A post by Pat

You can’t be any ordinary cleric to issue fatwas in Saudi Arabia. Sheik Youssef al-Ahmed issued a fatwa against women working as cashiers and got in trouble for it. Well, not precisely for the fatwa itself. He’s in trouble for not having proper authorization to issue it.

Saudi royalty decreed only senior clerics can make fatwas in an effort to clamp down on “any topic involving strange or obsolete views”. That can’t be because senior clerics are so much wiser or enlightened. A couple of years ago a senior cleric wanted Saudi women to have only one eye visible.

Saudi women must cover one eye

A senior religious cleric in the country, Sheikh Muhammad al-Habadan demands that the rules of modesty be further enhanced.

In the new Islamic legal sentence, al-Habadan announced that when leaving their homes, women must keep only one eye revealed.

According to the sheikh, “revelation of both eyes behind the veil is likely to encourage women to put make-up on and accentuate their eyes. This is corrupt behavior which conflicts with Islamic principles.”

So, how will the women conduct their daily lives with one eye?

According to al-Habadan, “when a woman goes out into the street or to a public place she will wear a veil and cover one eye with a piece of cloth.

“When she goes shopping and wants to assess a product, she will completely remove the piece of cloth and will be able to use both eyes for a limited amount of time.”

I don’t know if that ever went into practice. One thing we do know is that scrutiny from the outside has an effect. The reason for the royal decree has more to do with the opinions of others than the impact on daily living for Saudi citizens, particularly women.

Saudi king issues decree against scholars ordering absurd edicts

Speaking to Gulf News, a Saudi scholar applauded the royal decree and hoped it would
put an end to the chaos over the issuance of strange religious edicts.

Saudi female social and religious researcher Bunya Al Milhim warned that strange fatwas were
exploited by people with a political agenda.

“They even threatened the position of Saudi Arabia as an Islamic leader of the world,” she said.

These fatwas are more than weird and absurd, they are misogynist abominations. We have a humanitarian duty to keep all eyes on what’s happening and to open our mouths about it too. It isn’t enough for there to be fewer such fatwas in the future. Women must be given full equality. The ideological impulse toward anti-Americanism has skewed the Left’s point of view on issues they claim to champion. They have covered both their eyes when it comes to the treatment of women in Islamic countries.

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2 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. morecowbell says:

    Misogynist Abominations ?? .. weren’t they the lead in band for 80’s L.A. punk group Bad Religion ??

  2. Maynard says:

    Word on the street has it that Obama is so annoyed with people questioning his Christian faith that he’s declared a fatwa against anyone who says he’s a Muslim.

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