I am a very new American convert. I am also a woman. I chose to convert to Islam after much research and soul searching. I am a graduate student studying Forensic Pathology/Psych. I also work as a criminalist for our State Police Jurisdiction.
As a new convert, I am trying to follow the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh). I go to many sources for this information, including fellow Muslims. I had a chance visit from a colleague named “XYZ“.
“XYZ” indicated that it is against Islam for a woman to be in a position where she either directly convicts, or indirectly helps to convict a male. My role is to obtain evidence in the crime scene and also to testify regarding the said evidence in court. He indicated that a female in such a male dominated industry is detrimental to all present. He also said a woman should never reign justice in a males’ trial. “XYZ” said that women could and should participate in other women’s justice issues.
Please let me know if this is true. I have gone on line in the Pak chat rooms as well as the Middle Eastern ones, but no one really knew the answer. It was debated, however.
I appreciate your assistance.
Reply:
To say that something is prohibited in Islam needs a clear directive from either the Qur’an or the authentic sayings of the Prophet (pbuh). Whoever tells you that a particular job or anything else is prohibited in Islam, it is his responsibility of pointing out the particular directive, on the basis of which he is giving his opinion.
There is nothing in the directives of the Qur’an or the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) that says that such and such jobs are prohibited for women. What we do get from these sources is that if men and women are to sit or work together at any place, both should follow the etiquettes prescribed in the Qur’an for such interaction.
UIUK Team
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