Saudi Arabia: King requests an end to pictures of women in newspapers

Posted by Dominique Lewis Tuohy on May 17, 2006 at 10:52 AM

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has asked newspaper editors to cease publishing pictures of women because such photos could 'lead men astray'. He said: "The youth are driven by emotion ... and sometimes they can be lead astray," and then asked the editors to "please cut down on" printing images of women. The king appealed to editors' feelings about the representation of women close to them, asking how they would feel about their wife, daughter or sister 'appearing in this way.'

Abdullah has also ordered editors not to write anything that could be harmful to the country and has advised them to ignore the foreign press, in particular when articles "against Islam or against Arabs" are published. The press in Saudi Arabia is as a rule state run or state owned.

In recent months Saudi newspapers have been publishing photos of women attached to articles broaching womens' issues. Additionally, articles have been written about issues considered controversial in Saudi Arabia, such as the possibility of women having the right to drive and to vote.

The King's request is thus seen as a general censure of the press in reference to the liberties it has been taking in covering womens' issues. It is also a slight departure from his otherwise accepted stance until now as a 'quiet reformer'.

Source: ABC News (through the European Journalism Centre)

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