Title: Separaton of Men and Women during Social Gatherings Question: Is the separation of women in social gatherings truly an Islamic concept or has it come from ancient Persian cultural practice? Are women allowed to mix freely (as long as it is in an honorable and humble way) with men in an Islamic setting? Ronnie Answer: The fact that Islam has prescribed certain etiquette of interaction between males and females is evidence itself that Islam does not prohibit interaction between males and females. However, because adherence to the etiquette prescribed by Islam may be seen as a hindrance in a desired free and frank atmosphere of a social gathering, therefore, more conservative Muslims generally like to arrange their gatherings in such a way that there is a separation between men and women attending the gathering. Nevertheless, such separate arrangement of gatherings, though it seems to be in keeping with the spirit of the social directives of Islam, cannot be termed as a requirement of the Shari`ah . I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad March 13, 2002