Travel of a Muslim girl to attend a high school camp

21/11/2011| IslamWeb

 Question

As salamu Alaikum. In Senior years of High School in Australia there are camps that the school says are obligatory to attend but one can not go if they refuse. My camp is 54 km away, for 2 nights and 3 days. It is only girls but some non-muslim male teachers will also come. The camp is said to be very safe. The group is with around 210 girls, mainly non muslims.

Is it allowed for me to go?

 

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

 

This distance that you mentioned is considered as a travelling distance and it is not permissible for a woman to travel without a Mahram (i.e. a spouse or a person whom one is permanently prohibited from marrying due to suckling, marital or blood relations) whether it is for a long distance or a short distance, as the Prophet said: “A woman should not travel except with her Mahram.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Moreover, the presence of some non-Muslim male teachers in this camp may cause it to be not safe from temptations especially that most female students are non-Muslims. Therefore, we advise you to try to apologize to the administration for not going, then if they allow you not to go to this camp, then all the best, but if the administration insists that you go and you fear to be harmed by not going, and you predominantly think that it is safe there, then we hope that it is permissible for you to go provided you avoid any thing that could be a reason for temptation. 

Allah Knows best.

 

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb