For The First Time, Saudi Arabia Involves Female Soldiers To Secure Mecca During The Hajj Season

Illustration of the Grand Mosque, Mecca during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Twitter/@Haramain Sharifain)

JAKARTA - Inspired by her late father's career, Mona decided to join the military and the first group of female Saudi soldiers working in Islam's holiest sites, where they helped secure this year's Hajj series.

Dressed in a khaki military uniform, with a hip-length jacket, baggy pants and a black beret over a veil that covered her hair, Mona spent her shifts guarding the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

"I am following in the footsteps of my late father to complete his journey, standing here at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the holiest place. Serving the congregation is a very noble and honorable duty," said Mona, who declined to give her surname.

Since last April, dozens of female soldiers have been part of the security services monitoring pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah, the birthplace of Islam. This is part of the social reforms echoed by Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has pushed for social and economic reforms, as part of a plan to modernize the conservative Muslim kingdom and attract foreign investment under a diversification push.

Under his reform plan, known as Vision 2030, the crown prince lifted a ban on women driving, allowed adult women to travel without a guardian's permission and gave them more control over family matters.

But the reform plan was accompanied by a crackdown on dissent, including against women's rights activists.

Saudi Arabia has restricted hajj to its own citizens and residents for the second year in a row, banned millions of other pilgrims from abroad in response to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant.

Meanwhile, Mona's colleague Samar, another soldier who oversees worshipers near the Kaaba, the center for Muslims performing the Hajj series, said he was encouraged by his family to join the military, after studying psychology.

"This is a great achievement for us and it is our greatest pride to be able to serve our religion, country and guests of the Most Merciful God," he said.