Islamic cleric tries to bypass gender segregation

May 28, 2007

An Islamic cleric named Ezzat Atiya issued a  to get around and hijab in Islam. He stated that symbolic breastfeeding could be used to make it permissible for male and female colleagues to work together alone.

Dr. Atiyah had stated that the breastfeeding does not have to be by the woman herself. "[This can also be achieved] by means of the man's mother or sister suckling the woman, or by means of the woman's mother or sister suckling the man" he wrote.

Atiya works at the Al-Azhar University, an Islamic seminary in Egypt. The seminary was established by a Shi'a and is named after. Zahra was the wife of. Al-Azhar University has a fatwa that officially sanctioned with one condition only: martyrdom operations are only allowed in Israel. The university has had this ruling for a long time and has stood by it.

Atiyah had said, A woman at work can take off the veil or reveal her hair in front of someone whom she breastfed.

According to, "If someone tells you he has a new interpretation of Islam, sock him in the mouth."