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bmsd Letter to Saudi Embassy

26/02/2010

HRH Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf
Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
30 Charles Street
London
W1J 5DZ

26th February 2010

Dear Ambassador,

We were alarmed and disappointed to hear that Abdul Rehman al-Barrak, a cleric who is highly regarded in the Saudi religious establishment, had issued the following fatwa on his website regarding mixing between the sexes:

“And whoever permits this mixing  – and if it leads to these impermissible things – has permitted these forbidden acts, which means that he becomes an apostate, so he should be made aware of his mistakes and given a chance to repent or else it is obligatory to kill him.  Anyone who accepts that his daughter, sister or wife works with men or attends mixed-gender schooling cares little about his honour and this is a type of pimping.”

This fatwa appears to be linked to the culmination of months of clerical opposition to the opening of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in September 2009.  As the first academic institution in Saudi Arabia that is not gender-segregated, it represents a significant milestone in terms of the equitable treatment of men and women which has been welcomed across the Muslim world.  We are concerned at the Saudi clerics’ institutionalised resistance to King Abdullah’s tremendously worthy initiative, as well as the ramifications of this fatwa for Muslims living in the UK. 

It is clear that the teachings of scholars such as Abdul Rehman al-Barrak have a significant influence on millions of Muslims across the world.  Student Islamic societies at certain British universities routinely implement gender segregation at public events.  We believe it is completely disproportionate for clerics to seek to enforce wholesale segregation in workplaces and educational establishments.  Further, it is beyond reprehensible for Abdul Rehman al-Barrak to denounce supporters of mixed-gender environments – including millions of Muslim parents whose children attend mixed-sex schools – as “apostates,” and to pronounce the death penalty as a suitable punishment. 

We therefore call upon the Saudi Government to hold Mr Abdul Rehman al-Barrak to account and issue a public statement stating the position on his fatwa.  Further, we would like to see greater monitoring of the statements and actions of clerics in Saudi Arabia, particularly when they contradict the principles of equality and fairness that underpin progressive initiatives like the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Shaaz Mahboob
Vice-Chair, British Muslims for Secular Democracy