Abaya no longer mandatory for Saudi women

Saudi women need not wear the abaya - the loose-fitting, full-length robes symbolic of religious faith - a senior member of the top Muslim clerical body said, another indication of the Kingdom's efforts towards modernisation. On his radio programme, Sheikh Abdullah al-Mutlaq, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said Muslim women should dress modestly, but this did not necessitate wearing the abaya. Since more than 90 per cent of pious Muslim women in the Muslim world do not wear abayas, Saudi women should not be forced to wear abayas.

It seems the knots of restrictions are loosening in the kingdom. That Saudi Arabia is fast heading for transformation and modernisation keeping pace with the world is evident from the recent pattern of freedoms the kingdom has been witnessing with the ascent of young Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to power. The kingdom has seen an expansion in women's rights recently, such as the decision passed to allow women to attend mixed public sporting events and the announcement that Saudi Arabia would grant them the right to drive.

Saudi women have reasons to feel elated at the recent decisions by the government. In fact, the trend marks a major change in the last couple of years. Shockingly, in 2016, a Saudi woman was detained for removing her abaya on a main street in the capital of Riyadh after a complaint was filed with the religious police. It is encouraging to note that these changes the country has undergone in recent months speak volumes of a new progressive trend in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom.

    In the past the religious leaders had opposed women’s right to drive for decades, accusing any women who dare to take the wheel of having lost their virginity and integrity. The permission to drive is a sort of victory for Saudi women. Mohammad bin Salman has already set out his plans for the kingdom under the brand Vision 2030, and is being presented as a king-in-waiting who will set the country on the road to modernity and civil liberty. Let the Saudi women enjoy further freedom if the same does not clash with religious dictates. The women willing to wear abaya should also be allowed to do so.

There should not be any restrictions to individual freedom.  How a person dresses is a choice. No government should interfere regarding the sartorial choices of individuals.  

 

Abaya no longer mandatory for Saudi women

Saudi women need not wear the abaya - the loose-fitting, full-length robes symbolic of religious faith - a senior member of the top Muslim clerical body said, another indication of the Kingdoms efforts towards modernisation. On his radio programme, Sheikh Abdullah al-Mutlaq, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said Muslim women should dress modestly, but this did not necessitate wearing the abaya. Since more than 90 per cent of pious Muslim women in the Muslim world do not wear abayas, Saudi women should not be forced to wear abayas. It seems the knots of restrictions are loosening in the kingdom. That Saudi Arabia is fast heading for transformation and modernisation keeping pace with the world is evident from the recent pattern of freedoms the kingdom has been witnessing with the ascent of young Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to power. The kingdom has seen an expansion in womens rights recently, such as the decision passed to allow women to attend mixed public sporting events and the announcement that Saudi Arabia would grant them the right to drive. Saudi women have reasons to feel elated at the recent decisions by the government. In fact, the trend marks a major change in the last couple of years. Shockingly, in 2016, a Saudi woman was detained for removing her abaya on a main street in the capital of Riyadh after a complaint was filed with the religious police. It is encouraging to note that these changes the country has undergone in recent months speak volumes of a new progressive trend in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom. In the past the religious leaders had opposed womens right to drive for decades, accusing any women who dare to take the wheel of having lost their virginity and integrity. The permission to drive is a sort of victory for Saudi women. Mohammad bin Salman has already set out his plans for the kingdom under the brand Vision 2030, and is being presented as a king-in-waiting who will set the country on the road to modernity and civil liberty. Let the Saudi women enjoy further freedom if the same does not clash with religious dictates. The women willing to wear abaya should also be allowed to do so. There should not be any restrictions to individual freedom. How a person dresses is a choice. No government should interfere regarding the sartorial choices of individuals.