RIYADH, 28 September 2005 — A member of the Shoura Consultative Council has said that a small group in Saudi society is behind the Council’s refusal to discuss women driving in the Kingdom. In an interview with Arab News, Muhammad Al-Zulfa, the Shoura member who earlier attracted considerable attention for proposing that the idea of women driving be discussed in the Council, said the same small group in Saudi society “exerted great influence over the majority of men and women in the country.”

Elaborating on what the “small group” was and the ideology it followed, Al-Zulfa said: “Some are from the religious establishment and others are traditionalists who are simply not ready for change.”

He said many Saudi men and women supported the idea and that “action and reaction” in the media had helped some of those who were originally against it to alter their views. Al-Zulfa said it was unfortunate that many Saudis mixed up the rights of women in Islam with the Kingdom’s social traditions. In time, he said, women in the Kingdom will drive; it is “just a matter of time, determination, and education.”

He said many Shoura members believed in changes that would benefit society but they refused to get involved in discussions because of fears of what certain people might think of them. He said they should speak their minds and not fear pressure.

Al-Zulfa went on to say he wished the courage found in some Saudi writers and in the local media would spill over to the Shoura Council. He lauded some journalists for writing what they believed and for fighting for the betterment of society.

He said the reforms the government wanted to implement were sometimes rejected by the people, contrary to what the rest of the world perceived. “I always say that the government of Saudi Arabia is more advanced than its people. In every society, the people ask for their rights from their government. In Saudi Arabia sometimes it is the opposite; it is the government which says, ‘This is your right and we want to do this and this for you.’”

The Shoura member said he was not at all opposed to different points of view and a variety of opinions. At the same time, he did not believe these points of view and opinions should be imposed or forced on people who did not share them. “If some people want to believe in certain things, that is their choice. Unfortunately, however, this small group wants to impose its ideas and force people to accept their ideas and beliefs.”

He said many changes were taking place in the Kingdom while it held to its Islamic principles and was guided by Islamic law. One change that he noted was the National Day becoming for the first time an official holiday. This was a first in Saudi history. “We used to celebrate it in a very different way. There were some people who questioned why it was celebrated and on what basis. This year people celebrated the National Day in the streets of Riyadh. I see this as a new beginning for the Saudi people.”