Saudi Gazette reports on the fatwa issued by senior Saudi cleric Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al-Obaikan which authorizes women to travel without male escorts. His only qualification is that the woman ‘feel secure’, a condition judged by the woman, not a male relative.
Needless to say, this fatwa has sparked a furor in the country, with traditionalists strongly objecting. Some seek a middle path, looking to the Shoura Council to pass a law that would specifically permit women 35-years-old or more to travel on their own. Interesting piece, and an interesting start to the new year.
Issue of women traveling without mahram sparks debate
Diana Al-JassemJEDDAH – Leading Saudi cleric Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Bin Nasser Al-Obaikan’s views on allowing women to travel freely without having a mahram (a male relative with whom marriage is forbidden) has sparked a debate in the Saudi society.
Al-Obaikan, a member of the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars and Advisor to the Ministry of Justice, in a statement to Al-Hayat Arabic daily on Dec. 22 said he has found in his recent research on women’s travel without mahram that it is “permissible” in Islam for a woman to travel alone without being accompanied by a mahram only when she feels secure.
Al-Obaikan first published his views in his website saying a thorough research on the subject has made him satisfied that a woman can travel without a mahram or without the consent of her male guardian if she feels that she is secure.
Several Shoura (Consultative) Council members and businesswomen have felt encouraged to act on the fatwa issued by Sheikh Al-Obaikan. Shoura members have favored an open discussion on the issue in the Council.
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January:02:2009 - 12:33
It is always commendable when a cleric takes a positive step.
Grown women are not children, and it is absurd that I must ever accompany my mother or older sisters so as to allow them to travel.
I hope that the government works to support positive developments such as this.
January:02:2009 - 22:12
Al-Obaikan has been out front on women’s issues. He’s said that women may be permitted to drive and other good stuff.
January:02:2009 - 22:45
I spent three months in Riyadh in 1990. While I was there, the famous (infamous?) protest by women driving cars took place. I had a chance to talk to a number of my Saudi friends about it, and their attitudes reinforced my impression that they were many years away from granting women basic human rights. I guess this is a step forward, but as far as women’s rights are concerned, it’s a journey of a thousand miles.
January:03:2009 - 06:34
I agree that Al-Obaikan seems to embody a positive view toward change from within while still retaining his Islamic and Saudi identity. I hope more “clerics” follow his example of moderation in orthodoxy.
January:03:2009 - 07:22
“only when she feels secure”… can’t imagine any woman feeling secure with the muttawa patrolling the streets.
January:03:2009 - 08:45
Thats it, I am buying a cherry red beetle for my sister when she starts college.. she still got about 6 years to go!
January:03:2009 - 10:53
DW: Perhaps you should ask your sister what kind of car she would like to drive
January:03:2009 - 11:00
Wilbur: Surprisingly, some Saudi women do feel safer, just as many Saudi women LIKE the segregation of single men because young Arab men can be lecherous, rude, overtly forward and judgmental (eg ‘if she uncovers her hair she’s a harlot so she won’t mind my advances’), especially in groups. I know that sounds racist, but it’s true — esp. in Saudi where men aren’t given a chance to learn proper and appropriate behavior among women that are not related to them. (The lesson is basically this: Don’t hang out with unrelated women, when you find the woman you want, approach her dad and be on your best behavior with him.) I can’t recall how many times I’ve been told by Saudi women that in their society the men need checks. I would argue that they should use regular cops and regular harassment laws, but, unfortunately, as much as I feel sorry for the average Saudi cop (who doesn’t get much respect or pay), Saudi society just might need supposedly religiously pious men to patrol the behavior of other men in society.
This is in no way a apologist stance for the Hayaa, but it does recognize its proper function in theory. (Most Saudis cite their successful busts of alcohol and drug operations as a plus as well.) It’s complicated.
January:03:2009 - 12:43
Reading this article got me pumped. Why? Because men are germs! Are they germs? You’ll get cutties, you’ll get cutties if you sit next to a BOYYYYYEEE! I remember that from second grade. That is how I feel.
Now, I am not disrespecting anyone’s culture or religion by this I assure you! God created man and women and certainly men are nothing to be feared. That is called illogical based induced phobias. What will happen if I sit next to a man on a plane? Even when I am accompanied by my husband, I am forced to be in close proximity to men and even when I am not with my husband I might be in close proximity to men. What is the difference? The difference is how one carries themselves and that is the bottom line. If I send out looks and vibes like, “Hey reach out and touch me” then the guy might respond but if I send out normal vibes chances are thing are just going to be that and that is something called normal. If women were on the battlefield during the times of the Prophet, I am sure they had physical contact with men. Also I learned that there are so many different types of touch. I once had a panic attack or something like that while I was in Riyadh and my husband took me to the emergency room. The doctor who was Syrian took my hand with compassion and held it. That was something I was really shocked by. He did it in front of my Saudi husband too!!! I think perhaps that is all I needed was someone to reach out to me in love and compassion. Nothing sexual or inappropriate involved! Of course my husband said to me I should have been covering my face! He never made more of it because deep down inside he knew that the doctor was doing nothing more than being a compassionate healer. Well, gee I couldn’t breathe but I was supposed to be covering my face! Anyways, I think we all need to learn a little that Male + Female DOES NOT always Equal Sexual or Inappropriate Motives/ Intentions and Possibilities. We are human beings here and we need to learn how to interact with each other normally be it male + male or female + female or Male + Female. When it is a preconceived notion that any interaction between male and female is inappropriate, well it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
From the article…“A woman can ensure her safety onboard, but not after landing and arriving in the new destination,” she argued. “Although I am a businesswoman and I need to travel to several countries, the consort system never bothers me,” she added. –
Well I am so happy the consort system never bothered her probably because she has a cooperative and willing consort! BRAVO. Some people are so lame that they have no way of practicing empathy nor can imagine anything other than what works for them.
January:03:2009 - 14:16
Oooh… nice!
January:04:2009 - 05:51
Just wished to share as FYI that I traveled yesterday unaccompanied to Jeddah. From Riyadh I was never stopped or questioned yet on my return from Jeddah, I was asked twice to show my iqama.
January:04:2009 - 08:16
Islam And The West Accelerated Links…
Crossroads Arabia on giving Saudi women the freedom to travel….