German Minister Causes Anger After Refusing To Wear Hijab During Saudi Arabia Visit

Germany's Defence Minister has offended a lot of people during a visit to Saudi Arabia after refusing to wear a hijab.

Ursula von der Leyen made a point as she reportedly said that women should have the same right to choose their clothing as men.

She met Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and quickly voiced her annoyance that women were 'expected to cover up'. She instead went for a dark blue pant suit. Fair play.

Credit: Al Ekhbarlya

Apparently, all women (local and foreign) in Saudi Arabia are legally required to wear an abaya (a full-body covering) which Ursula chose to not to do. Muslim women must also wear a hijab. However, foreigners are not legally required to cover their heads.

People took to Twitter to vent their fury with comments such as: 'OK so why didn't they arrest her? The hypocrisy and double standards'.

Another wrote: 'The German Defence Minister: Not wearing the hijab in Saudi was deliberate. This is an insult to Saudi Arabia!'

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

Featured image credit: PA Images

Topics: Saudi Arabia

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay has been a Senior Journalist for Tyla and LADbible since 2015. She started her career writing obituaries and funeral guides online. Since then, her work has been published in a wide variety of national and local news sites. She is part of the BBC's Generation project and has spoken about young people, politics and mental health on television, radio and online. Contact her - [email protected]

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