According to press reports, the Saudi Embassy in Paris has refused to grant Haj visas to a group of French women who recently converted to Islam. The embassy refused the visas on the grounds that the women had no male guardian (mahram), as is required by Shariah, to accompany them to the Kingdom. We are faced here with a situation that requires immediate action and solution — especially since it involves new converts who chose Islam as their religion and who need special care so that they will be able to understand the faith correctly.
First of all, I am not in full possession of the facts nor am I aware of any reason or reasons — other than the one cited — that led the embassy to deny the women visas. The late Sheikh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz, the renowned scholar and Saudi Arabia’s former grand mufti, constantly reminded Muslims of the need to recognize the differences among the various Islamic schools of thought. He also stressed the need for Muslims to respect rulings issued by the scholars in this country, in regard to foreigners as well as pilgrims. In the past, many scholars have had ruled that a Muslim woman can travel without a male guardian if she is traveling with a group in what is known in Arabic as “rifka mamouna” — in other words, safe company. This ruling is recognized by followers of both the Shafie and Maliki schools of thought as well as by many contemporary scholars.
The safe company or collective visa system could solve such problems as this. We must not fail to realize that many new female converts are not married and hence have no husband to accompany them. Neither would it be allowed for their non-Muslim fathers to accompany them.
This is a situation which Saudi embassies and diplomatic missions all over the world have to face and consequently, there should be a clear procedure to be followed in such cases. The Minister of Haj, Iyad Madani, is making commendable efforts to facilitate Haj for new Muslim female converts. His efforts, however, need to be supported by the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Ash-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Saleh ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Ash-Sheikh, as well as others including officials of the Makkah-based Muslim World League, the World Assembly of Muslim Youth and all other Islamic bodies. Their combined efforts should provide Saudi embassies abroad with guidelines to be followed in these situations. Saudi women might also be appointed to accompany and advise the new female converts during their stay in the Kingdom.
The number of new Muslim converts has been on the increase in both Europe and the US since 9/11 with the rate of increase in the US exceeding 40 percent. These facts and figures put additional responsibilities on the Muslim nations in general and Saudi Arabia in particular whch should do more to assist the new converts, help them to learn more about Islam and also to integrate into our religion’s way of life and practices.
