French restaurant in Saudi Arabia bans hijab, causing outrage – Middle East Monitor

A French restaurant in Saudi Arabia’s coastal metropolis of Jeddah banned the entry of ladies carrying the hijab or Islamic veil, inciting outrage amongst prospects and residents within the Kingdom.

Bagatelle Jeddah, a department of the well-known French restaurant chain, was reported final week and early this week to have prevented the entry of ladies who put on the hijab and the abaya, the loose-fitting gown worn by girls within the Kingdom. Males who put on the normal thobe – or lengthy gown – have been additionally reportedly banned from the restaurant.

Following the information from small information shops and prospects’ private experiences, the restaurant acquired 1000’s of detrimental and one-star opinions on Google and Fb from Saudis. One touch upon its Fb web page from a social media person named Ameera Al Qahtani, for instance, mentioned it “doesn’t deserve any star. As a result of it refuses to permit girls [wearing] the hijab, and refuses the Saudi costume for males. They must be kicked out of Jeddah. They do not respect our faith, and this makes me very indignant.”

READ: Bahrain: Indian restaurant shut down over banning entry to girl carrying hijab

Even previous to its apparently latest adoption of that remedy in opposition to the hijab, the restaurant had been closely criticised by many because of its “tasteless” and bland meals. Its insurance policies in opposition to Islamic and Saudi customs, nonetheless, appeared to be the final nail in its coffin, as a Google search exhibits that it has completely closed.

The obvious closure of Bagatelle Jeddah appears largely to be the results of the strain marketing campaign by Saudi residents in opposition to it, however may additionally be because of an order from the Saudi authorities. Though there was no instant and public response to the outrage from authorities, some regional information shops reported that the Public Prosecutor in Jeddah made the choice to shut down the restaurant.

The incident comes amid the Kingdom’s elevated efforts in recent times to draw international vacationers, particularly from the West, to websites inside the nation. A kind of points of interest is the Jeddah shoreline, of which this controversial restaurant – overlooking the Purple Sea – was a significant a part of, and which possible influenced its insurance policies.

It’s the latest instance of issues relating to the societal tensions ensuing from the conflict between Saudi society’s conservative values and the brand new period of liberalisation inspired by the Saudi authorities to cater to vacationers.

READ: Saudi denies NEOM will probably be ‘nation inside a rustic’