Against the Fatwa

The days when you couldn't criticize the mufti or sheiks for something they said or a fatwa they issued is over.  This took a long time to happen, but it's better late than never.

About two weeks ago The standing commission of Ifta have issued a fatwa stating that it's prohibited-7aram- for women to work as cashier where they would be mingling with men.

Usually most people would believe that what the commission issues is the truth and followed blindly. But this time things were a lot different. 

First, some of the supermarkets where some women work as cashiers refused to fire them before getting any indication of that form the ministry of labor. Then the media starting to talk in depth about this ,spreading the news, then telling of the stories of women who are unemployee. 

But then some of the prominent Saudi writers in most Saudi newspaper literally attacked the commission which is a rare thing. 

Yes, people would speak about the crazy fatwas from sheiks who are not appointed by the king in the  commission but to criticize and attack the grand mufti and the rest of the committe was unheard of from the Saudi newspaper.

And the attack was not nice and polite. it was what they deserve. You can read nice ones here and here and what they deserve here and here. ( They all are in Arabic) . Which lead to the grand mufti announcing that  the fatwa -or fatwas- are not binding and are not infallible from being wrong. He also asked newpaper columinsts to stop attacking the comittee as we are one and blah blah blah ..... i don't see them stop attacking others when they don't agree with them . you can read it here . ( Arabic also)

 I guess the idea that we have been brainwashed by for ages which is " you can not talk against a religious scholar or a sheiks because it's forbidden or 7aram " " لحوم العلماء مسمومه" is over. 

It needs to be over.

only such ideas that prevent us from going forward in all walks of life, in understanding our religion better, in making and believing that our religion can be fit for all times. or else how can you understand such strange fatwas of prohibiting women of working in specific places so they wont mingle with men.

 We do mingle with men everyday even if we don't sit side by side at schools or most work places.

Work in gneneral needs rules to be followed by both men and women. And that's what is happening , it doesn't need a fatwa.

 http://www.alifta.net/

http://www.alifta.net/Default.aspx#

in case you need to see the Fatwa ( in Arabic) 

and here is the sites of  The General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta in Arabic. 

 and you can check their English section by changing the language at the top left, 

but don't look for the fatwa you wont find it there, seems like almost all of their English site is under construction !!