Muzungu
11-06-2009, 12:28 AM
Edict rules surgery permissible in certain cases, provided women see it as part of repentance
Riyadh: Of late, a fatwa issued by a noted Islamic preacher Shaikh Salman Al Ouda, has sparked a hot debate in Saudi society, especially in religious circles.
The topic of the fatwa was whether hymen repair surgeries were permissible or not.
Taking part in a programme called Hajar Al Zawiya on MBC channel, Dr Al Ouda ruled that it is permissible under certain occasions.
"There are divergent opinions among Islamic scholars whether it is permissible to repair hymen through surgical procedures or not. However, my opinion is inclined in favour of it, provided that the woman sees it as part of her repentance," he decided.
Grave issue
"In such a case, it is permissible for her to do it in order to protect herself as well as her life and future. This is a grave social matter that may ended up in the murder of women. I want to draw attention to the report of an international organisation saying that there are about 5,000 women, who were being killed annually because of this matter," Al Ouda said.
Scholars who favour hymen repair surgery are of the view that this should not be misused by young women to cover up their immoral acts. They disprove of such a repair if it was meant by women to fool their husbands by faking their virginity.
World Islamic Scholars' Federation Deputy President and former Justice Minister of Mauritania Shaikh Abdullah Bin Bayya says that surgical repair of hymen is permissible for a woman, who lost it either in an accident or as a result of an assault, under certain strict conditions. However, "she should be sincere in her repentance and should inform her life partner about the incident."
Speaking to Gulf News, several sociologists and experts noted that there are several chances for a woman to lose her hymen in the present times.
"Women are the victims of several crimes and immoral acts such as rape, blackmailing, molestation and ****** assaults," they said.
Dr Faisal Al A'ani, a social researcher, noted that society usually forgives or closes its eyes to the mistakes of young men. "But they will not show any leniency if it is a woman," he said, adding that there is no difference between the societies in the kingdom or any other Gulf, Arab or Muslim country in this respect.
Dr Hassan Jamal, president of the Saudi Society for Gynaecology, said that Saudi law does not permit any doctor or hospital to undertake hymen repair surgery except under certain unusual circumstances, in which it should be conducted after doing scrutiny of credible evidence by a specialised committee.
"If permission was given without any restrictions, it will be opening up of a pandora's box for immoral traffic among young women. Such fatwas will be virtually promoting illicit relations," he said.
Dr Mohammad Ali Al Bar, director of the Medical Ethics Centre and an expert in Islamic jurisprudence, is of the view that a doctor, who carries out such hymen repair surgeries for women who have had illicit *** is not only deceiving his medical ethics but also acting against his good conduct as a Muslim.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudis-debate-hymen-repair-fatwa-1.523952
Riyadh: Of late, a fatwa issued by a noted Islamic preacher Shaikh Salman Al Ouda, has sparked a hot debate in Saudi society, especially in religious circles.
The topic of the fatwa was whether hymen repair surgeries were permissible or not.
Taking part in a programme called Hajar Al Zawiya on MBC channel, Dr Al Ouda ruled that it is permissible under certain occasions.
"There are divergent opinions among Islamic scholars whether it is permissible to repair hymen through surgical procedures or not. However, my opinion is inclined in favour of it, provided that the woman sees it as part of her repentance," he decided.
Grave issue
"In such a case, it is permissible for her to do it in order to protect herself as well as her life and future. This is a grave social matter that may ended up in the murder of women. I want to draw attention to the report of an international organisation saying that there are about 5,000 women, who were being killed annually because of this matter," Al Ouda said.
Scholars who favour hymen repair surgery are of the view that this should not be misused by young women to cover up their immoral acts. They disprove of such a repair if it was meant by women to fool their husbands by faking their virginity.
World Islamic Scholars' Federation Deputy President and former Justice Minister of Mauritania Shaikh Abdullah Bin Bayya says that surgical repair of hymen is permissible for a woman, who lost it either in an accident or as a result of an assault, under certain strict conditions. However, "she should be sincere in her repentance and should inform her life partner about the incident."
Speaking to Gulf News, several sociologists and experts noted that there are several chances for a woman to lose her hymen in the present times.
"Women are the victims of several crimes and immoral acts such as rape, blackmailing, molestation and ****** assaults," they said.
Dr Faisal Al A'ani, a social researcher, noted that society usually forgives or closes its eyes to the mistakes of young men. "But they will not show any leniency if it is a woman," he said, adding that there is no difference between the societies in the kingdom or any other Gulf, Arab or Muslim country in this respect.
Dr Hassan Jamal, president of the Saudi Society for Gynaecology, said that Saudi law does not permit any doctor or hospital to undertake hymen repair surgery except under certain unusual circumstances, in which it should be conducted after doing scrutiny of credible evidence by a specialised committee.
"If permission was given without any restrictions, it will be opening up of a pandora's box for immoral traffic among young women. Such fatwas will be virtually promoting illicit relations," he said.
Dr Mohammad Ali Al Bar, director of the Medical Ethics Centre and an expert in Islamic jurisprudence, is of the view that a doctor, who carries out such hymen repair surgeries for women who have had illicit *** is not only deceiving his medical ethics but also acting against his good conduct as a Muslim.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/saudis-debate-hymen-repair-fatwa-1.523952