Saudi Crown Prince Tries to Boost Tourism, Eases Abaya Rule for Women Among Other Initiatives

Monday, February 21, 2022

Riyadh: In a bid to promote tourism in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been taking steps to bring reforms for women’s rights in the country.

One of the steps taken by the Saudi crown prince was to get away with the abaya rule as he had earlier stated that the women in the country no longer needed to wear headcovers or black abaya as long as they wear “decent and respectful” clothes.

Abaya is a loose-fitting, full-length robe symbolic of Islamic piety.

In 2019, the country had dropped its strict dress code for foreign women tourists as it seeks to lure holidaymakers and the spending that could help develop the kingdom’s economy away from its reliance on oil.

“This, however, does not particularly specify a black abaya or a black headcover. The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear,” bin Salman added.

Crown Prince Salman, who is considered reform-minded, has brought several reforms for women’s rights including a decision to allow them to attend mixed public sporting events and the right to drive cars from this summer.
“The laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of sharia (Islamic law): that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men,” the crown said in an interview with America’s CBS television late on Sunday.

Foreign women won’t have to wear an abaya, the flowing cloak that’s been mandatory attire for decades, though they’ll be instructed to wear “modest clothing,” said Ahmed Al-Khateeb, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and a key adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The efforts have come amid Saudi Arabia highlighting progress on gender issues as the country is under scrutiny by the West for its human rights record, including a crackdown on dissent that ensnared dozens of women’s rights activists.

« Back to Page