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File photo of Saudi women wearing abayas. Photo: EPA

Long robes not necessary attire for Saudi women – senior cleric

Saudi Arabia

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.

Sheikh Abdullah al-Mutlaq, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said Muslim women should dress modestly, but this did not necessarily mean wearing the abaya.

“More than 90 per cent 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.”

Saudi women covered in black abayas shop at a clothing store in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 7, 2002. In Saudi Arabia, where the segregation of the sexes is governed by an unwritten but stringent code, women often find themselves having to discuss their most intimate details with strange men when it comes to shopping for lingerie. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

While not 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 country 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 fatwa, or Islamic legal opinions. Their interpretations of Islamic law form the basis of Saudi Arabia’s legal system.

Saudi women have started wearing more colourful abayas in recent years, instead of 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 past couple of years. In 2016, a Saudi woman removed her abaya on a main street in Riyadh. Local media reported that she was detained after a complaint was filed with the religious police.

A Saudi woman enjoys a ride in the Snow City at Al Othaim Mall in Riyadh. Photo: Reuters

Despite these changes, Saudi Arabia is regularly criticised for its draconian constraints on women, such as the guardianship system, which requires a male family member to grant permission for a woman to marry, study abroad, travel and undertake many other activities.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Women not required to wear long robes: cleric
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