For most of us, it’s a sight we’d hardly
think twice about: a female anchor
reporting the news and sporting a lovely
hairdo.
To see it on Saudi Arabian state media
channel, however, is enough to cause a
big time uproar.
A yet-to-be identified female
journalist has found herself at the center
of a bitter cultural controversy for not
dressing like “modest” Muslim women
and covering her head during a
newscast.
While adherence to the tradition in the
Saudi Kingdom varies, women typically
wear the full veil known as the niqab in
the country’s capital of Riyadh.
Elsewhere in more liberal parts of the
country, women are expected to wear
the less concealing hijab.
Niqab vs. Hijab (Photos: AP)
The broadcast for Al Ekhbariya was
actually relayed from its London office,
making it something of a grey area for
a network that put the first female news
anchor on the pedestal in its inaugural
broadcast.
And though there are signs of progress
being made for Saudi women, that
hasn’t stopped a hostile backlash on
social media from flaring up. Like a
similar incident in Iran, threats of
lashing, hanging, and even beheading are
reportedly not uncommon.
Let’s just hope for her sake none of
that comes to fruition.
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