Saudi women launch protest against abaya by wearing garment inside out
The protest is a 'silent objection to being pressured to wear' the item of clothing
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Women in Saudi Arabia have launched a protest against the abaya, a full-length robe worn by some women in parts of the Muslim world, by wearing the garment inside out.
A traditional abaya is black and covers the entire body, leaving the head, feet and hands visible.
Earlier this year, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman stated that women in the country need not feel obliged to wear the abaya, as long as they dress in a “decent and respectful” manner.
“The laws are very clear and stipulated in the laws of sharia [Islamic law]: that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men,” Mr Salman said in an interview with CBS.
“This, however, does not particularly specify a black abaya or a black head cover. The decision is entirely left for women to decide what type of decent and respectful attire she chooses to wear.”
However, many women in the country have stated that they still feel required to wear the garment, which is why the “inside-out abaya” movement came about.
“Because #Saudi feminists are endlessly creative, they come up with [a] new form of protest and given it [the] hashtag ‘inside-out abaya’,” activist Nora Abdulkarim tweeted.
“They are posting pictures of [them]selves wearing their abayas inside-out in public as a silent objection to being pressured to wear it.”
Amani Al-Ahmadi, a Saudi activist based in Seattle who works with the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, believes this protest could help to enact significant change for women in the country.
“To see another woman in flipped abayas - it builds solidarity between women and shows that they are not alone,” she tells the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“It is keeping the conversation going and could lead to change.
“It is another form of dehumanisation for women. It forces women to cover up their bodies in order to fit into society and the role of being inferior to men.”
Earlier this year, the longstanding ban on women being allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia was abolished.
Despite the jubilance with which many Saudi women responded to the announcement, some may still not be able to drive unless they're granted permission to do so by their male relatives.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments