Laila Al-Qarni, without any male relatives accompanying her, participates in the Hajj rituals in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, and encourages women to follow in the footsteps of the many Arab women who perform the annual rituals this year on their own.
The 60-year-old Tunisian doctor and mother of two says that her husband was unable to accompany her because he is over 65, the maximum age allowed by the authorities for pilgrims to perform rituals this year, adding: “Why should a woman be accompanied by a man anyway? Why?”.
“I encourage every woman to come here without a mahram,” continues the woman, who put a Tunisian flag over her shoulders in a shopping center near the Grand Mosque.
Her sister Hayat Abdul Malik, 64, who retired after being a manager in a company with more than 1,400 employees, says that Arab women must be “courageous and able to adapt” to different circumstances.
In 2021, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj officially allowed women of all ages to perform Hajj without a mahram, provided that they are in groups.
Previously, the authorities required the presence of a “guardian” for any woman under the age of 45, which prevented many Muslim women around the world from performing the Hajj.
“Don’t be afraid”
The decision also encouraged older women who are reluctant to perform the Hajj without a brother, son, father or husband.
This year, the authorities allowed one million Muslims who received vaccines against the Corona virus, including 850,000 who came from abroad, to perform the Hajj, two years after the numbers were significantly reduced due to the epidemic.
“Don’t be afraid,” says Egyptian pilgrim Suhail Mohamed, who is reluctant to take the trip without a male relative. “A woman is equal to 100 men,” she says.
The mother of three worked in a department of the Egyptian Ministry of Defense for more than three decades, and notes that this work “gave me confidence…it empowered me and made me stronger. The women who stay at home are the ones who feel afraid” to perform rituals such as Hajj that require mental and physical toughness. over five days.
And last October, a study published by the Middle East Institute in Washington said that women in the Arab region have long faced patriarchy, insecurity, and other crises.
She added that the 22 Arab countries “have one thing in common, which is that women continue to face a backlash against their long-awaited fundamental rights and freedoms.”
The region ranks “lowest in the world in terms of women’s rights, with a gender gap that takes 153 years to close,” according to the study.
However, the challenges faced by women are not at the same level in all Arab countries. Despite the hardships, women in countries like Tunisia and Lebanon enjoy more social freedoms than others.
In the Gulf, more women are entering the labor market by choice or by necessity, and they are holding ministerial positions in the UAE and parliamentary seats in Kuwait.
“Spiritual pleasure”
In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi decision on the “Muharram” is part of the social reforms undertaken by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler who is trying to shake off the kingdom’s hard-line image and diversify its oil-dependent economy.
Since his rise to power, women have been given access to more business sectors, and have been allowed to drive and travel abroad without a male guardian’s permission, in parallel with criticism of the kingdom’s human rights record by NGOs.
In the Grand Mosque, this week many women, including from Arab countries, performed the first Hajj rituals on their own. Some of them chose to wear colorful clothes, a change from the black abayas that were preferred years ago.
Some of them carried electronic tablets to recite long prayers and supplications.
On Saturday, women in Mecca are expected to celebrate the first day of Eid al-Adha in traditional Saudi clothes.
“For (women) who are able to (perform the pilgrimage), don’t miss that,” even if that means coming without a male guardian, Egyptian financial expert and mother of four Faten Abdel Moneim, 65, told AFP.
She continues, “This is a spiritual pleasure that cannot be described. You are in the presence of God’s house, so what more could you ask for?”