Long robes not necessary attire for Saudi women - senior cleric

[webfact]

Long robes not necessary attire for Saudi women - senior cleric

 

Saudi women members of the Saudi Shura Council attend a session chaired by Saudi Arabia's King Salman, in Riyadh December 23, 2015. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo

 

DUBAI (Reuters) - 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.

 

"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.

 

On Thursday, a London-based Saudi rights group, ALQST, reported the detention last month of activist Noha al-Balawi, saying she was questioned by Saudi authorities on her involvement with women's rights and human rights movements.

 

The government's Center for International Communications did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

(This version of the story corrects television programme to radio programme, paragraph two).

 

(Reporting by Sarah Dadouch; Editing by Katie Paul and Clelia Oziel)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-12

[George Bowman]

[Darcula]

Damn, how can I get a refund on that deposit I put down for 300 meters of black fabric at Al Karim?  Was going to surprise my 5 wives with 20 black robes each this coming Eid.

[khwaibah]

[Bluespunk]

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly aging
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
Cause the times they are a-changing

 

Bob Dylan

[Get Real]

How about beeing men, and let your women choose their own "attire"?

 

In the real world that´s called "clothes".

Edited February 12, 2018 by Get Real

[hashmodha]

Long robes not necessary attire for Saudi women - senior cleric
 

Saudi women members of the Saudi Shura Council attend a session chaired by Saudi Arabia's King Salman, in Riyadh December 23, 2015. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo
 
DUBAI (Reuters) - 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.
 
"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.
 
On Thursday, a London-based Saudi rights group, ALQST, reported the detention last month of activist Noha al-Balawi, saying she was questioned by Saudi authorities on her involvement with women's rights and human rights movements.
 
The government's Center for International Communications did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
 
(This version of the story corrects television programme to radio programme, paragraph two).
 
(Reporting by Sarah Dadouch; Editing by Katie Paul and Clelia Oziel)
  -- [emoji767] Copyright Reuters 2018-02-12

This has to be the best article for a long time...Long live freedom for Women in Saudi Arabia....the world's other repressive idiotic traditions against women's rights need an awakening call after this....now a few ladies in the Judicial system,and the whole world opens to equality!

Please excuse spelling mistakes/Grammar/Misunderstanding!

[hashmodha]

Not long before extremely beautiful Arabic ladies strutting their stuff!!

Please excuse spelling mistakes/Grammar/Misunderstanding!

[manchega]

allowed , however if those women stir desire in any men, make men jealous in any way or their femininne figure is shown in any way we will surely stone those whores to death for dissing our one and only

should a mean become aroused by short robes and takes it upon himself to have his way, it will be most holy because that is what our religeious texts say so there

 

At least I think that is how it will work out.

[Dumbastheycome]

An  entrapment  announcement  ! The  wealthy   fat    baskets  will  be  allowed  to  parade their companions of  favour  while  the  "Religious   Pleace  "  will continue to   subjugate  the less privaleged !

Human  rights  !     F   in   joke !

 

[farcanell]

13 hours ago, hashmodha said:

Not long before extremely beautiful Arabic ladies strutting their stuff!!

Please excuse spelling mistakes/Grammar/Misunderstanding!
 

You mean like in places such as Beirut, when it was known as the Paris of the Mid East, during the 1960s and 70s.

 

something very dark happened, to drive those glams from the streets and cafes, from places that the beautiful and famous, such as Bridget Bardot, used to frolic 

 

until that “something” changes drastically, nothing much will change... but bless the bunnies who lead the charge... I’m thinking they will need all the help that they can get

Edited February 12, 2018 by farcanell

[spidermike007]

I have a suggestion for strict Muslims who want to immigrate to Europe, the US, or Australia. We give you a conditional 24 month visa. If you can show within 24 months that you have made good progress with the local language, you get merits. After 36 months, if you have a teenage daughter, you have to establish proof that she has participated in a bikini contest. This is called assimilation.

 

I wonder if this suggestion by the Iman, which is a very good one, will be applied. Or if women will still get in big trouble for shedding that most ridiculous of garments. Especially the headdress. What is up with that? If a man sees my face he will go out of his mind with lust? Is it possible Saudi men, and all men who practice Sharia law, are the most insecure on the planet? Is is possible no other men on the planet have less self esteem? 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2018 by spidermike007

[theguyfromanotherforum]

On 2/12/2018 at 8:27 AM, missoura said:

 

Good lookin' blokes

[hashmodha]

You mean like in places such as Beirut, when it was known as the Paris of the Mid East, during the 1960s and 70s.
 
something very dark happened, to drive those glams from the streets and cafes, from places that the beautiful and famous, such as Bridget Bardot, used to frolic 
 
until that “something” changes drastically, nothing much will change... but bless the bunnies who lead the charge... I’m thinking they will need all the help that they can get

That was one of my thoughts....having lived in Mykonos-Greece...working on the beach.....you should see these gorgeous ladies...from Beirut,Saudi,Oman,Dubai,Bahrain,Qatar,amongst others...Good day!

Please excuse spelling mistakes/Grammar/Misunderstanding!

[farcanell]

11 minutes ago, hashmodha said:

That was one of my thoughts....having lived in Mykonos-Greece...working on the beach.....you should see these gorgeous ladies...from Beirut,Saudi,Oman,Dubai,Bahrain,Qatar,amongst others...Good day!

Please excuse spelling mistakes/Grammar/Misunderstanding!
 

Lol... I used to put my fear of needles aside, just to visit my Dentist, back in Oz. .... A stunningly beautiful Egyptian woman

 

get them out of their homeland and they emerge from their cocoon as beautiful things

[billd766]

On 12/02/2018 at 9:58 AM, Bluespunk said:

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly aging
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
Cause the times they are a-changing

 

Bob Dylan

 

That song could well apply to the Thailand road map in the near future too.

 

Off topic I know.