In a rapidly changing Saudi Arabia, the authorities have allowed women to register for Hajj without a male guardian (mahram).
In the registration guidelines issued for domestic pilgrims ahead of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said on Monday that women did not need to have a male guardian to register, and could do so along with other women, reported Al Arabiya News.
“Those wishing to perform Hajj will have to register individually. Women can register without a mahram (male guardian) along with other women,” the ministry said in a tweet.
The announcement comes days after Saudi Arabia allowed women to live on their own without the consent of their father or male guardian after a new legal amendment.
The steps erode the longstanding guardianship system that renders adult women as legal minors and allows their “guardians” — husband, father and other male relatives — to exercise arbitrary authority over them.
Saudi women can now live on their own without male guardian approval
