After a being here for a month, going off the DQ several times to the grocery store, malls, and restaurants I was beginning to think the mutaween (religious police) didn’t actually exist. I've seen a number of Muslim women out without their face covered and even a couple more, whom I assumed were Muslim, who didn't cover their hair. I thought to myself, “Wow, Riyadh really IS progressing!”
The mutaween came to be in the 1980s when King Fahd issued a royal decree formally creating the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. They’re also known as the hai’a. They're charged with ensuring that Saudis and foreign residents respect traditional Islamic morality, as defined by the Saudi government.
Speaking strictly to the dress code that’s enforced, there are various loose rules. It’s up to the woman’s family (father, brother, husband) to determine the level at which she is covered. Saudi women MUST be covered head to toe. This includes wearing a hijab (scarf that covers the hair) and niqab (veil with eye slits) or burqa (completely covers hair and face). Some families are more progressive though and the woman might be allowed to leave her face exposed. For foreigners and/or diplomats we’re ONLY required to wear an abaya, which covers the body shoulders down. We do not have to cover our hair. Interestingly, I was told by an Embassy person that it’s better for Westerners to not cover our hair because we’re more easy to identify. Not sure that I see the logic in that, but since it’s summer I’m fine not covering my head.
We went out with friends for dinner Friday night and took C&R with us (pictured above). As we were waiting on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant for our driver to pick us up, a white SUV with lights flashing slow rolls past us. I notice a mutatwa looking angrily at me, pointing and motioning for me to cover my hair. Hmmm. That hasn't happened before. J and the guys gruffed, telling me not to worry about it. J also said in the times he's previously been in Riyadh he never saw the mutaween.
The following afternoon J and I went to Deira Souk to check out the gold, rug and abaya souks. J suggested that I take my hijab with me because the souk is right next to mutaween HQ. Within minutes of being in the abaya souk, while J is haggling over the price of an abaya for me, a mutawa pops his head into the store and sternly asks, “Please, cover your hair.” I immediately oblige him. They technically have no authority to make arrests any longer, but I’ve read some terrible stories and seen videos of people being harassed. I suppose I could have flashed my Diplomatic passport so that he knew who were were, but he said please, which I thought was polite, and I just don’t want to have a potential bad run in with these guys.
That evening we’re having dinner at a neighbors’ house, hanging out with other Embassy people. So I say, “Did J tell you guys about my back-to-back mutaween run-ins this weekend?!” I thought it was kind of funny, and just my luck being "picked on". I was surprised by the resounding incredulous response from nearly everyone. No one has seen or heard of mutaween on the streets, let alone patrolling in vehicles in quite some time. Some even said they haven’t seen them out in the last year. There was a change in practice, over a year ago, giving the mataween much less authority and instructing them to be “kinder and gentler”. And with that I guess they kind of disappeared.
I was telling our nanny the story and she said she’s never had an incident with a mutawa in the three years she’s lived here. For us to have had these interactions seems like a big deal and that there may be something is going on behind the scenes. What exactly? One can only speculate. One person thought that it might be King Salman’s way of placating the conservatives, in light of his recent decree placing his less conservative son, MBS, as the Crown Prince. Another person though they may be other changes coming within the royal family.
Whatever the reasoning might be (will be sure to update you on any political updates) it’s definitely not going to change where we go or what we do. I knew this would likely be an issue off the DQ. At one point I was even thinking of wearing my hijab and niqab so no one would give me a hard time. This is the reality of where we live. I don't like this aspect of Riyadh, but I respect it. I just need to make sure I always bring my hijab with me on the chance we have another run in, which is a very good possibility!