Gender segregation and Muslims refers to the issue of the separation of men and boys from women and girls in social settings in Muslim countries and communities.
However, there is no evidence from the Quran or Hadith that enforces the segregation of sexes, and some even claim that there is, in fact, evidence indicating the opposite. Islamic scholar Ahmad Kutty, has said segregation of the sexes is not a requirement in Islam, as men and women used to interact during Muhammed's time without any partitions.
Views
There have been fatwas which forbid the free mixing between men and women (known as Ikhtilat (Arabic: اختلاط)), especially when alone. The stated intention of all restrictions is to keep interaction at a small and modest level. Islamic jurisprudent laws have traditionally ruled that Muslim men and women who are not intermediate relatives may not, for instance, socialize in order to know each other with a handshake (for any reason) and any form of contact which involves physical contact, and even verbal contact to a certain extent. A number of westernized Muslim intellectuals have challenged this ruling and claim certain physical contact to be permissible as long as there is no obscenity, inappropriate touching (other than a simple handshake), secret meetings or flirting, according to the general rules of interaction between the genders.
Sex segregation is the physical, legal, and cultural separation of people according to their biological sex. This is distinct from gender segregation, which is the separation of people according to social constructions of gender.
In certain circumstances, sex segregation is controversial. Some critics contend that it is a violation of capabilities and human rights and can create economic inefficiencies, while some supporters argue that it is central to certain religious laws and social and cultural histories and traditions.
Definitions
The term “sex” in “sex segregation” refers to apparent biological distinctions between men and women, used in contrast to “gender”. The term “segregation” refers to separation of the sexes, which can be enforced by rules, laws, and policies, or be a de facto outcome in which people are separated by sex. Even as a de facto outcome, “sex segregation” taken as a whole can be caused by societal pressures, historical practices, and socialized preferences. Literally, sex segregation can be physical and spatial separation by sex, but the term is also used for the exclusion of one sex from participation in an occupation, institution, or group. Sex segregation can be complete or partial, as when members of one sex predominate within, but do not exclusively constitute, a group or organization.