Saudi Arabia to Open Justice Ministry Jobs to Women, Legalizes Yoga

Indian Muslim students practice yoga ahead of International Yoga Day celebrations, at a sc
AP Photo/Ajit Solanki

Less than two months after Saudi Arabia announced it would lift a decades-old ban on female drivers, the kingdom has legalized yoga, held its first women’s basketball tournament, and announced that it will allow Saudi women to work for the Ministry of Justice.

“The Ministry of Justice is keen to open the door to employment for Saudi women because they have an important role in facilitating the provision of services in the judicial and documentation fields,” Waleed Bin Mohammad Al Samaan, Saudi Arabia’s justice minister, said according to Gulf News. “Saudi women have achieved numerous successes in various fields.”

The ministry reportedly said it will post applications for the positions on its website. Saudi women who hold postgraduate degrees in sharia law, sociology, and administration would be considered for positions as social researchers, religious researchers, and legal researchers and administrative assistants in Riyadh, Mecca, Madina, Jeddah, and Dammam.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia officially approved yoga as a sport under its Ministry of Trade and Industry. According to India Today, “In 2015, shortly after the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Yoga Day, the Indian diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia had organized maiden Yoga sessions in various Indian schools in the Islamic kingdom.”

According to the India Today report, “shortly after the United Nations declared June 21 as the International Yoga Day in 2015, the Indian diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia organized maiden Yoga sessions in various Indian schools in the country.”

Last Saturday, the Saudi Kingdom held its first women’s basketball tournament at Al Jawhara Stadium, which saw over 3,000 women in attendance.

According to Al Arabiya, it was organized by the Jeddah Women’s Championship, the Ministry of Health and the General Authority for Sport, and a team from Jeddah’s University of Science and Technology won the competition.

The event was reportedly meant to raise awareness among women about the importance of sport and healthy living.

Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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