Riyadh, July 25: Two Saudi clerics have declared Muslim women are exempt from wearing full veils in France, which is planning to ban them, but added they should avoid visiting it as tourists.
The comments, by Islamic jurisprudence scholar, Mr Mohamed al-Nujaimi, and author and cleric, Mr Ayed al-Garni, come two weeks after French lawmakers passed a bill under which women could be fined for appearing in public with the all-covering burqa or the niqab, which leaves the eyes exposed.
“For a woman who permanently resides in France or is a French citizen, if there is harm in wearing the veil it is permitted that she shows her face when need and necessity demand it,” Mr Nujaimi said in remarks published by al-Watan newspaper.
Muslim scholars are divided over the veil, disagreeing on whether and how much of a woman’s face should be covered. Saudi clerics widely recommend it.
The kingdom is under the House of Saud with clerics from the austere Wahhabi school of Islam who oversee mosques, the judiciary, education and the morals police.
Mr Nujaimi and Mr Garni are not members of the kingdom’s official Senior Scholars Authority, which has not commented on the French Parliament’s decision.
Tourism to Western countries, while not forbidden, should be avoided in favour of Muslim countries where veils are allowed, the clerics said.