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Saudi women should have choice whether to wear abaya: Crown Prince

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - With the ascent to power of young Prince Mohammad, the Kingdom has seen an expansion in women's rights.

Women in Saudi Arabia need not wear head cover or the abaya, as long as their attire is "decent and respectful", the Kingdom's reform-minded crown prince said.
With the ascent to power of young Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Kingdom has seen an expansion in women's rights including a decision to allow women to attend mixed public sporting events and the right to drive cars from this summer.

"The laws are very clear and stipulated that women wear decent, respectful clothing, like men," Prince Mohammed said in an interview with CBS television aired late on Sunday.
"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."
A senior cleric said last month that women should dress modestly, but this did not necessitate wearing the abaya.
Saudi women have started wearing more colourful abayas in recent years, the light blues and pinks in stark contrast with the traditional black. Open abayas over long skirts or jeans are also becoming more common in some parts of the country.
On March 8, a group of women in the Saudi city of Jeddah marked International Women's Day by exercising one of their newly acquired freedoms: the right to go for a jog.