Al Waleed wants Saudi women to drive cars

New statement from Prince Al Waleed bin Talal in support of women driving. Reported here in Emirates 24/7, and the text of the story below. I would add that not only would 500,000 foreign drivers leave the country, the salaries paid to them would be reinvested in the country and would help diversify the economy and hopefully encourage women to start more small businesses.

Prince says 500,000 foreign drivers will lose jobs if women are allowed to drive

By Staff Published Monday, May 27, 2013

Saudi billionaire Prince Al Waleed scoffed at his Gulf Kingdom’s long-standing ban on driving cars by women in a fresh brief Twitter call supporting an ongoing campaign by women in the world’s oil superpower to drive cars.

Al Waleed, a nephew of King Abdullah with a $20-billion investment empire, said allowing Saudi women to drive in the conservative Moslem country means nearly 500,000 foreign private drivers, mostly Asians, would lose their jobs.

One of the world’s 30 richest persons, the Prince said he was surprised that the ban remains in force when a Saudi woman scaled Mount Everest last week and another became the country’s first female passenger aircraft pilot.

He was referring to Raha Mubarak who was the first Saudi woman to reach Everest and Hanadi Al Hindi, the first Saudi woman to become a commercial flight pilot last month.

“Hanadi piloted an aircraft and Raha reached Everest but the Saudi woman still cannot drive her own car,” he said.