Is it permissible to study in a college where there is free mixing of men and women, given that there is no other college in our country, even if the intention is to prevent leaving a place for the enemies and to enter with the purpose of calling people to Allah?
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The questioner : He says:The questioner : Is it permissible to study in a college where there is free mixing of men and women, given that there is no other college in our country, even if the intention is to prevent leaving a place for the enemies and to enter with the purpose of calling people to Allah?
The Shaykh : The default ruling is that it is not permissible to study in universities where there is free mixing of men and women. Even if the people were to agree on this and the men refused to enter these universities and the women refused to enter them, the governments would be forced to establish separate universities for men and separate universities for women. However, people have become lenient regarding this defective system, and men and women have started entering, and they cannot find accredited universities that distinguish between men and women. We say from this place that it is obligatory for Islamic governments to separate women into their own universities and men into their own universities. This is not a difficult matter, even in the field of medicine; it is possible to prepare women to study medicine in universities for women, and men to study in universities for men. But, unfortunately, many governments are negligent in this matter and establish mixed universities where men and women mix, resulting in trial and evil that only Allah knows. In any case, our answer to this question is: if there are no universities in your country except these mixed universities, and your entry into these universities is for the sake of reform as much as you are able, and you distance yourself from mixing with women by being in a corner of the classroom or something similar, then we hope that there is no harm in this. However, I say this with a sense of reluctance in my heart, because I see that people should have the strength to boycott these universities. If the men boycott them and the women boycott them, then the governments will be forced to open universities specifically for women and universities specifically for men.
The Shaykh : The default ruling is that it is not permissible to study in universities where there is free mixing of men and women. Even if the people were to agree on this and the men refused to enter these universities and the women refused to enter them, the governments would be forced to establish separate universities for men and separate universities for women. However, people have become lenient regarding this defective system, and men and women have started entering, and they cannot find accredited universities that distinguish between men and women. We say from this place that it is obligatory for Islamic governments to separate women into their own universities and men into their own universities. This is not a difficult matter, even in the field of medicine; it is possible to prepare women to study medicine in universities for women, and men to study in universities for men. But, unfortunately, many governments are negligent in this matter and establish mixed universities where men and women mix, resulting in trial and evil that only Allah knows. In any case, our answer to this question is: if there are no universities in your country except these mixed universities, and your entry into these universities is for the sake of reform as much as you are able, and you distance yourself from mixing with women by being in a corner of the classroom or something similar, then we hope that there is no harm in this. However, I say this with a sense of reluctance in my heart, because I see that people should have the strength to boycott these universities. If the men boycott them and the women boycott them, then the governments will be forced to open universities specifically for women and universities specifically for men.