MAKKAH — The first session of the recently elected Jeddah Municipal Council witnessed a heated debate with women members insisting that they be allowed to sit in the same room with their male counterparts without barriers or partitions. Dr. Hatoon Al-Fassi, who hosted a group event at her family home in Makkah, said women have the right to sit in the same room with men in the municipal council meetings in the way procedures are being conducted at the Shoura Council. She warned against mixing up clear religious prohibitions with social customs and traditions. Al-Fassi condemned attempts to criminalize and prohibit certain acts despite a lack of legitimate Islamic evidence or religious rulings. On the other hand, Dr. Ibtisam Al-Jabri, who had an opposing opinion, criticized the push for sitting on the same table with men, calling it a "disaster". "I wonder why women wearing veil insist on participating in council debates shoulder to shoulder with men," she said. Al-Jabri stressed the importance of women's commitment to regulations set by the government, saying the good work of women "must be a course to follow, not to innovate". "There is no need for women to sit on the same table with men to do good. Many women with knowledge who did good work throughout history did not compromise on the principle of hijab (veil) or being segregated from men. What matters is to make the women's voices heard and make an impact," she said. Lawyer Hala Al-Hakim said there was no provision in the bylaws of the municipal council that addresses the issue of segregating male and female members. "What some council members have done was a deliberate attempt to impede the progress of women in the council and impose their opinion without putting it to vote by all members," she said. The elected members of the council, Lama Al-Suleiman and Rasha Hifzi, insisted on sitting with male counterparts at the same table and refused to sit behind a glass wall in separate offices during the council meetings. Twenty women, including three in the Makkah province, have won seats in the third municipal council elections held nationwide on Dec. 12, 2015. Some 6,440 candidates, including more than 900 women, participated in the landmark election, where women were allowed to contest and vote for the first time in the history of Saudi Arabia.
