Saudi Arabia appoints 3 women as assistants at two holy mosques

Riyadh: In order to empower women, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia government has appointed three women as assistants in the presidency of the two holy mosques— Makkah and Madinah, local media reported.

Chief of the General Presidency for Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, Abdul Rahman Al Sudais, has decreed the appointment of eleven assistants, including three women.

According to the Arabic daily Ajel, three female appointees are

• Fatma bin Zeid as an advisor and assistant president for women’s affairs at the Grand Mosque in Makkah

• Fatma bint Abdulaziz as an advisor and assistant president for women’s affairs at the Prophet’s Mosque

• Al Anud bint Khalid as an advisor and assistant president for women’s development affairs at the Grand Mosque.

Other appointed are:

• Dr Saad bin Muhammad Al-Muhaimid as assistant to the General President for the affairs of the Grand Mosque and deputy for the affairs of the Grand Mosque

• Dr Muhammad bin Ahmed Al-Khudairi as assistant to the General President for the affairs of the Prophet’s Mosque

• Dr Abdul Wahab bin Abdullah Al-Rasini as assistant to the General President for Governance and Development Affairs

• Dr Ahmed bin Ali Al-Hudhaifi, Assistant to the General President for Imams, Muezzins, Guidance and Guidance Affairs at the Prophet’s Mosque

• Abdul Hamid bin Saeed Al-Maliki, assistant to the General President of the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Cloth of the Kaaba and Enrichment Affairs

• Muhammad bin Musleh Al-Jabri, assistant to the General President for Service, Technical and Field Affairs at the Grand Mosque

• Dr Nabil bin Muhammad Al-Luhaidan, assistant to the General President of Governance and Development Affairs at the Prophet’s Mosque

Al Sudais’s decisions are in line with the requirements of the phase and repositioning witnessed by the General Presidency within the framework of its new structure for the year 1444 AH.

For decades, Saudi Arabia had one of the lowest rates of female labour force participation in the world. The Middle-East region has always lagged behind the rest of the world when it comes to women and the job market.

The country in recent years adopted several reforms to empower women, including ensuring that women can drive cars, enter playgroups and stadiums, and pursue occupations that were previously accessible only to men.

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman plans to change economic and social rules as part of his vision 2030 plan to diversify the country’s economy.