Mixing in Education
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Praise be to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. After that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from His Royal Highness Prince: Muhammad ibn Salman ibn Abdulaziz, the Special Advisor to the Prince of the Riyadh Region, with number (43) and date 28/12/1431 AH. His Highness asked a question, the text of which is as follows: I am writing to Your Eminence because some citizens have come to the Emirate regarding their observation that some private schools are merging education between male and female classes for the elementary stage, and they are requesting that this be prohibited. Since this pure country bases its affairs on the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in all its matters, and since we are in the process of verifying this;
therefore, I would like to write to Your Eminence to obtain your views from the perspective of Islamic law and the ruling on this matter, and what is the age at which educational classes must be separated between the sexes?
After studying the question, the Committee answered: Boys and girls, after the beginning of the elementary school age, which is the beginning of their seventh year, possess a level of understanding and perception that makes the ruling regarding them different from that before this age. The scholars have explained the importance of raising a boy among men so that he may acquire their manliness and morals, and they have even pointed out the importance of separating boys from girls in education even when they are young, taking this into consideration. The scholars specializing in education have also mentioned the existence of psychological differences and behavioral factors between males and females, and that each sex has educational methods suitable for its characteristics and compatible with its behavior. This matter will not be achieved in mixed educational environments that do not distinguish between male and female. Furthermore, the presence of some cases of sexual harassment among children in the reality of mixed schools in the early grades of elementary schools in many societies necessitates blocking the means that lead to their emergence and spread among children, and this is done by the complete separation of boys and girls in education. The complete Shari'ah has come with the obligation of blocking the means (sadd al-dhara'i') that lead to corruption.
Moreover, gathering boys and girls in the early grades, in addition to being a matter of concern, is a means and a path to gathering them in the subsequent grades, then the intermediate stage, and so on beyond that. Thus, it becomes a bad beginning that leads to something worse than it. It is well known the many harms and dire consequences that result from the mixing in education, which those who have experienced this type of education in other countries have realized, to the extent that some specialists in those countries have called for returning from it. Therefore, for all these reasons, the Committee has issued the ruling that the mixing of boys and girls in the early grades or the elementary stage in general, or in any other stage of education, is not permissible to do or to approve. It is also not permissible to include the early elementary grades for boys within girls' schools. The door of mixing must be closed with the utmost strictness, and our male children must remain under the education of male teachers in all stages, just as our daughters must remain under the education of female teachers in all stages. By doing so, we take precautions for our religion, our sons, and our daughters.
therefore, I would like to write to Your Eminence to obtain your views from the perspective of Islamic law and the ruling on this matter, and what is the age at which educational classes must be separated between the sexes?
After studying the question, the Committee answered: Boys and girls, after the beginning of the elementary school age, which is the beginning of their seventh year, possess a level of understanding and perception that makes the ruling regarding them different from that before this age. The scholars have explained the importance of raising a boy among men so that he may acquire their manliness and morals, and they have even pointed out the importance of separating boys from girls in education even when they are young, taking this into consideration. The scholars specializing in education have also mentioned the existence of psychological differences and behavioral factors between males and females, and that each sex has educational methods suitable for its characteristics and compatible with its behavior. This matter will not be achieved in mixed educational environments that do not distinguish between male and female. Furthermore, the presence of some cases of sexual harassment among children in the reality of mixed schools in the early grades of elementary schools in many societies necessitates blocking the means that lead to their emergence and spread among children, and this is done by the complete separation of boys and girls in education. The complete Shari'ah has come with the obligation of blocking the means (sadd al-dhara'i') that lead to corruption.
Moreover, gathering boys and girls in the early grades, in addition to being a matter of concern, is a means and a path to gathering them in the subsequent grades, then the intermediate stage, and so on beyond that. Thus, it becomes a bad beginning that leads to something worse than it. It is well known the many harms and dire consequences that result from the mixing in education, which those who have experienced this type of education in other countries have realized, to the extent that some specialists in those countries have called for returning from it. Therefore, for all these reasons, the Committee has issued the ruling that the mixing of boys and girls in the early grades or the elementary stage in general, or in any other stage of education, is not permissible to do or to approve. It is also not permissible to include the early elementary grades for boys within girls' schools. The door of mixing must be closed with the utmost strictness, and our male children must remain under the education of male teachers in all stages, just as our daughters must remain under the education of female teachers in all stages. By doing so, we take precautions for our religion, our sons, and our daughters.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.