Inside the Saudi Kingdom- bbc docu.

[chubacka]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00fh52m/Inside_the_Saudi_Kingdom/

 

An hour long but v. interesting look at the life of a Saudi Prince, a governor of a conservative province in Saudi and the life and issues of the ppl that live in there.

[peasant]

^ Very interesting documentary but sadly not available for outside uk viewers. After checking several uk based proxy servers i found this one to be fastest to watch behind it 89.238.128.104:80 ..

 

Thanks Chuba

[Abu-Salman]

I've just seen it unexpectedly as I don't watch or own TV, and it was indeed more reasonable than the usual superficial propaganda.

 

The prince was both articulated and brilliant, recognising their need to catch up the West scientifically, yet without losing their soul to the sweeping materialism in doing so.

 

Another crucial point all too often overlooked: the Saudis (and by extension Arabs or other Muslims) form a deeply conservative society, within which social pressures are much more pervasive than the State's reach.

 

Had the royal family entertained imposing "change", this would have violently backfired, as he cited the Iranian precedent when Westernising reforms led even embassies to offer alcohol, paving the way for the historical popular uprising of 79.

 

In other words, he was conscious of the technological challenge and adamant to build up their Human Capital as a more sustainable foundation than oil while rightly pointing out that even Western citizens were frustrated by their "model", if any!

 

Faced with the recurrent cliche of "Women right", he replied that half of our Shariah was transmitted by Aisha (through authentic ahadiths that constitute the bedrock of our Fiqh), while they were entitled to their Allah given rights such as property, inheritance or transactions...as we did not wait for the Nicean Council to recognise that our mothers or sisters were human beings with souls!

 

Nevertheless, it seems there is some room for deabate on whether ever-increasing costs to social, security or health services a la Western were necessarily enviable; while alcohol related violence or traffic accidents are a drain and constant logistical nightmare for the UK NHS (to the extent of stationing paramedics in night clubs!) and sexual violence or harassment a constant societal dilemma, it has long been acknowledged that the single most penalising socio-economic factor in communities was the breakdown of nuclear families, epitomised in the rate of 60% single parent among Blacks households (in other words, more Blacks now grow up without fathers than with a paternal model at home with endless repercussions of all sorts)!

 

In fact, while addictions and the associated prostitution are directly linked to those other fundamental flaws, even widespread gun possesion and the ruinous burden of the obesity epidemy as well as other chronic diseases are their other consequences (lack of self-esteem & consciousness and above all self-discipline hardly help in mitigating the sky-rocketing cost of debilitating yet preventable pathologies such as Aids or diabetes, CHD and Cancers to a large extent)!

 

Noteworthy, the featured father was right on the money when emphasising that a girl freely mixing with men or "in love" would not be trusted by anyone, and that the society would prefer death than witnessing a relative with such reputation!

 

Probably, it is also the case that dowry payments would led husbands to think twice when faced with modern conjugual challenges...

[chubacka]

^ The programme inevitably bought up sooo many issues like the sky high dowry, relgious police, women driving that it did not really have enough time to go into or that noone was ready to talk about.

 

The prince was v. articulate as you said, and am glad he was not apologetic for not being more "western" or even saying that was an desiable end.

 

A v. elitist sociey though, he keeps talking about hearing ppl's voices but the only ppl surrounding him and at his dinner parties are wealthy,upper class men from "big families" and its their voices that will get heard and will ultimately influence govt. policies.

 

btw i love those beautiful tents in the middle of the desert, something out of a film.

 

(peasant ur welcome )

[Thierry.]

Interesting documentary indeed Abu Salman you hit the nail, the Royal family have to be very delicate with these changes, a conservative society like SA need to crawl to the evolution of change

[Abu-Salman]

Noteworthy, the featured father was right on the money when emphasising that a girl freely mixing with men or "in love" would not be trusted by anyone, and that the society would prefer death than witnessing a relative with such reputation!

Mixing between sexes is prohibited and Shariah laid out strict conditions.

 

However, I was referring to that father who was keen to protect his daughters from temptations, on the model of his co-citizens; this proves wrong the utter nonsense that women are oppressed there, when in fact the exact opposite is the truth (prevention is better than cure).

 

While our society is further away from our deen, there is obviously nothing wrong for a sister to propose to any authentically Muslim brother whose piety is confirmed, as did Khadidja with our prophet:

 

 

Ruling on Muslim women working as nurses and doctors

 

My wife is studing to become a nurse at a University, is it lawful to: -examine patients(male or female) and give them baths which are apart of the class projects.

-examine men as a nurse in non-emergency situations at a non-muslim hospital.

-work at a home for the mentally ill where the co-workers are male and the patients are also.

 

 

Praise be to Allaah.

 

If a woman finds that she has to work because of necessity, she is permitted to work outside the home, as is indicated by the fact that the two daughters of Shu’ayb used to water the sheep, and the story of Asma’ bint Abi Bakr working outside the home. If a woman is widowed with children, and has no breadwinner and is receiving no money from the Bayt al-Maal (treasury), it is permissible for her to earn a living. Although we say that a woman is permitted to work outside the home when it is necessary, she should nevertheless do only the work she needs to do in order to meet her needs. If a woman has professional skills which not every woman possesses, and which are needed by other woman and society as a whole, then it is permissible for her to practice her profession outside the home, so long as she adheres to the conditions prescribed by sharee’ah and has the permission of her legal (shar’i) guardian. The evidence that it is permissible for the woman to work outside the home in a field where there is a need for her work, as long as she adheres to the conditions prescribed by sharee’ah, is to be seen in the fact that at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), midwives used to attend women in labour, and skilled women used to practice circumcision, and he did not condemn them for doing so. It is also known that Rufaydah al-Ansaariyyah used to treat the wounded in her tent, which had been set up in the mosque for that purpose. She was very skilled in treating the sick, and her work was done with the knowledge and express permission of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh was transferred to her tent for treatment. This indicates that it is permissible for a woman to practice her profession outside the home, and by analogy we may deduce that it is permissible for a female doctor to open a clinic outside her home for the treatment of women and children. By doing this, she is fulfilling the duty of fard kifaayah (a duty falling on the entire community – if some people fulfil it, responsibility is lifted from the rest, otherwise all will be held accountable. Translator). Such clinics make it easy for sick women to come to a female doctor, hence they no longer have to uncover their ‘awrah before a male doctor when they need treatment.

 

But this permission is given on the condition that this work does not affect her duties towards her own home, husband and children, and that she has her husband’s permission, because these duties are her individual duties (fard ‘ayn), which take precedence over her responsibilities towards the community (fard kifaayah). When there is any conflict, her individual duties must come first. (Al-Mufassal by ‘Abd al-Kareem, 4/272).

 

Another hadeeth which describes Muslim women at the beginning of Islam practising a profession was narrated by Hafsah, concerning a woman who used to treat the wounded. Al-Bukhaari, may Allaah have mercy on him, reported in his Saheeh that Hafsah said: “A woman came and stayed at the fort of Bani Khalaf, and told us about her sister. Her sister’s husband used to go out on military campaigns with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He had been on twelve campaigns, and she (his wife) had accompanied him on six. She said, ‘We used to treat the wounded and take care of the sick…’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 313).

 

But a woman’s work as a nurse or doctor is regulated by the rules indicated in other Islamic texts. Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar, may Allaah have mercy on him, commenting on the above hadeeth, mentioned some of these conditions: “What we learn from this hadeeth is that a woman is allowed to offer medical treatment to a non-mahram man (one to whom she is not related), so long as this takes the form of bringing medicine to him, for example, or other forms of indirect treatment (i.e. with no touching or direct contact involved) – except in cases where it is necessary and there is no fear of temptation (such as in an emergency situation or in the event of a disaster).”

 

If a woman works in complete hijaab, without touching a male patient, or being alone with him in any way, and as long as there is no fear that she may be the cause of temptation or be tempted herself, and she is not neglecting a more essential duty such as taking care of her husband or children, and she has the permission of her guardian, then it is permissible for her to work. In principle, men should be treated by male doctors and nurses, and women by female doctors and nurses. There should be no mixing of the sexes in medical treatment, except when it is necessary and as long as there is no fear of temptation. And Allaah knows best.

 

 

Islam Q&A

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid