Dubai - 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 television 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.
"More than 90 percent of pious Muslim women in the Muslim
world do not wear abayas," Sheikh Mutlaq said on Friday. "So we
should not force people to wear abayas."
While not necessarily signalling a change in the law, the
statement is the first of its kind from a senior religious
figure. It follows the recent pattern of freedoms the Kingdom
has been witnessing with the ascent of young Crown Prince
Mohammad bin Salman to power.
Only the government-appointed clerics associated with the
Council of Senior Scholars are allowed to issue fatwas, or
Islamic legal opinions. Their interpretations of Islamic law
form the basis of Saudi Arabia’s legal system.
Saudi women have started wearing more colorful abayas in
recent years, the light blues and pinks in stark contrast with
the traditional black. Open abayas over long skirts or jeans are
also becoming more common in some parts of the country.
The trend marks a major change in the last couple of years.
In 2016, a Saudi woman was detained for removing her abaya on a
main street in the capital of Riyadh. Local media reported that
she was detained after a complaint was filed with the religious
police.
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.
These are some of the many changes the country has undergone
in recent months, hailed as proof of a new progressive trend in
the deeply conservative Muslim Kingdom.
But despite these changes, the gender-segregated nation is
criticized for its continued constraints on women. Activists
have blasted the country’s guardianship system which requires a
male family member to grant permission for a woman to study
abroad, travel and other activities.