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Fatwa CenterParents believe working with Muslims in West is unsafe
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. I have a halal job, which is run by Muslims. I live in the West. My family are concerned about my safety since I decided to work in this job that is filled with Muslims. My family have been trying to explain to me that they would like me to find another job that is "normal," where there are Muslims and Non-Muslims. They were telling me that Allah told us that we should not harm ourself and that we should look for safety. O Shaykhs, I fear and love Allah as He deserves to be feared. I have a high trust in Allah and I look after myself. My family does not understand me and tell me that they are worried, because they took care of me. I only have this job, because for a year I kept searching for a halal job, and Allah placed me in this job for my family to stop pestering me from finding a job. My family are aware that females are not obliged to work, but they would like me to work to be independent, but now they want to get involved by telling me that I should not be working in jobs that are meant for Muslims. Could you please provide any evidence from the Quran and hadiths regarding my impediment?
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.
We have already highlighted in fatwas 82399 and 83607 that it is permissible for a woman to work provided that she abides by certain conditions; so please refer to them.
So if these conditions are met in this job, then there is nothing wrong with it. The fact that it is with a group of Muslims is not reprehensible; rather, this is praiseworthy.
You did not clarify why your family are worried about your work in that place.
In any case, obedience to the parents is not obligatory at all times, let alone obedience to others. We have already issued fatwas 84942 and 131695 about the limits of obedience to parents, so please refer to them.
Therefore, if your parents have no valid reason for asking you to leave this job, then you are not obliged to obey them, but if there is a real harm due to which they fear for you, then obedience to them is obligatory in that.
Finally, it should be noted that when a woman does not have money and is not married, her father is obliged to spend on her if he is able to do so, so he spends on her until she gets married and her husband consummates the marriage with her.
Allah knows best.
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