A small number of women in Saudi Arabia are now seeking to openly wear more liberal clothing (Picture: Getty/AP)

A handful of rebel women in the Saudi Arabia have made the momentous decision to shun the obligatory abaya in a push for more social liberties.

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.

However, a number of brave women have made the momentous change, saying: ‘No-one should force me to wear something I don’t want.’

The women face attack by religious fundamentalists but there are signs that society is very slowly changing.


Saudi human resources professional Mashael al-Jaloud, 33, walks openly in western clothes (Picture: AFP)

Mashael al-Jaloud, 33, walks without the body-shrouding abaya (Picture: AFP)

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.



No formal edict followed but some people are now openly leaving their robes at home or swapping the black for a more colourful garment.

Mashael al-Jaloud has stopped wearing the robe altogether and was recently pictured openly walking through a central Riyadh mall in high heels, a burnt orange top and baggy trousers.

Other shopping centres have banned her though, saying they do not permit entry to ‘violators of public morals.’

In July, she posted a video on Twitter about the ban and a Saudi royal condemned her calling her a publicity seeker who needed to be punished for the ‘provocative act.’

Speaking about ditching her body-covering material, Mashael, 33, said: ‘There are no clear laws, no protection. I might be at risk, might be subjected to assault from religious fanatics because I am without an abaya.’

But she added the robe is not about religion because ‘if it was, Saudi women wouldn’t take them off when they go outside the kingdom.’

Mashael al-Jaloud still has to cover up inside her office but is wearing more liberal clothing in public (Picture: AFP)

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Mashael works as a HR specialist and is still forced to wear an abaya or headscarf to work or risk losing her job.

But her stance in private has seen others dare to join her, including Manahel al-Otaibi, a 25-year-old activist.

Manahel said: ‘For four months I have been living in Riyadh without an abaya.

‘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.’

Manahel al-Otaibi, a 25-year-old activist, ditched her abaya four months ago (Picture: AFP)

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has suggested that the dress code could be relaxed (Picture: AP)

The abaya has existed for thousands of years but only became obligatory in recent decades.

It is also mandatory for non-Muslim women in the kingdom.

The dress code was once fanatically enforced by the now-neutered religious police, and uncovered women still face random harassment in a conservative nation where attire is often associated with chastity.

But Prince Mohammed is seeking to shake off the country’s image by allowing cinemas, mixed-gender concerts and greater freedoms for women, including the right to drive.

Nicki Minaj was invited to the kingdom to do a concert despite being known for her clothing (Picture: PA)

Mashael al-Jaloud next to other Saudi women, who are obeying the custom of wearing an abaya (Picture: AFP)

As part of the liberalisation, the kingdom has invited a host of international musicians to perform, such as rapper Nicki Minaj, well known for her skin-baring music videos.



In a social media post recently, one unnamed woman fumed: ‘[Minaj] is going to shake her backside and all her songs are about sex… and then everyone tells me to wear the abaya.

‘What the hell!’

Minaj eventually cancelled her visit, citing the kingdom’s poor human rights record.