Saudi Arabia's Islamic Affairs Ministry appoints first woman undersecretary

Laila bint Hamad Al Qassem's has continued to break new ground since becoming first woman to lead ministry's governance department

Since 2019, Saudi Arabia has made sweeping reforms to empower women. EPA

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Islamic Affairs has appointed a woman as undersecretary for the first time, calling the move "a qualitative leap to empower women to work in the ministry’s sectors".

Laila bint Hamad Al Qassem will serve as Undersecretary for Planning and Digital Transformation and will remain in the role for one year, the ministry said in a tweet on Sunday.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs oversees all religious matters pertaining to the development of mosques, the printing and memorisation of the Quran and providing assistance to Muslims abroad.

It is not the first time Ms Al Qassem has made history with her work for the ministry. Last year, she became the first woman to lead the ministry's governance department.

At the time, Ms Al Qassem said in a televised interview that her appointment marked "Minister Abdullatif Al Sheikh's belief in women's empowerment and abilities as an effective partner in development".

"Under Saudi leadership, women were given all their rights and their appropriate place within society – and this is reflected in the empowerment of women in the workplace and the government sector," she said.

Ms Al Qassem also revealed that the ministry was working on adding more women to its workforce.

Since 2019, Saudi Arabia has brought in sweeping reforms to empower women in marriage, society and professional life.

The World Bank gave the kingdom a score of 80 per cent in its Women, Business and the Law indicator of 2021, which delves into different aspects of the working woman's quality of life.

Saudi Arabia outranked most of its neighbours in the Middle East and North Africa, with the average score for the region being 51 per cent.