Assalamu alaikum, in my country all our higher institusions[university]are mixed that is male and female.so is it permisable for a muslim woman to lecture in such institution?

Alhamdu Lillah

Public speaking by women is not an Islamic tradition, nor is it something in a compliance with the Islamic rules. Public speaking necessitates eye contacts for a long time, communicating, and more importantly, building direct relationships with audience in many cases.

 In Islam, women have to be covered with their full Hijab when abroad, stand in the back rows in the congregational Salah, have their own door to enter and exit the Masjid, can not call the Athan for Salah in the presence of men, are not allowed to lead the Salah in the Masjid, can not give the Friday speech, were never chosen by Allah SWT for prophethood through out the history, not even to be a guardian or representative to another woman in conducting the marriage contract,..…and on

  From all the above -and much more- it is clear that the wisdom behind all these regulations is to reduce the exposure of women, consequently, observing the highest level of modesty, morality, and chastity in the society. Keeping the direct interaction between the two genders to the minimum will save the society from many of the moral and ethical disasters the non-Muslim societies are experiences nowadays.

 That is why, for instance, it was never reported during the first three best centuries that a woman- including the wives of the Prophet SAAW- took any public position or spoke to the public directly, leave aside delivering the Friday’s Khutbah.

 Meanwhile, none of the Muslim scholars (to the best of my knowledge) indicated explicitly that public speaking by women is prohibited; rather it is extremely disliked and should be taken only when there is a desperate and a dire need for it.  

 Nowadays, and with the abandonment of the divine law in the Muslim World in general; many non-Islamic traditions and practices are taking place, and eventually,  badly afflict their respective societies with societal and ethical diseases. One of these non-Islamic traditions is the establishment of mixed-gendered universities, where men and women are treated equally and no discrimination- or even consideration- based on gender. A part of that so called “equality” is to give (equal employment opportunity) for both genders. A woman that is hired as an academician would find herself lecturing to a mixed crowd, attending conventions and conferences, and consequently, acting as a man!

 With the hardship of abandoning higher educational institutes, Muslim women who want to proceed with their higher education can join and pursue their degrees, while observing their modesty, full Hijab, and Islamic identity. Also, they need to use their discretion in keeping their public speeches to the minimum if they can not avoid it.