Dear Editor,
Every now and again people gratuitously mount unwarranted attacks on Islam, generally premised on ignorance of the structure of revealed religion and quoting a person or two whose blasphemic views coincide with theirs. This is the case with Mr Justin de Freitas’s recent letter captioned ‘What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.’
First I fail completely to see the connection between orphaned and maimed Muslim children in Iraq and Afghanistan and homosexuality. Even several leaps of the imagination fail to establish a connection. Maybe Mr De Freitas can explain this irrelevancy in a subsequent letter!
The question of the status of Muslim women is too wide to deal with in a letter. Before I answer the specific points raised please note some points on the status of women at the advent of Islam. In Arabia women were inherited as property by sons on the death of their husbands; some female infants were buried alive; the number of wives that a man may have was unlimited; the property owned by the woman automatically became the property of her husband on marriage and so on. It was Islam that conferred on women the honor and dignity that was rightfully theirs as human beings.
Islamic law specifies that when women leave their homes they must be covered except for the hands and face. The burkha, which is additional cover, is therefore a choice of the woman involved. Note that I have said ‘a choice of the woman involved’ because no one including the husband can order her to do it because Islamic law is clear on the subject. The extensive coverage of the female body is specified to preserve morality in the society among other purposes. The hijab indicates to the people on the street that the wearer is a decent person and should not be molested. On a broader scale Islam saves women from being viewed and acting as sex objects. Mr Editor, walk any day on the street and you will see western women dressed to emphasise their shape and flaunt their sex.
Apparently westerners are unable to make the connection between (un)dress and innumerable teenage pregnancies, the uncontrollable spread of HIV/AIDS, a spiralling divorce rate, etc. Western clothes also dehumanise women into sex objects indicating a massive disrespect for women as human beings. The atmosphere generated by having badly and scantily dressed women must also be conducive to the high incidence of rape which is a kind of violence against women.
The dehumanisation of women leads to their maltreatment which permeates the western society. I will advance one instance of the continuing treatment of women as sex objects. If you looked at the recently concluded Wimbledon tournament you would have seen that the pants of the men extended to the knee but the covering of the women stopped at the hips with a very mini-skirt, which flies in the wind, to cover it. We could go on about spread of diseases, etc, which are all related to Islam’s laws on the subject. For the records the Holy Prophet (May the peace and blessings of God be with you) is reported as saying that as immorality increases Allaah will send more and greater diseases and this is clearly evidenced by the advent of HIV/AIDS which now appears uncontrollable.
Ayaan Hirsi is probably not a good person to quote with her record of conviction for visa fraud. Mr de Freitas probably does not know of Tasleema Nasreen of Bangladesh who holds similar views or he may have quoted her as well. These and a few others seek to re-invent and modify revealed religion and this simply cannot be done.
When someone accepts, as Muslims do, that this Quran is the revealed word of God (Allaah), then he has to accept the whole thing because rejection of a part or some parts of the Quran makes that person an infidel.
Why it makes the person an infidel is because Allaah is saying one thing and the person rejects that by saying otherwise thereby trying to improve or be more knowledgeable than Allaah. Ibn Warraq is free to believe what he wants – Islam allows freedom of belief. What he means by “uncritical acceptance” needs further elaboration to warrant a reply.
Islam has set the rules that set the framework in which people relate to each other and the persons concerned should make an effort to avail themselves of the information. That person would need to have his head examined who believe that Islam permits the maltreatment and enslavement of women, or any other group in the society. The spread of Islam saw some absorption of local customs and the retention of some practices which were un-Islamic. Islam cannot be blamed for that.
In conclusion Mr de Freitas speaks of whether I advocate the continued observance of archaic Sharia rules.
Is he talking about children being respectful to parents; or honesty in business dealings; or praying and fasting regularly; or refraining from adultery and fornication; or not permitting cheating, lying and backbiting; or by the state establishing a framework under which all its citizens can live peacefully and obtain justice; or to fight in legitimate self defence?
The charge of ‘archaic’ was obviously taken from the air and not based on research because the modern world needs those qualities which Islam propagates.
And more recently I saw a letter which states that men must have nothing to do with the way women dress! Here we have ignorance of two things at least – one is the nature of revealed religion setting its standards and these are not available for manipulation by anyone and the second is the integrated nature of a society.
Because any society is an integrated whole what some sections do matters to all of us. One is reminded of Donne’s poem “Ask not for whom the bell tolls…”
Yours faithfully,
Al Haj Mujtaba Nasir
General Secretary
CIOG
Djeeez! How narrow minded!
Sexual appeal is definitly part of the human naure. Therefore, covering feminine characteristics is inhuman. It’s like saying: We should be ashamed of what the Mather Nature has given us. This is, of course ignoance. Western wemen are right to spread sexual alure and charm. Muslem wemen look like sombies and unattractive, because of the stupid rules imposed by religious leaders. It’s time for muslim wemen to emancipate themselves and demand equal rights with men. Not to be dominated and enslaved by them.
Wladek
“Apparently westerners are unable to make the connection between (un)dress and innumerable teenage pregnancies….” Teenage Muslim girls in the Arab/Islamic countries and even in North America are covered from head to foot, yet you see them pushing baby strollers with broods in tow. They even marry their own first cousins! We’re not living in antiquity, Al Haj Mujtaba Nasir.
Here we go again… I will like to ask Mr. Nasir a question, who sees women as sex symbols? Isn’t it men, the opposite sex. In this case i think the problems lies with men and not women and It’s time we stop treating women as lesser human beings. In this golden age, where knowledge is probably at its peak, we should not demonstrate prejudice to any entity. The golden rule states, do onto others as you would want be done to you. So if a woman should only have her face and hands visible then so should men and don’t tell me about GOD. For too long, men (humans) have used the god concept for their own benefits and there are mountains of examples to attest to this.
In the various indigenous communities around the world, women and men go almost naked and the thought you outline is hardly evident. Is it, that there lay, within the indigenous communities, a supreme consciousness that does not exist in the modern thinking? You must be aware that all societies of the world developed along differing paths; hence their outlook on life/world is different. However different, none of these societies has the answers to the world’s problems and history also has shown when one try to trump his/her values above others the only result is disaster.
My outlook on life is different and unique, no other person in this world sees this world, we live in, like I do and in contrast to your view and upbringing, I see no problem with the way women dress at the grand slam(s), or how they dress in general but what I do see/notice is man (male gender) inability to control himself under various circumstances especially when it comes to the females sex.
In this case psychotherapy is necessary.
I think that Al Haj Mujtaba Nasir passing himself off with an Arab name does not give him the right to make such an assassine statement: “that western clothes dehumanise women into sex objects”. In the Arab world and many Islamic countries women are covered from head to toe and still they are being abused in their own homes. So please don’t blame the clothes for the way men treat their women when they start following the teachings of the Holy Prophet and the Koran without their twisted interpretation then you can preach to the choir in the meantime
Maybe you should pay heed to your own advice “That person would need to have his head examined who believe that Islam permits the maltreatment and enslavement of women, or any other group in the society. “
Al Haj Mujtaba Nasir, men who rape, men, boys, women, babies, old ladies are sickos! (mentally ill and in need to psychiatric intervention). Their victims’s dress- style, pants-size or diaper-colour, did not cause them to view their victims as sex-objects, it is their own delusional minds.
Rape is a crime of power, not passion. You write as though it is. You are ill-informed. You may want to read up on the psychology of the rapists and I also recomment reading up on a book or three where the victim was able to share with the rest of the world who he or she was before and after the rape. Short of that, you are telling us what you think, not writing a letter based on sound logic, common sense and only the facts, only the facts.
I suggest you update your mental data-bank.
It may interest you to note, that most of the world has long moved on from blaming the victims to what to do now with these sexual predators who walk among us.
And it may also interest you to note that many of the victims of rape are children, some of them boys! So stop this ignorance and spend your time enlightening the readers of SN. Have some pride. This letter you wrote is nonsense.
Are men the only “sexual predators who walk among us”? What about the woman who shot at another woman who shuned her sexual advances and killed a security guard?
U r damn right Gap1. Bravo!!!
Al Haj Mujtaba Nasir can only talk but he got NO POWER to enforce his views on others who don’t share them.
Let the man go and live in Pakistan or Afghanistan. We are a Western country governed by the almight US$$$$$.
Well said Greg!!!!!
Don’t stifle your conscience to make a point, Greg. It is dishonest. Sexual predators come in all sexes, but save yourself the ostrich syndrone–you and I and little Ricky here, know that most of them are men.
Not that I condone the women who do the same, and unlike you, I make no excuse for them because I share their gender. But I won’t give you a free pass by confusing this discussion as a battle of the sexes, because it is not. It never was and thanks to many noble and honorable men on this blog, it never will be.
Interesting that you would think ,I would easily be distracted and ignore snide little retorts, such as the one you made above.
I feel deeply hurt. What have I ever blogged to give you that impression!
Very well said indeed.
Maybe we should start prohibitting money. You never know when the next time will be that I get the urge to steal from that arrogant bastard who took out his wallet in front of me. He was asking for it after all.