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Women can now undertake Islamic pilgrimages without a male guardian in Saudi Arabia, but that doesn't mean they're traveling alone -- communities are an important part of the religious experience

  • Written by Iqbal Akhtar, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Florida International University
Women can now undertake Islamic pilgrimages without a male guardian in Saudi Arabia, but that doesn't mean they're traveling alone -- communities are an important part of the religious experienceAmerican Muslim women on pilgrimage at the Prophet's Mosque in Medina in 2023.Iqbal Akhtar, CC BY-NC

Saudi Arabia has changed its decadeslong rule that mandated single women be accompanied by a male relative when performing an Islamic pilgrimage, facilitating the participation of thousands of single Muslim women in the Hajj in 2023.

The new rules...

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