Face veils not required: 3 changes in Saudi Arabia that are huge for women

Saudi Arabia has long been infamous as the most oppressive country in the Middle East, but the country’s extreme conservative ideology is shifting. That’s great news for women who want to go outside without a head covering, drive a car and do other things that are normal just about everywhere else.

• While women (along with men) must still wear “decent, respectful” apparel to obey Islamic law, women are no longer required to wear headcover or the black abaya, full-length and loose robes that completely shroud the body.
• Women can finally learn to drive after a law banning them that right was lifted last year. The site for Saudi Arabia’s first women’s driving school reportedly garnered more than 165,000 applications in just three days.
• Women can open their own businesses without the approval of a male guardian.

TV producer and self-described liberal Muslim Riaz Patel joined Doc and Kris on today’s show to give his viewpoint on the positive changes taking place in Saudi Arabia and share what he found there during a recent visit.

In just a six-month period, women in full face veils went from being the norm to being the exception. What else can change quickly as Saudi Arabia tries to expand freedom for its citizens and become a player on the world stage?

To see more from Doc, visit his channel on TheBlaze and listen live to “The Morning Blaze with Doc Thompson” weekdays 6–9 a.m. ET, only on TheBlaze Radio Network.