Saudi deploys female security officers at Makkah’s Grand mosque

Gulf Today Report

Saudi Arabia has stationed women police officers on duty for the first time in history at Makkah’s Grand mosque.  

The Saudi Ministry of Interior shared the photos of female security officers patrolling the compound of the mosque.

The moves come as part of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud’s Vision 2030 reform.  

An officer assists pilgrims at Grand Mosque.

The Ministry of Interior said on Twitter, "From the field, Hajj and Umrah security."

The images were widely shared on social media and several news sites, including CNN.

The presence of female officers for Grand Mosque's security impressed the social media users. The photos were retweeted and commented on by activists and analysts.

Two officers keep an eye on the pilgrims.

Turki Al Sheikh, head of the Saudi Entertainment Authority, commented on the photos with a tweet in which he said: "The homeland is in the field," while Prince Sattam Bin Khalid Bin Nasser Al Saud commented by posting the image of the Saudi flag and green hearts.

The Saudi academic, Turki Al-Hamad, commented on the photo, "A picture worth thousand words… an image is closer to a symbol that means a lot... It is the new Saudi Arabia that is coming strongly into the modern era."

A political analyst, Ali Shihabi said, “A Saudi female police officer in Makkah supervising pilgrims. Amazing change for Saudi society!.”

Another analyst and Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute, Soner Cagaptay, responded with a tweet in which he said: “Best PR image for KSA in years.”