15th September, 2019
Some rebel women have started to shun the obligatory abaya when they leave the house in a bold push for social liberties by young Saudis.
The billowy over-garment, usually all-black, is customary public wear for women in the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom, where it is widely seen as a symbol of piety.
Last year, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hinted during an interview with CBS that the dress code may be relaxed, saying the robe was not mandatory in Islam.
Defiant Mashael al-Jaloud, 33, turned heads and drew gasps as she strutted through a Riyadh mall last week without a body-shrouding abaya.
The human resources specialist strolled through a mall wearing nothing but a burnt orange top over baggy trousers.
In the crowd there were audible gasps and arched eyebrows. Women veiled head-to-toe stared and some mistook her for a celebrity or model, asking: “Are you famous?”
Jaloud laughed and told the shocked people that she was a normal Saudi woman.
However, she revealed that she has faced some hostility since ditching the abaya and at a supermarket in Riyadh a fully-veiled woman threatened to call the police.
Jaloud also said that although she is remaining defiant, she is still forced to wear an abaya and headscarf to work or risk losing her job.
Jaloud is one of only a handful of women who have abandoned the abaya in recent months.
But the trend underscores a bold push for social liberties by young Saudis that may outstrip the monarchy’s capacity for change.
Manahel al-Otaibi, a 25-year-old activist, has also foregone the garment.
“For four months I have been living in Riyadh without an abaya,” said Otaibi, walking along Tahlia street, a restaurant-lined thoroughfare, in casual overalls.
“I just want to live the way I want, freely and without restrictions. No one should force me to wear something I don’t want.”
The abaya, which has existed for thousands of years but only became obligatory in recent decades, is also mandatory for non-Muslim women in the kingdom.
*Read More in Daily Mail