Q388 :There is provision in certain educational
institutions in my home country to join a military training course
which lasts a month. This is available for both boys and girls in
secondary schools. Completing the course adds 20 marks to the aggregate
examination marks of the student. This helps in securing admission to a
good college. The training is conducted only by men officers and girls
are allowed to have their head covering, although this is not required
of them. Is it permissible for a girl to join such a course of military
training in order to ensure good university education?
A388 : This is a case to which a general Islamic
rule applies. The rule says that everything is permissible unless it
involves something which makes it forbidden. This means that something
may be forbidden not because Islam does not approve of it in principle,
but because of some other factors or circumstances which are added to
it so as to make it unacceptable from the Islamic point of view. With
regard to your question, we can say that for Muslim girls to undertake
military training is permissible. However, if the setup or organization
involves violating some Islamic teachings or principles, then the
ruling of permissibility changes as a result of that. If those Muslim
girls were trained by women instructors in an enclosed setup, that is
perfectly acceptable. On the other hand, if they are trained by men in
a situation where they are allowed to dress in a way which does not
violate Islamic rules and at the same time helps them pursue their
training, and if there is no possibility of an instructor being in
private seclusion with a woman he trains, the verdict again says that
such a training is permissible. However, a Muslim woman who wants to
undertake it should make her intentions clear that she wants to have
such military training in order to help in the defense of the Muslim
netmunity, or her family or herself. She should not follow this only to
secure admission to a proper college. This is a small reward for her
labors. She should seek Allah’s pleasure and a good reward from Him by
armaking her effort dedicated to a noble purpose.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )