Saudi Arabia Now Allows Unaccompanied Women In Hotels

Saudi Arabia has moved away from strict Islamic law and has begun permitting women to stay at the country's hotels, unaccompanied by a male relative or guardian. Both BBC News and the AP reported yesterday on the royal decree that permits the Ministry of Trade to promulgate new regulations that merely require unaccompanied women to present photo ID to a hotel manager. This information then must be sent to local police. The decision was adopted after a study conducted by the Interior Ministry, the Supreme Commission of Tourism and the Commission for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.