Click away! Saudi Arabia allows public photography

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has lifted a ban on
photography in public areas, part of a drive by the
conservative kingdom’s tourism organization to attract more
visitors to the birthplace of Islam.

A royal decree allowing photography in many public places
was issued about a year ago, and the interior ministry enacted
it earlier this week.

“People can now take pictures of tourist sites,
architectural landmarks, shopping malls as well as government
buildings where there is no sign banning photography,” a
ministry official told Reuters on Thursday.

Permission is still needed to photograph private property
or individuals. “Royal palaces, for instance, are private
property so taking a picture of them requires authorisation,”
he added.

“This decree … will help promote the Kingdom’s image and
its tourist and development venues through photography,” the
state tourism body said.

Some changes have come too fast for religious
conservatives. King Abdullah, under pressure from Islamists,
told local media in May not to publish pictures of Saudi women.

Newspapers, breaking with tradition, have begun printing
photographs of Saudi women, usually with hair covered but faces
showing, which many strict Islamists consider immoral.