Egypt's Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa Says Muslim Women Can Wear Trousers

Egypt’s top Islamic authority Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa said today the Muslim women are permitted to wear trousers, “though they should be loose and not see-though”. He specified that “stretch” pants in particular are unacceptable.

Gomaa described the question as “strange and weird” and smiled as he responded. He is the top religious authority of Egypt and appointed by the government. via Gaea Times

Women in Egypt are given far more leeway in their dress, than in Lubna Hussein’s case.

Unlike Sudan, no morality police patrol the streets, arresting women at random for indecency, typically followed by a quickie court appearance and then flogging as the government does in Sudan.

Sudan flogged 43,000 women last year in Khartoum province alone.

We don’t have photos of the women flogged in Khartoum last year to view their appearance at the time of arrest, but presumably large numbers of women were dressed as modestly and respectably as Lubna Ahmed Hussein when arrested.

A logical conclusion of Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa’s comments that women are permitted to wear trousers under Islam, is that Lubna Hussein — who was wearing modest, khaki-colored gabardine trousers at the time of her arrest was dressed ‘appropriately’ in the eyes of Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa.

Perhaps like so many religions in the world — Judaism for example — Islam has a variety of sects and Sudan’s is the most orthodox and extreme in its treatment of women and Egypt’s is more moderate. 

I do not know the answer why such an esteemed cleric as Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa holds a view on women and trousers so diametrically opposed to the hardline position of Sudan’s president Al-Bashir, when it comes to Islam and women’s appropriate dress. Anne