Muslim Leaders Demand Female Politician Wear Hijab — She Takes Her Defiance One Step Further

A German minister garnered praise and sparked controversy when she refused to wear a hijab during a trip to Saudi Arabia. 

German Defense minister Ursula von der Leyen was visiting the Saudi capital to meet with deputy crown prince Salman bin Abdelaziz Al-Saud, and criticized the fact that women were not allowed to be in public without wearing a hijab. She appeared in a suit and didn’t cover up, prompting many social media users to call for her arrest.

“Ok so why didn’t they arrest her? The hypocrisy and double standards,” one user wrote. 

“The German Defense Minister: Not wearing the hijab in Saudi was deliberate. This is an insult to Saudi Arabia!” another added.

The minister responded to the criticism, saying that women in her delegation were not required to wear full-length garb known as the abaya.

“The right to choose your own clothing is a right shared by men and women alike. It annoys me, when women are to pushed into wearing the abaya,” she said. 

The controversy came after German chancellor Angela Merkel called for burkas to be banned “wherever that is legally possible.”

“I  think if these Muslim countries want to interact on the world stage then they have to stop shoving their religious dogma down everyone else’s collective throats. You people and your religion do not rule the world, you just think you do,” one Newsiosity reader commented on the site’s Facebook page in response to the story.

“Good for her. The time has come to stand up for our rights and laws . The world should not have to live by any other countries standards,” another added. 

Sources: Daily Mail, Newsiosity/Facebook / Photo credit: Newsiosity