RIYADH (AFP) — A businesswoman was detained and strip-searched by Saudi Arabia’s religious police for sitting in a Starbucks coffee shop with an unrelated man, taboo in the country, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. (Read the whole article.)
I understand that Saudi Arabia is super-ultra-conservative but I do not see a clear reason behind the sexual segregation. In the time of Muhammad, though not enouraged to be socially active, women were not absolutely prohibited from public places. Indeed, Khadija was a merchant herself and Aisha and Fatima were enjoyed respect from Muhammad’s followers.
Also, it is ridiculous that religious police strip-searched the woman for sitting with an unrelated man; if talking to a male stranger is a sin, then, is stripping a woman okay?
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The strict segregation of men and women and other such restrictions on dress and social behavior are largely due to the influence of puritan Wahhabi beliefs, the dominant Sunni sect in Saudi Arabia. For more, go to the links below:
http://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/mehistorydatabase/saudi_arabia.php
http://www.nmhschool.org/tthornton/wahhabi_movement.php
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