Here’s a piece I missed last week from the UAE’s Gulf News. At least a few Saudi women are finding new jobs (though, as military personnel, they were already employed). I wonder how the fatwa banning women in gender-integrated workplaces will pan out when the employer is the government itself?
Saudi military women allowed to work at passport sections
Habib Toumi, Bahrain Bureau ChiefManama: Saudi Arabia has appointed 30 young military women at the passport sections at its land borders with Bahrain and Qatar.
The unprecedented decision to have military women holding the rank of soldiers at the passports sections of King Fahad Causeway and Salwa border point is a new landmark for Saudi women.
Saudi Arabia’s passport directorate had hired women both on a full time and on a part time basis to check women’s identities and to help with services, but they were all civilians, Arriyadh daily reported on Thursday.
The 25-kilometre King Fahad Causeway links Saudi Arabia with Bahrain since 1986 and is used by thousands of cars every day.
Here’s an interesting—if brief—history of the Haj and the building of the Kaaba from Saudi Gazette. There are also legends that the original Kaaba was built by Adam, after being expelled from Paradise, with the presence of Eve’s Grave in nearby Jeddah being offered to substantiate their presence in the area.
Haj: A history of sacrifices
Ahmad Wahaj Al-SiddiquiTHE origin of Haj dates back to about 5,000 years from now with the advent of Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim – peace be upon him) who built Ka’ba in the holy city of Makkah.
Prophet Abraham could not have a son from her first wife Sarah. He had a son from his second wife Hagar. Some differences cropped up between Sarah and Hagar. Hagar left the house and came to stay at ‘Ain.’ An angel came asking her not to be afraid and gave the glad tidings of the birth of a son having great good in him. The angel asked Hagar to go back home and name the son Ishmael (Ismael). Ishmael was born to Abraham at the age of 86. (Al-Bidaya wa-Al-Nihaya)
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Relatedly, Asharq Alawsat writes about The Virtual Hajj Experience, an implementation of the Second Life world of avatars.
The Washington Post carries this Associated Press report about Saudi Arabia’s ‘temporary’ blocking of the social media site Facebook. Now, Facebook can indeed get raunchy from time to time. It can also be a place to make mistakes that will live on long after the poster has written them up. I’m not sure banning or blocking it has any longterm benefit, though.
Saudi Arabia blocks Facebook over moral concerns
Abdullah Al-ShihriRIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — An official with Saudi Arabia’s communications authority says it has blocked Facebook because the popular social networking website doesn’t conform with the kingdom’s conservative values.
The official says Saudi’s Communications and Information Technology Commission blocked the site Saturday and an error message shows up when Internet users try to access it.
He says Facebook’s content had “crossed a line” with the kingdom’s conservative morals, but that blocking the site is a temporary measure.
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UPDATE: According to commenters, Facebook is not blocked, though it may have been temporarily inaccessible. They note that gliches do happen, but now Facebook is fully accessible. Were some too quick to jump to a conclusion? Could be. But in a country that still has some lingering aspirations about controlling the information flow, that still filters content, it’s not as though it couldn’t happen.
For those interested in following the procedures and rituals of Haj, Arab News reporter Siraj Wahab is publishing his daily diary:
Haj diary
Siraj Wahab | Arab NewsIt was with a sense of exhilaration that we set off from Jeddah to Mina on Saturday evening. Taking the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway, the trip was rapid.
There were three checkpoints on the highway before we reached Mina. At the first two, the traffic police were interested in the vehicle’s registration and the identity of the driver. But at Al-Shumaisi Checkpoint, the entrance to the holy city, three policemen were stationed at each lane of the highway. Haj permits were demanded and the officers carefully scrutinized the documents. Then the photographs on the permits were checked against the faces of the passengers in the vehicles. This is unusual. During most of the year, in an effort to keep traffic moving freely, the vehicles in just one or two of the six lanes entering city are randomly targeted for such intense checks. But Saturday night was different.
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While the authorities are to be commended for taking the matter of permits seriously, we noticed on our way to Makkah, at points just before the mountains ringing the city, men in ihram were being dropped off by taxis and were then scurrying out into the desert. Looking out and upward, we saw that these illegal pilgrims had formed a single file dotted white line over the mountains.
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Okay, I did find an interesting piece in Saudi Gazette. Well, maybe ‘idiotic’ is a better adjective.
Dr Muhammad Fawzi, an assistant professor of Translation Studies and Text Linguistics at King Abdul Aziz University, somehow finds ‘vindication’ of Islam in the birth of a baby to a 10-year-old child in Spain. This, he claims, shows that there’s nothing wrong with having sex with minors. Of course, he’s trying to defend the Prophet from allegations made by some that his behavior in marrying Aisha was wrong.
His argument, however, is fatuous. He first assumes that 10-year-olds giving birth is ‘commonplace’ in the First World. He shoots that argument down himself, however, when he notes that the story ‘sent shockwaves’ throughout the world. Commonplace events do not cause shockwaves.
He would have been correct in decrying ‘presentism’, the application of contemporary standards to events of the past. It has been noted by others that ‘the past is a different country.’ That is largely true. What passed for unexceptional, everyday behavior in the past may indeed be very contrary to modern practices and it is an error to apply today’s standards to what happened long ago. He doesn’t make that argument, though; he argues that past practices are still current practices. When it comes to child marriage, no matter the religion, he is very wrong.
Did he note understand the meaning of the phrase he himself writes: ‘It is unclear whether charges will be laid against the children’s parents’? Charges are not laid against people for ordinary behavior. It is the violation of ordinary behavior that draw the attention of the police and courts.
So fine, he leaps to the defense of the Prophet. That’s good, generally speaking. To do so in such a pathetic manner, however, credits neither Islam nor the professor. Perhaps he should focus on translating, though if he is so obtuse as to miss the meaning of words, I’m not sure that he’s capable of producing anything of merit on even that front.
Story of 10-year-old girl who gave birth vindicates Islam
Dr Muhammad FawziOVER the past few days the world’s media – including Sky News and the New York Times – carried the amazing story of a 10-year-old Romanian Gypsy girl who gave birth in a southern city of Spain. The story sent shockwaves throughout the world, with many questioning how this could happen in the modern world.
According to reports, the mother of the girl could not understand what the fuss was all about. She welcomed the fact that she had a granddaughter.
Micaela Navarro, the Andalusia region’s social affairs minister, told reporters the father of the baby is also a minor, and both the mother and the baby were in good health.
According to reports, the grandmother said that young girls giving birth are common in their country. It is unclear whether charges will be laid against the children’s parents.
A closer look at the incident, then, makes it clear that the 10-year-old fell pregnant when she was nine. This new mom from Romania, however, is not the record holder for being the youngest mother. That honor belongs to Lina Medina, a Mexican girl who gave birth at the age of five back in the 1940s.
The point here is that what happened is not an extraordinary incident. This fact refutes the anti-Islamic arguments against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who married Aisha, known religiously as the Mother of the Believers, at a young age, though there is a time gap of more than 1,400 years to be taken into account.
We have always heard over and over again Orientalists and other anti-Islamic debaters and cynics wonder how the Prophet (pbuh) did that more than a millennium ago, and ask whether the girl, may God be pleased with her, was fit to make love or to give birth at such a young age.
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Saudi media are offering coverage of this year’s pilgrimage, wall to wall. From security to infrastructure improvements to elation over an extended ‘Eid break after Haj, stories about the annual ritual fill the pages. I suggest going directly to the websites of both Arab News and Saudi Gazette to see and read the array of stories. Haj stories will dominate both papers for the coming week.
I don’t find that there’s a lot of ‘news’ news in the papers during this period, so my writing may be a bit light. That works out well for me as I’ll be traveling in the latter half of the week.
One story from Saudi Gazette I did find interesting was a list of “Don’ts” for pilgrims. The article, the first in a series, discusses some of the finer points of the ritual over which pilgrims might err.
Some mistakes a pilgrim must avoid – I
Entering Ihram
Some pilgrims bypass the designated Meeqat (Station of Ihram) on their route without either being in Ihram or entering into Ihram there, proceeding until they reach Jeddah or some other place, at which they enter into Ihram. This is against the command of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) that every pilgrim should enter into Ihram at the Meeqat which lies on his route. If this be the case with someone, he must either go back to the Meeqat lying on his route and enter into Ihram, or he must make expiation by sacrificing a sheep in Makkah and feeding all its meat to the poor.
This applies to all pilgrims regardless of whether one passes the Meeqat by air, sea or land.
If one did not pass through one of the five designated Meeqat points, he should enter into Ihram at a point which is nearest to the Meeqat on his route.
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Getting women into the workplace is a big issue in Saudi Arabia, both for women who want jobs and men who, well, have mixed feelings about it. Saudi Gazette reports that the Jeddah city government has issued new regulations—requirements—for places that will employ women. Unfortunately, while the requirements make sense within the Saudi social system, they also look as though they will add enormously to the cost of doing business.
The ‘separate but equal’ quest to keep women far removed from males is do-able only if costs are disregarded or somebody else is paying the difference between efficient markets and those catering to social values. Not only do the regulations require that shops in which women work be located on expensive main streets, but also dictate many other elements that should be part of the merchant’s decision process.
This move can be considered ‘success’ in some regards… women, after all, might get jobs. But it’s a failure in that few merchants will be willing to pay the artificially increased cost of doing business. They are so onerous, in fact, that I think few merchants will bother.
New regulations for women-only shops
MOHANNAD SHARAWIJEDDAH: The Jeddah Municipality has issued new requirements for the issuing of licenses where women will be employed – including extra security, segregation from other shops, a single entrance, location on main streets, and the need for an interior that cannot be seen from the outside.
The move is in preparation for replacing men workers at shops meant for women – including those shops selling lingerie. Currently men workers sell lingerie and other intimate clothing to women, causing them a great deal of discomfort.
It is part of a campaign entitled “No More Embarrassment” which started a month ago.
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Arab News runs a Reuters story on Pres. Obama’s visit to Indonesia reporting that the President again says that the US is not at war with Islam. This is a true statement, even though there is some evidence to the contrary.
There are Americans who believe themselves to be at war with Islam. An example might be the constitutional amendment voted upon in the state of Oklahoma. The amendment, a display of nativism based on ignorance of both Islam and US law, would prohibit the state courts from using or enforcing any ‘foreign law’ singling out Shariah law by name and from enforcing court decisions by other states that relied on Shariah law. This amendment flies in the face of the US Constitution and its preservation of religious liberty as well as due process. Already, a suit has been filed to stop its certification (i.e., to prevent it from becoming law) and a court has issued a temporary restraining order against it. The law, by singling out Islam, truly is obnoxious.
Obama insists US not at war with Islam
ReutersJAKARTA: President Barack Obama held up his boyhood home of Indonesia as an example to the Muslim world in a speech on Wednesday in which he said America was not at war with Islam but acknowledged it was hard to eradicate “years of mistrust.”
“Relations between the United States and Muslim communities have frayed over many years … I have made it a priority to begin to repair these relations,” he told a crowd of thousands in Jakarta.
“I have made it clear that America is not, and never will be, at war with Islam. Instead, all of us must defeat Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, who have no claim to be leaders of any religion — certainly not a great, world religion like Islam.”
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If you’re interested in discussion about the suit to stop this law from coming into effect, I’ll direct you over to the Volokh Conspiracy again. There are arguments there about whether this amendment could be constitutional as well as ‘inside baseball’ discussions on the merits of the particular suit that was filed and whether it met technical requirements such as ‘standing’ and ‘ripeness’. That may be more information about US law than you care for, but it’s a good discussion with little to no Islam-bashing.
Infrastructure improvements continue to be made in Mecca to handle the massive crowds who gather for Haj. Arab News reports on two projects, a railroad linking various ritual sites in the city and a gigantic clock, six times as large as Big Ben in London. The article on the clock seems to be a republished press release, given its hyperbole, and includes, as one of the goals of the builders, the curious effort to make Mecca Time the replacement for Greenwich Mean Time.
Chugging to glory:
Mashair Railway project in service of pilgrims
The recent attempt to send bombs disguised as ink-jet cartridges has had a knock-on effect. A group of Muslims in N. Virginia intending to attend Hajj had their passports delayed when US Customs held the courier-delivered package in which they were contained. The passengers and their mosque leaders contend that this was because the package ‘looked Muslim’. That is entirely likely, though unfortunate.
As a result, all but one of the passengers missed his flight to Saudi Arabia, Arab News reports.
US Customs apparently realized that they had overreacted, though. It purchased replacement tickets—to the tune of $34,000—for the 17 passengers. Saudi Airlines agreed to honor their return flights, though normal practice would be to cancel them if the first leg was not used.
US pilgrims upset over travel delays
Barbara Ferguson | Arab NewsWASHINGTON: American Muslims in the US state of Virginia who were due to leave for Haj missed their flight to Saudi Arabia because customs officials seized their passports.
The group, a total of 17, found it had to delay its journey to Jeddah after a UPS package containing pilgrims’ travel documents was seized by US Customs and Border Protection.
All but one of the pilgrims missed their scheduled outbound flight, Raffi Uddin Ahmed, vice president of Al-Noor Mosque in northern Virginia and Manassas-based Muslim Association of Virginia, told reporters. All in the group have since arrived and are currently performing their Haj.
Leaders in the mosque told reporters that the pilgrims planned their trip to Saudi Arabia for months. They had taken classes on the pilgrimage and promised to make prayers for friends and relatives. A California travel agency had arranged their tickets and gotten visas for their passports, shipping them overnight via UPS.
It took three days to track down the passports. At first, UPS said the package was lost. On Friday, hours before the group was scheduled to depart, the group learned that the package had been seized.
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The Washington Post‘s report, amazingly similar to the Arab News report, though printed earlier, can be found here.
Saudi Gazette/Okaz editorialize on the inconsistency of the recent fatwa forbidding women’s working as cashiers in Saudi Arabia. Citing a piece in the Arabic daily Al-Hayat, the column notes previous fatawa that explicitly permitted women to work in mixed-sex environments.
‘Cashiers’ fatwa seemingly inconsistent with previous edicts
RIYADH: Fatwas previously issued by the Permanent Committee of Iftaa and certified by the former Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz, appear to be inconsistent with a fatwa issued by the Committee last week deeming women working as cashiers impermissible in Shariah, Al-Hayat Arabic daily reported Sunday.
According to one fatwa approved by the late Bin Baz and which can be viewed at the website binbaz.org.sa/mat/4110, Islam “does not prevent women engaging in work or business”, and “a human being, man or woman, is required to work and practice business.”
The fatwa continues, according to Al-Hayat: “It is acceptable for women to work for what men require and for men to work for what women require in a way that does not harm either of them.”
A previous fatwa from the Iftaa Committee at alifta.net states that “it is permissible for men and women to practice business and gain profit”, while “Fatwa No. 3880” states that a woman “is permitted to go to the market to sell and buy if there is a need and if she covers her body with clothes that do not reveal her figure, and does not engage in doubtful mixing with men”.
Al-Hayat, citing two further fatwas regarding the permissibility of women working in agriculture and medicine, posed the question of whether the recent fatwa from the
Permanent Committee of Iftaa annuls the previous ones, and further noted that the current Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh was a signatory to one of the previous fatwas – No. 16654 – which permits women to work.
Saudi Arabia has a very deep history. The problem is that few people, including Saudis, know it. One of the causes of that ignorance is a socio-religious attitude that ‘anything that came before the Quran is from the Age of Ignorance, thus not important to know.’ That attitude is not restricted to Islam, at least not historically. At least one of the several stories of the destruction of the Library at Alexandria has it being burnt for its ‘pagan’ content.
Be that as it may, those who have gone looking for the deep past of Saudi Arabia have found it. From Stone Age camps to Bronze Age cities. Now, Arab News reports, the first hard evidence of a pharonic Egyptian presence has been found.
Pharaonic inscription found in Saudi Arabia
RODOLFO C. ESTIMO JR. | ARAB NEWSRIYADH: The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) announced Sunday that Saudi archaeologists have discovered an ancient hieroglyphic inscription mentioning an Egyptian pharaoh on a rock near the ancient oasis of Tayma, Tabuk province. The discovery, about 400 km north of Madinah and northeast of the ancient Nabatean site Madain Saleh, marks the first confirmed hieroglyphic inscription discovered in the Kingdom.
“The rock was bearing an inscription of King Ramses III, one of the kings who ruled ancient Egypt from 1192 B.C.to 1160 B.C.,” said SCTA Vice President for Antiquities and Museums Ali Ibrahim Al-Ghabban at a news conference on Sunday at the Commission on National Museum.
Al-Ghabban said the discovery was made in July. Since then researchers have posited that Tayma was on an important land route between the western coast of Arabia and the Nile Valley. Recent discoveries at the site prove Tayma was inhabited as far back as the Bronze Age (2,000 B.C.). The trade route has been used by caravans for centuries to carry goods such as incense, copper, gold and silver.
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You’ll find the Saudi Gazette report here.