Lucknow: The decision to allow women to travel to Haj without a mandatory male companion—called a 'mahram'—was taken by the Saudi government, an RTI activist has said, countering Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claim on the policy change.
In a press statement on Tuesday, RTI activist Saleem Baig said although Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mention of it in his monthly radio talk ‘Maan Ki Baat’ gave the impression of it being a decision by the Indian government, it was in fact Saudi Arabia that changed its rules.
“The actual credit goes to Saudi Arabia for relaxing the 'mahram' requirement for a woman going for Haj. One needs to understand that these rules have been made by Saudi Arabia and not the Indian government”, he pointed out, after Modi called it a step toward “empowering” woman.
Modi had claimed on Sunday that his government had removed the restriction, after which hundreds of women have applied to travel alone for the pilgrimage.
02/01/17 Tribune
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In a press statement on Tuesday, RTI activist Saleem Baig said although Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mention of it in his monthly radio talk ‘Maan Ki Baat’ gave the impression of it being a decision by the Indian government, it was in fact Saudi Arabia that changed its rules.
“The actual credit goes to Saudi Arabia for relaxing the 'mahram' requirement for a woman going for Haj. One needs to understand that these rules have been made by Saudi Arabia and not the Indian government”, he pointed out, after Modi called it a step toward “empowering” woman.
Modi had claimed on Sunday that his government had removed the restriction, after which hundreds of women have applied to travel alone for the pilgrimage.
02/01/17 Tribune
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