A Change: For the first time in history, Saudi Arabian regulatory authorities have deployed female security officers within the Haram of Makkah’s Grand Mosque. Pictures of these officers were shared by the Saudi Ministry of Interior on its Twitter page, with the caption,” From the field, Hajj and Umrah security.” Since then, these pictures have been circulating on the internet.
#من_الميدان ، "أمن الحج والعمرة”@security_gov pic.twitter.com/5j93CKcmzl
— وزارة الداخلية (@MOISaudiArabia) April 19, 2021
The big picture: This move comes as part of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud’s (MBS) Vision 2030 reform, which has set out to ‘modernise’ the country. Women were only allowed to join the country’s internal security forces in 2018 when MBS initiated his plan to advance women’s rights. However, the shift was not entirely empowering since these officers are still required to provide proof that their male guardian works in the same region where their job is located. Regardless, the development has been met with positivity and praise from all over.
A Saudi female police officer in Mecca supervising pilgrims. via @ryma080 Amazing change for Saudi society! pic.twitter.com/ROHJF7lOr6
— Ali Shihabi علي الشهابي (@aliShihabi) April 19, 2021
Seeing this female #Saudi police officer in #Mecca has made my day. pic.twitter.com/FXF0B3yoxP
— Brandie Janow (@iambrandieleigh) April 19, 2021