Islam and treatment of women
Neil Ozman
Islam considers women to be inferior creatures. Muhammad himself once said
that he would "never touch the hand of women" because women were viewed as
unclean temptresses. In addition to the humiliating dress code, women are
thought to be half-human and in need of guidance:
4.34.: "Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them
to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the
support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that
which Allah hath guarded. As for those [women] from whom ye fear rebellion,
admonish them and banish them to beds apart; and scourge [beat] them. Then,
if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High
Exalted, Great."
The sayings of caliphs, leaders of Islam, were like proclamations of
Catholic popes, and their words became the foundation for later Islamic
traditions and law. Their misogyny has profoundly influenced Islamic
culture. For instance, the second caliph Omar said, "Prevent the women from
learning to write! Say no to their capricious ways." He also remarked,
"Adopt positions opposite those of women. There is great merit in such
opposition."
Ali, Mohammed's cousin and the fourth caliph, said that "The entire woman is
evil and what is worse is that it is a necessary evil! ... You should never
ask a woman her advice because her advice is worthless. Hide them so that
they cannot see other men! ... Do not spend too much time in their company
for they will lead you to your downfall! ... Men, never ever obey your
women. Never let them advise you on any matter concerning your daily life
... They have three qualities worthy of an unbeliever: they complain of
being oppressed when in fact it is they who oppress; they take solemn oaths
and at the same time lie; they make a show of refusing the advances of men
when in fact they long for them ardently. Let us implore God's help to
escape their sorcery."
The Muslim scholar al-Ghazali, living in the eleventh century, wrote that
the Muslim woman should
stay at home and get on with her spinning, she should not go out often, she
must not be well-informed, nor must she be communicative with her neighbours
and only visit them when absolutely necessary ... her sole worry should be
her virtue, her home as well as her prayers and her fast ... she should be
clean and ready to satisfy her husband's sexual needs at any moment.
al-Ghazali goes on to say that Allah has punished women in eighteen separate
ways, including:
menstruation
pregnancy
childbirth
lesser share in inheritances
liability for divorce but inability to initiate divorce
seclusion
exclusion from many religious rituals and ceremonies
disqualification for positions as rulers and judges
In addition, the testimony of one woman in an Islamic court is only worth
half of the testimony of a man. Some modern Muslim scholars give weight to
discredited theories allegedly showing that female cranial capacity is far
below that of males. Since the primary function of marriage in Islam is
procreation (for the woman) and pleasure (for the man), Muslim women cannot
ask for divorce unless their husbands' penises have literally withered away.
The Heaven of Islam is full of wide-eyed female virgins ready to fulfill the
sexual needs of dead, pious, Muslim men. There are no equivalent male
servants for devout Muslim women who have passed on to the next world.
Here are some interesting examples of the treatment of women under Muslim
law as reported by Ibn Warraq. In the Pakistan of the late seventies,
martial law was imposed and holy days like Ramadan were enforced by armed
soldiers. Women were forbidden to compete in sporting events and the zina
laws were introduced. "Zina" is a word for illicit sex that includes
adultery, fornication, rape, and prostitution, and the zina laws recommended
amputation of hands and executions for violators. What this meant in
practive was that rape victims were often charged with violating the zina
laws.
For instance, a Muslim in Pakistan kidnapped and raped his friend's
daughter. Her father brought charges against the rapist but his daughter was
thrown in prison for committing zina. Her father successfully bribed the
police to release her and when she returned home she was severely beaten for
dishonoring her family. In another case, a sixteen-year-old domestic worker
named Safia Bibi was raped and impregnated by her landlord and his son.
Bibi's father had the two men charged in court, but since the testimony of
even one man automatically outweighs the word of one woman, they were not
convicted. However, Bibi's pregnancy was evidence of adultery (it is thought
that pregnancy can only result from consensual sex) and therefore she was
sentenced to three years in prison, fifteen lashes, and a fine of 15,000
rupees. Human rights groups in Pakistan report that a rape occurs every
three hours in Pakistan, half of all rape victims are juveniles, and 72
percent of all women in police custody are physically and sexually abused.
Most of those women are in prison on charges of violating the zina laws.
Speaking of Pakistan, many people cite the 1988 election of Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto as an example of a more liberal Islam, since under
traditional Islamic law, women cannot act as heads of a Muslim state.
However, her government lasted almost two years, at which point she was
forced out of office on charges of "corruption" and her husband imprisoned.
In a hopeless attempt to cling to power, Bhutto frequently gave in to the
demands of the Muslim clerics and theologians and refused to acknowledge the
rights of women, whose lot was no better when Bhutto left office. Bhutto has
since won and lost national office yet again.
RICHEST98
Rio de Janeiro
rape girls like your prophet did to 9 years old girl so called (13th wife)
How can 60 years old man (ur prophet) could have sex with her? hmm
Is this not rape/molestation?
"Neil Ozman" <nei...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:994nl1$bbc$1...@merki.connect.com.au...
rmamache
If you got things to say about Muslims, well there is the soc.religion.islam
NG, there you will find people who can answer your questions.
i know many Muslims in North America, there is nothing wrong with these
people. They are absolutely normal people. My question is why is Islam
attacked in many NGs?!!!!
When i read what's written against them, and look at their behavior, there
is like a conflict. It looks a lot like a conspiracy. Like someone who wants
to tarnish them.
Muslims are fought in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Kashmir, inside India, Algeria,
Sudan, Palestine, Iraq, phillipines. Saudis are shown like demons. Who is
behind this? If Islam was so bad, why is 1.4 billion people embracing Islam.
Why are mosques mushrooming in America? How did this religion gather
followers from all continents?There are many questions going through my
mind. Is the real truth hidden inside Islam?
Thanks buddy, you have just opened a door for me. i'll investigate more
about this religion. Who knows, i might embrace it like the Asians, blacks,
and Arabs did.
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro <youk...@onlyhere.com> wrote in message
news:99l54d$7er$1...@taliesin.netcom.net.uk...
rmamache
If you got things to say about Muslims, well there is the soc.religion.islam
NG, there you will find people who can answer your questions.
Neil Ozman <nei...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:994nl1$bbc$1...@merki.connect.com.au...
Neil Ozman
rmamache <rmam...@gecems.com> wrote in message
news:vFWw6.172284$Z2.21...@nnrp1.uunet.ca...
Neil Ozman
destruction of the Budhas by the Muslims. This is of interest to all
Budhists they must know how Islam is murdering their fellow Budhists.
rmamache <rmam...@gecems.com> wrote in message
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