Saudi veil debate intensifies as more scholars voice concern

A debate revolving around a fatwa allowing Muslim women in Saudi Arabia to walk in public without the traditional niqab- a veil to cover the face area- is growing louder with more scholars arguing against it.

According to Gulf News, the storm was stirred by religious scholar Ahmad Al Gamdi, a former head of the Makkah branch of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice-the religious police-who said that women did not have to wear the niqab, an inevitable feature of Saudi society.

His decision evoked widespread criticism amongst many Saudi men, who accused him of disrespecting social values and instigating women in the process.

Criticism grew as the scholar appeared on a TV programme on a pan-Arab channel along with his wife who decided to ditch the niqab when appearing on the show.

While some activists argue that no Saudi women should face condemnation for not wearing a veil, they also insist that in order to avoid confusion, the niqab cannot be dismissed in a village or area where all women wear it.

Eisa Al Gaith, a member of the Shura Council, the national consultative institution, said there was no consensus over the issue of the niqab.

He added that those who expressed pride at the stature of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's wife who does not wear a niqab should not have engaged in insulting and criticising the wife of Al Gamdi, the report said.