Official Saudi fatwa issued against women cashiers but employers say will only act if government asks

The fatwa banning women from working as cashiers was issued six days¹ ago by Saudi Arabia's Senior Scholars Council, the top Saudi Islamic authority and the official fatwa-issuing body.

The reason for the ruling by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh and six members of the council was that it would result in the mixing of unrelated men and women, which was forbidden. The ruling said women should not attract men or be attracted by men at work.

The fatwa challenges³ government policy by going against labour ministry approval for women working as cashiers in a move to have more of them working.¹

Although fatwas are not laws, they can be cited in court,¹ as sharia is the legal code of the country.²

Despite the fatwa, women were still working and their employers said they will only act if required to do so by the labour ministry.¹

Sources: 1. 2. AFP, 3. Daily Telegraph (UK)