BBC: Saudi women should not have to wear abaya robes, top cleric says
Saudi women should not have to wear the abaya, a long loose-fitting robe used to cover their bodies in public, a top religious cleric has said.
Sheikh Abdullah al-Mutlaq, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said women should dress modestly, but this did not have to mean wearing the abaya.
Saudi women are currently required to wear the garment by law.
The cleric's intervention comes amid moves to modernise Saudi society and relax restriction on women.
"More than 90% of pious Muslim women in the Muslim world do not wear abayas. So we should not force people to wear abayas," Sheikh Mutlaq said on Friday.
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More News On A Senior Muslim Cleric Saying Long Robes Are Not Required For Saudi Women
Saudi cleric says women need not wear abaya robe in public -- The Guardian
Muslim Cleric Says Women Don't Have To Wear Long Robe-like Dresses -- Newsweek
Saudi scholar: Women need not wear abaya robes -- Al Jazeera
Top Muslim cleric says long robes not required for Saudi women -- The Hill
Long robes not necessary attire for Saudi women – senior cleric -- Middle East Monitor
Saudi's next reform: Scrapping womens' abayas? -- American Thinker
