Saudi Arabia will allow women into sports stadiums
for the first time from next year, authorities said Sunday, in a
landmark move opening up three previously male-only venues to families.
Saudi, which has some of the world’s tightest restrictions
on women, has long barred women from sports arenas by strict rules on
segregation of the sexes in public.
The announcement is in line with powerful Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious reforms shaking up the kingdom,
including the historic decision to allow women to drive from next June.
“Starting the preparation of three stadiums in Riyadh,
Jeddah and Dammam to be ready to accommodate families from early 2018,”
the General Sports Authority said on Twitter.
Under the country’s guardianship system, a male family
member must grant permission for a woman’s study, travel and other
activities.
But the kingdom appears to be relaxing some norms as part
of its sweeping “Vision 2030” plan for economic and social reforms as it
prepares for a post-oil era.
The kingdom is now also expected to lift a public ban on
cinemas and has encouraged mixed-gender celebrations – something unseen
before.
“First women driving, now stadiums. What’s next? Night
clubs?” said one Saudi Twitter user, echoing a deluge of social media
comments expressing surprise over the accelerating pace of reforms.
In a rare public appearance last week Prince Mohammed
pledged a “moderate” Saudi Arabia, long seen as an exporter of a brand
of puritanical Islam espoused by jihadists worldwide.
MBS, as he is well known, promised his kingdom will return
to “what we were before – a country of moderate Islam that is tolerant
of all religions and to the world”.
His comment, while unveiling plans for a $500-billion
development zone, chimes with his public image of a bold liberal
reformer in a conservative country where more than half the population
is under 25.
But his vision for a new Saudi Arabia is fraught with risks and could trigger a backlash from conservatives, analysts warn.
“Despite the bold statements, it is important to remember
that the dominance of conservative thought since the late 1970’s cannot
be quickly reversed,” said analysis firm Eurasia Group.
“Ultraconservative and radical elements continue to pose risks.”
The government appears to have clipped the wings of the
once-feared religious police – long accused of harassing the public with
rigid Islamic mores – who have all but disappeared from big cities.
(GlobalTimes)
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