AS I am writing these lines, the streets and roads in Saudi cities are witnessing the dawn of a new era with women driving their cars and thus consigning the meaningless debate around it to the dustbin of history.

People in the Kingdom have realized that when women drive their cars, it does not remove them from their religion, does not shake their faith, does not break the security rules, does not violate the law and does not affect their reproductive system and these were only some of the motivated misinformation campaigns launched by a group of people who did not want women to drive and they thought the lifting of the ban on women driving would destroy the nation.

However, it turned to be a normal day and also an extraordinary day because women in Saudi Arabia were prevented from driving for no sound and convincing reasons. The undeclared ban was an issue which was difficult to be defended and justified (among the members of the same family, let alone the outsiders). It denied Saudi women a simple right, putting them in an abnormal position before the entire world, including the Arab and Islamic part of it.

It’s an extraordinary day because it was a day when Saudi Arabia aligned naturally with the other countries of the world without “mixing” the oddities of the customs and culture under the cloak of religion. The importance of this day should not be overstated or exaggerated. It should also not be underestimated as it was important in breaking the psychological barrier which was causing confusion, queries and frustration among the Saudis themselves, let alone the other people. Now there is a sense of comfort and confidence in different segments of the society as they fold the page that was a source of unnecessary controversy.

There is a serious desire to “benefit” from this important step which will have effective and positive impact on social life and economic interests. This also gives an opportunity to address human rights issues, like racism and discrimination in all its forms and types, a very regrettable issue that is still widespread in Saudi society. A clearly defined and unequivocal deterrent system will have desired and positive economic results. It will immediately help save large sums of money on house drivers and their associates. These huge sums of money were in fact going outside the national economic system as a result of preventing women from driving.

It is a new day in the event of repairing another defect, an occasion worthy of celebration, but it should not last long. It was a strange situation which was modified and this is the most important thing that happened. Saudi Arabia is changing and this new scene confirms this. Yes, there are other things to confront, but this is a step that gives hope and the Saudis have the right to celebrate. The Saudis will prove to themselves first and then to the world that they are able to deal with this decision with respect.