Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with a woman
looking at a man; hence men, whether they are Muslim or kaafirs, net
enjoined to cover their faces. Women are enjoined to cover themselves but
men are not. Similarly, there is nothing wrong with a woman looking at
another woman if one of them is not Muslim. That is because the
prohibition on looking is due to the fear of desire being provoked, and it
is well known that a woman will not be stirred by desire if she looks at
another woman.
As for the words of Allah (interpretation
of the meaning): “It is no sin on them (the Prophet’s wives, if they
appear unveiled) before their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or
their brother’s sons, or the sons of their sisters, or their own women” [al-Ahzaab
33:55], the word nisa’ihinna (their own women) does not apply
exclusively to believing women; rather it also includes disbelieving women. If a woman looks at a non-Muslim woman that will not result in evil, so there is nothing wrong with her looking at a non-Muslim woman, especially if she needs to meet with her, such as if she is a teacher or a doctor and so on. It would be too difficult for her to observe hijab before her or to look away from her.
Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen (may Allah have mercy on him).