Dubai: A Saudi journalist has become the first female reporter to appear on an official Saudi TV while wearing her niqab.
Latifa Al Awaid appeared on the Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya TV yesterday, as she was reporting news from Al Ahsa city wearing her niqab.
Videos and photos of the reporter have gone viral on social media, with so many users lauding her brave decision.
In previous reports, Al Awaid used to report with voiceover without appearing before cameras or showing her face, since she joined the TV last January.
However, the director of the TV channel in the eastern region, Khaled Al Janahi, said on Twitter, that the channel’s general manager, Faris Hizam, agreed to allow the reporter to appear before cameras while wearing her niqab.
The move follows Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 initiative, introducing reforms that allow Saudi women to advance in various fields
In 2019, Saudi Arabia introduced significant women’s rights reforms, including lifting travel restrictions and allowing Saudi women to drive, register their children’s birth, while also providing new protections against employment discrimination and sexual harassment.
Saudi women can also join the military as soldiers, lance corporals, corporals, sergeants, and staff sergeants.
