Whenever there is a social or an intellectual or an economic activity that women could get involved in, we suddenly hear a certain sentence repeated non-stop: “There are no religious prohibitions but our society won’t accept that.” All societies everywhere throughout history always oppose anything new and unfamiliar. Over time, however, people get accustomed to new things and accept them.
These days, women are doing all sorts of things which were once considered unsuitable and wrong. We have women in the media, in broadcasting, in medicine, art and even going abroad as members of official delegations. All of these things were, at one time, considered prohibited for women but all of them are now familiar and cause little controversy or comment.
There are other things that we oppose today even though they have been usual since the beginnings of Islam. At the beginning of Islam, the sexes mixed freely and interacted. For example, men and women mix when circling the Kaaba; they did at the beginning of Islam and they still do today. They mix when throwing stones at the devil and when nursing the injured in battle. Modern life has made mixing the sexes usual — on airplanes, for example, and when using public transportation.
Security issues have made our society accept things they once rejected. For example, a woman’s picture with an uncovered face must be in her passport and also on her personal ID. Women are not allowed to cover themselves completely since terrorists and other criminals might do so and take advantage of what is a social custom rather than a religious dictate.
Then as things change and evolve, women themselves are forced to do what they once refused. They are now expected to participate in decision-making in different economic and social areas. They are expected even to take part in the Shoura Council. No one would say in “And consult them in all affairs” (Holy Qur’an 3:159 which is addressed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) — that the word “them” refers to men only.
