drivers — many of whom are foreign and send their wages to their home countries.
As Saudi Arabia struggles with a plunge in oil revenue, Alwaleed suggested adding women drivers to the road could help boost the kingdom’s economy.
Alwaleed, who doesn’t hold an official position within the Saudi government, has long been an outspoken supporter of women’s rights. He expressed similar sentiments about getting rid of the driving ban during an interview with Fox Business News anchor Maria Bartiromo in 2011.
The prince heads Kingdom Holding Co., an investment firm with stakes in Citigroup and Euro Disney. Forbes lists his net worth at $19.1 billion, making him the richest man in Saudi Arabia, and 41st-richest in the world.
Alwaleed’s beliefs aren’t yet shared by the kingdom. In April, deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud said the community “is not convinced about women driving.”