Cii Radio| Ayesha Ismail| 10 August 2017| 17 Zhul Qadha 1438
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has proposed plans for a new luxury Red Sea resort in which special laws will allow women to wear bikinis as opposed to the usual strict dress requirements imposed by the kingdom.
Social media users were quick to criticise the decision, claiming that Saudi Arabia should be more interested in providing women with rights, than with what swimwear is allowed.
Some users considered the move an insult to women, who have yet to be afforded basic rights in the country including freedom of movement and the right to drive.
The luxury resort, which will be situated on the county’s northwest coast, is part of an attempt to modernise the kingdom’s economy. The plans are part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 which aims to wean the Kingdom off its reliance on oil revenue.
The government said that the resort will be “governed by laws on par with international standards”.
A government statement said the resort “will be an extremely safe and secure environment that will ensure the protection of all visitors in accordance with the highest international best practice”.
Other users referred to comments made by the UAE ambassador to the US, Yousef al-Otaiba, who had suggested that Saudi supported secularism in the Middle East.
“If you ask UAE, Saudi, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain what kind of Middle East they want to see 10 years from now it will be fundamentally opposed to what Qatar wants to see,” Otaiba said.
“What we would like to see is more secular, stable, prosperous, empowered, strong governments.”
Despite its many pristine beaches and archaeological sites, Saudi is not a holiday destination. Its rules on alcohol and other conservative laws hardly attract Western holiday makers.
Source – MEE
