It is not an easy task for a man to envisage what the role of women will be five or 10 years from now. Only women themselves can address that issue fully.

But since I have always been an advocate of women’s rights, there are some remarks that it may not be presumptuous for me to make.

Islam gives all women their rights. That is not merely theoretical: 1,400 years ago, women were doing business and owning property here, something that was possible elsewhere only a couple of hundred years ago.

However, in the past couple of centuries certain local and regional traditions came to the forefront and women’s rights and participation in society became severely diminished. Apportioning blame for how and why this happened is far less important than realizing that it must change, and fast.

Saudi women today do play a major role in many parts of society as doctors, academics, computer experts, bankers, community leaders and businesswomen. Personally, I would also like to see them heading large corporations. I believe that NGOs dealing with women’s and children’s issues at the very least should be headed by women, for they know the complexities of the issues better than any man. But who is to say that women cannot succeed at whatever else they put their minds to?

It is beyond doubt that women prove themselves whenever they are given the opportunity. The Muslim world has elected a number of female heads of state: In Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, in Bangladesh Khaleda Zia and in Turkey Tansu Ciller — all came to power through overwhelming majorities in conservative societies. In the 1960 election in Pakistan, President Ayub Khan was opposed by Fatima Jinnah — and all the main religious parties supported her. Now we are proud that the leader of the largest Muslim nation, Indonesia, has a female president in Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Islam does not oppose the role of women in anything within the prescribed framework. Only narrow-mindedness, intolerance and shortsightedness do.

Saudi women are committed, hardworking and, most important, they have vision. In many instances I have discovered that their work ethic is light years ahead of that of their male counterparts. They should also be given a chance to lead and give their opinions.

The flimsy excuses of the past are no longer persuasive. Now there is simply no justification for preventing women from playing their rightful part in the building and progress of our country. Some are doing so already, especially in our universities and the media, but many more must be given the opportunity to do so before we can hope to make any real progress and catch up with the rest of the world.

Somebody asked me if I would object to having a female boss. My reply was, as long as she is competent, why not? A strong, committed woman is an asset to society. And we have plenty of them.

That’s why I am positive. We cannot afford to remain behind while others are moving into the future at lightning speed. There are former Warsaw Pact countries which emerged from under the yoke of Communism only a decade ago, and they have already overtaken us. Their economies are vibrant, and it is their women who contribute to the vibrancy of their economy. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that without their women they would be nowhere near where they are today.

Here too, a significant number of Saudi men encourage their wives and daughters to be educated and acquire skills. They want them to be productive members of society. I have met many Saudi girls and women abroad who are studying and working hard because they want to play a vital role in our socioeconomic development.

We are proud of that. And we should not allow anyone to prevent them from doing so.