Crown Prince relaxes the dress rules for Saudi women
WOMEN in Saudi Arabia do not need to wear traditional black abayas, loose fitting robes, or headscarves, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has said as he tries to burnish his reformist credentials ahead of his first trip to Washington as heir to the Saudi throne.
The 32-year-old, who will meet Donald Trump at the White House today, said Saudis had “come a very long way and have a short way to go” to roll back laws that have restricted Saudi women for decades. “Saudi women still have not received their full rights. There are rights stipulated in Islam that they still don’t have,” he told CBS News.
“The laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of sharia: that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men,” he said. “This does not specify a black abaya or a black head cover. The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear.”
Black abayas are not mandatory for women in Saudi Arabia but they are so widely worn that they are strongly associated with the conservative kingdom. The Prince’s comments will be taken as a sign of his ambition to ease further Saudi Arabia’s social laws and customs. Prince Mohammed has pushed through widespread domestic reforms since rising to power, including allowing women to drive, attend football games in stadiums, and join the military.
However, he has not rolled back the male guardianship laws, which make it almost impossible for women to travel, work, or get married without permission from a male relative. Human Rights Watch calls the laws “the most significant impediment to women’s rights” in Saudi Arabia.
The meeting between Prince Mohammed and Mr Trump will be their first face-to-face encounter since the Prince usurped his cousin to become Saudi Arabia’s heir to the throne last June. He is considered one of the most powerful men in the Middle East.
While Prince Mohammed is wellliked by the Trump administration, especially for his hawkish tone on Iran, members of the US Congress have voiced concerns about his policies ahead of the trip. A group of senators are attempting to halt US support for Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is bombing a rebel group aligned with Iran. Senators are also speaking out about the Prince’s plans to build a nuclear power programme, fearing that it could lay the foundation for nuclear weapons development.
Prince Mohammed has said previously that Saudi Arabia would develop a nuclear bomb if its arch-rival Iran was allowed to get one.