Sunday, 30, April, 2006 (02, Rabi` al-Thani, 1427)
Are They Afraid of Women?
Layla Al-Ahdab . Al-Watan
"Opening the door for women to work in women-only clothes shops, especially in the underwear section, with men in the same store but in other departments, is dangerous for the women that accept such jobs. This will expose women to harassment from these men. Did we forget that the shops would be closed for prayer? If the shops were closed, where would they go? It could be possible that a man would hide inside the store and wait for the store to close down and empty from customers and then assault a female worker. What about other problems that come with men and women working together?"
The above statement belongs to a person with a wild imagination. This man asks why women do not go to prayer. He points out that women could be exposed to harassment and even rape if a man hides inside the store during prayer time.
My first reaction is to ask: When is a mall empty of people during the daytime prayers? It's hard to conceive an instance where a woman would be alone in a room with a deranged attacker in a shopping center. Most likely, she will be in a closed store praying or drinking tea with colleagues.
The Labor Ministry's recent drive to incorporate women sales clerks in stores that cater to women does not include any suggestion that women would be inside a closed shop with men. The man that made this comment seems unable to differentiate between men and women interacting in a salacious manner and men and women simply working together in a public place with respect and dignity.
This man seems to think that women shouldn't leave the home to conduct any kind of business. This is of course contrary to Islam, which only establishes a need for an understanding between the wife and husband. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) women were out in the market doing business. It is very important that we separate religion from tradition in order to ensure success in opening the field for women to work in jobs that are not haram (forbidden).
Apparently conservatives like this man don't even consider the embarrassment that some women might endure discussing panty and bra sizes with a male sales clerk. And how many husbands are eager to do this shopping on their wives' behalves? How many brothers are going to shop for their single sisters' underwear?
A few years ago I did an interview with a foreign newspaper journalist, a woman. She asked me if the reason behind the conservatives' opposition to women working had anything to do with fear of women. I denied it at the time. But after listening to some of the views of conservatives in this country, I changed my mind and agreed with the reporters' sentiment.
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