A prominent human rights organization has urged restaurant owners to remove signs barring women entry without legal guardians or mahrams.
“Such signs are illegal and only express personal viewpoints,” said Khaled Al-Fakheri, secretary-general and spokesman at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR).
The statement comes in the wake of several photos circulating online showing such placards on restaurant doors across the Kingdom.
The manager of one restaurant defended the move, saying that only one of his branches has the sign up.
“The only motive for putting up such an announcement is to protect women from harassment,” he said.
“We only want to avoid trouble, but will remove the announcement if trouble disappears.”
Several Saudis have blasted the new trend, saying it is a violation of women’s rights and a clear form of gender discrimination. “This is illegal and irrational,” one blogger said.
“Such announcements were widespread at restaurants in the old days, but soon disappeared.”
He added: “The reemergence of such trends is a step back for our nation and will only make society members resent complicated and unnecessary norms.”
Food for thought: Shouldn’t restaurants let women sans mahrams in?
Food for thought: Shouldn’t restaurants let women sans mahrams in?
Prince Faisal leads Saudi WEF delegation in Davos, highlights need for global cooperation
- Private sector, govt must work together to ensure long-term prosperity, Kingdom’s FM says
- 56th World Economic Forum annual meeting expected to draw 3,000 participants from almost 130 countries
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s participation at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos next week reflects its commitment to strengthening international cooperation to address global economic challenges, while supporting regional stability and sustainable development, the Kingdom’s foreign minister said on Saturday.
In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Saudi Arabia believes close cooperation between governments and the private sector is essential to achieving sustainable development and long-term prosperity.
He added that the Kingdom will continue expanding cooperation with international partners at WEF and beyond to better confront economic and environmental challenges.
Prince Faisal said the Davos forum provided an important platform to enhance collaboration in areas such as institutional and human capacity-building, innovation, technology and scientific research, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
He highlighted the Kingdom’s focus on developing new business models to boost competitiveness and create investment opportunities.
Led by Prince Faisal, a high-level Saudi delegation will attend the forum, which runs from Jan. 19-23 under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue.”
The delegation includes senior ministers responsible for finance, investment, economy and planning, commerce, tourism, industry and mineral resources, and communications and information technology, as well as Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the US, Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud.
Saudi officials will participate in bilateral meetings and public sessions to share the Kingdom’s experience under Vision 2030 and engage with leaders from government, business, and civil society on global stability and prosperity, SPA added.
Saudi House will also return to Davos in 2026 after its debut last year, hosting more than 20 sessions focused on themes including investment, human capability, quality of life, and global collaboration.
The 56th WEF annual meeting is expected to draw around 3,000 participants from nearly 130 countries, including about 60 heads of state and government.
