Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat – Last week, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, issued a royal decree relieving Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Humain from his duties as president of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice [CPVPV], replacing him with Sheikh Abdullatif Bin Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Al-Sheikh.
Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Sheikh is known for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and previously served in a number of governmental institutions, including Director General of Investigations at the Saudi General Presidency, and Second Assistant Secretary General at the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars. He received his PhD in Islamic Jurisprudence from the Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University, and previously established and ran a number of Islamic charities.
The new head of the CPVPV is known to specialize in Islamic women’s issues, including the issues of female employment and gender mixing and the people of Saudi Arabia are hoping that the appointment of Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Sheikh will signal an end to the debate that the CPVPV has become embroiled in with regards to many social issues in Saudi Arabia, particularly the issue of women working in stores that cater exclusively to women. This is amidst the controversy that has been raised by conservative religious clerics and scholars regarding the issue of female employment.
The Riyadh born cleric is as an expert in Islamic Affairs, and is well-known for his moderate approach on the issue of gender mixing; and is also known as a strong proponent of the concept of Saudi women working in stores that cater to a female clientele.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat published in June 2010, Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Sheikh called on the resolution to allow women to work in stores catering to a female clientele to be quickly adopted. He also encouraged Saudi Arabian women to begin work in this field. He called on stores catering to female clientele to exclusively employ women, considering this a solution to the disadvantages and negative consequences of men working in this field.
Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Sheikh’s appointment will bring the CPVPV in line with Saudi Arabia’s intention to provide more than 300,000 new jobs to Saudi women in stores catering to female customers, such as beauty salons, clothes stores, and lingerie stores, thereby reducing the rates of unemployment amongst Saudi women.
In the same interview, Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Sheikh also stressed that gender mixing was permissible under certain conditions. He stressed that “it is no secret to the Muslims in our country what is taking place in reality with regards to gender mixing in stores and public places, as well as places of worship such as the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, and what happens during the hajj season, in addition to what is happening in the judicial councils and elsewhere. This gender mixing is imposed by necessity and requirement, and is not something new today or in this era, for this was present in ancient times, and is something that exists in the heart of Islam. Anybody who does not acknowledge this must read the history of our religion, and books of Islamic jurisprudence and interpretation.”
Al-Sheikh added “Islamic sharia law did not completely ban gender mixing, but rather it placed this within the limits of vouchsafing freedom for men and women. This is the disciplined freedom that conforms with the regulations of Islamic Sharia law to protect dignity and prevent wrongdoing that destroys family, society, and human dignity.”
He concluded “clear controls and restrictions were put in place which a Muslim who believes in God and the hereafter should not transgress. Anybody who does not comply with these regulations has fallen into the category of forbidden gender mixing, whilst those who comply with these regulations are within the context of permitted gender mixing.”
He stressed “therefore, when [Islamic] scholars prohibit gender mixing…they are talking about gender mixing that does not include any controls or restrictions, or what is called unrespectable gender mixing.”
Al-Sheikh is also known for his commitment to resolving doctrinal issues that have been the subject of recent debate in Saudi society, such as the issue of the marriage of minors, the hijab, female employment, and others.
Although Al-Sheikh’s position on these issues conflicts with the more hardline position taken by more conservative religious clerics and scholars, the new head of the CPVPV is widely respected for his intellect and his dependence on previous Islamic Sharia law arguments and provisions, including citations of examples from the early Islamic era.