Saudi fatwa bars women from working as cashiers

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s top clerics have challenged the government’s policy to expand jobs for women with a fatwa ruling that they should not work as cashiers in markets, in a statement obtained Monday. The official fatwa issuing body said that “it is not permissible for a woman to work in a place where they mix with men. It is necessary to keep away from places where men congregate. Women should look for decent work that does not make it possible for them to attract men or be attracted by men,” said the statement dated Sunday. The ruling came from the Committee on Scholarly Work and Ifta, the official issuer of fatwas, under the Council of Senior Scholars, the top authority for Islamic issues in the kingdom. The fatwa was in response to a question – published with the ruling – asking specifically if women should work as cashiers in markets. It mentioned several retailers by name: Saudi-owned Panda supermarkets, the supermarket chain Marhaba and the Los Angeles-based Red Tag Clothing chain. Another retail clothing chain, UAE-controlled Centrepoint, has also begun trying female cashiers. The ruling was signed by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al Sheikh, the head of the Council of Senior Scholars, and six other members of the fatwa committee. The fatwa came some four months after the labour ministry quietly authorised stores in the western city of Jeddah to employ women as cashiers, in an attempt to open up opportunities for women.