Gulf | Saudi Arabia
Lack of women's role in Haj decried
Saudi women working as mutawwifs are a rare sight these days, but this was not always the case, says Asia Ali, a great grandmother and former mutawwif.
- By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 January 2, 2007
- According to a former mutawwif, there were around 3,000 Saudi female mutawwifs 50 years ago, but today there are only 793.
- Image Credit: AP
Makkah: Saudi women working as mutawwifs are a rare sight these days, but this was not always the case, says Asia Ali, a great grandmother and former mutawwif.
Mutawwifs are people who guide pilgrims to perform the rituals.
"Seventy years ago, women had a greater role in serving Allah's guests during the Haj," Asia told Gulf News.
"We used to work 24 hours and we did everything ourselves, from receiving pilgrims at the airport, arranging their accommodation and meals to educating them in Haj rituals. We also took them to Arafat and Mina and all the sites and places they were to go, " Asia said.
"Female mutawwifs used to be part of the yearly Haj organisation and participated in the discussions." Asia said.
"We use to cover our faces and attend the meetings. Now women do not attend meetings and don't take part in a lot of the decision-making," the grandmother of 15 said.
"It's a pity since half of the pilgrims are women and only women can understand their sister pilgrims and their needs regarding services and comfort."
In the past, the mutawwifs followed their family tradition, since guiding pilgrims was a family business. Certain families worked for centuries as mutawwifs and Haj organisers. But many years ago, Haj Ministry intervened and established the Haj Association, which took over the organisational details. In an attempt to coordinate the Haj more efficiently, the role of women was mostly eliminated and restricted to medical care and office work.
According to the former mutawwif, there were around 3,000 Saudi female mutawwifs 50 years ago, but today there are only 793.
Business
"Most women these days work from offices and do not go out to help and assist the pilgrims during the Haj itself the way we did," Asia said.
Asia used to travel to Malaysia, Tunis, Morocco and Egypt more than 50 years ago to attract pilgrims to her package deals. "In the past, everyone worked for himself and women had their own Haj business. Unlike the case nowadays they are hired by the Haj Association.
Asia started to work as a mutawwif after her husband died, leaving her with seven children to take care of. By working for herself, she used to earn enough money during the Haj season to support herself and her children. "Many women were able to support themselves by working during Haj," Asia said.
Like many Makkah residents who work during Haj, Asia who speaks Malay as a second language fluently gave her an advantage over other mutawwifs.
"Not only did I speak the language, but I was also aware of the Malaysian culture because of my Malaysian mother," Asia said. "I hardly had any trouble, even when I travelled to Malaysia because I knew the language and culture."
Share this article
More from Saudi Arabia
More from Gulf
Popular in News
News Editor's choice
-
Al Qaida returns to Manhattan
Trial in US federal court would be just the theatre Khalid Shaikh Mohammad wants
-
Obama's Tibet test
The US president's snub of the Dalai Lama could embolden China
-
What to expect at the Dubai Airshow
We preview what types of aircraft to expect at the Dubai Airshow
