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Saudis OK Women In Hotels Alone

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 22, 2008

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Women in Saudi Arabia can now stay in a hotel or a furnished apartment without a male guardian, according to a government decision that comes as the country faces increasing criticism for its severe restrictions on women.

The daily Al-Watan, which is deemed close to the Saudi government, reported Monday that the ministry issued a circular to hotels asking them to accept lone women - as long as their information is sent to a local police station.

The decision was adopted after a study by the Interior Ministry, the Supreme Commission of Tourism and the religious police authority known as the Commission for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

Saudi women, under strict Islamic law, suffer restrictions on daily life: They are not allowed to be anywhere with an unrelated man, and cannot drive, appear before a judge without a male representative or travel abroad without a male guardian's permission.

Saudi Arabia has come under intense international criticism, including from its ally, the United States, over its treatment of women in the kingdom's legal system.

The Associated Press

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