Muslim Women… The Real Oppression

I find it really outrageous and inconceivable to watch this fierce campaign rallying in “defence” of “our rights”, the rights of Muslim women, such as the recent staging of the Islamo-fascist Awareness Week in USA sponsored by David Horowitz.

What disturbs and frustrates me about this impious movement is the fact that those who are holding the banner of our “liberation” are precisely the ones whose hands are dripping with our blood, the blood of Muslim women!

Wouldn’t it be a good idea if they stop killing us first (in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine with the imminent threat to Iran)?

I mean honestly, at least their hideous and bogus calls might gain some legitimacy and credibility then.

Wouldn’t it be a good idea if they could spare us their fake concern, and their crocodile tears weeping over our state of affairs and act honestly for once, by stopping their genocide against us, and by washing our blood off their hands?

This shrieking and fussing calling for our liberation from the “oppression” and

“dominance” of Islam; is not innocent, it’s rather sinister and disturbing dare I say.

These systematic attempts in the Western media to dehumanise one quarter of the world population, namely the Muslims are influenced and manipulated by the Zionists propaganda.

This recent study shows ‘demonisation’ of Muslims in the British media:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/14/pressandpublishing.religion

The Zionists are discovering that their long concealed hideous crimes in Palestine have been exposed now, they are realizing that slowly but surely they are losing the world support, so they are trying to regain their grip and manipulate the world’s opinion by using new tactics; and by doing so they kill two birds with one stone:

{The greatest danger and the most ruthless enemy of the world now is Islam, and they the "poor brave" Zionists are living amidst millions and millions of "Islamo-fascists", "terrorists" or "potential terrorists", and they courageously are trying to fight this “evil” to save the “civilized” world.

Their favourite new propaganda technique now is not defending the Zionist dream, or the need for a homeland for the Jews, rather, it’s the claim that they are the "brave, humane, moral and civilized" society that is standing against the destruction of the world by Islam the "evil, backward, and uncivilized” religion, the religion that "preaches hatred, violence, terrorism and oppression of women and minorities, and promising its followers of 72 virgins for doing so"!!

For God’s sake would any one show me where does the Qur’an preaches such nonsense!!

The Zionists have lied their heads off for decades regarding what they did and still do to Palestinians, they have used every trick in the book to conceal the truth about their crimes whether by threat, intimidation, or even murder; and now their smear campaign continues with wider victims this time; Islam and Muslim.

That is done overtly as well as subliminally, and it’s enough to read some newspapers and watch some Hollywood movies that mention Muslims to see what I mean.

From what one reads in the news one is led to believe that all Muslims are none but a cult of psychopaths.  
They accuse Islam of oppressing women and the backup their claims by selective reporting that highlights cases of criminality within the Muslim societies and present it as if it is a consequence of the teaching of Islam.

They rattle on about honour killing, genital mutilation and forced marriages for example as if they are characteristics of Islam and Muslim societies, when in fact:

§        Hhonour killing is a CRIME in whatever society, and no matter what ethical standard is used, more so from an Islamic stance.

§        Genital mutilation is a cultural practice in some parts of the world that is practised by all in those cultures. It has absolutely no connection with Islam.

§        And forced marriages are NOT legal under Islamic law, they are considered invalid.

Of course we  have bad men who might be cruel and who might abuse women, and of course we have some bad cultural practices that blatantly contradicts the teaching of Islam. but it’s not up to any outsider to come and change those bad practices, people in those cultures are no less humans, no less intelligent, and no less moral than Westerners, they are well capable of evolving and modifying these bad practices in their own time, and in their own way NOT anyone else’s.

Islam exists in almost every country in the world, there isn’t something that you can call the unique Islamic culture, different races and different geographical areas have their own customs and traditions.

Believing that Muslim women are oppressed, makes some racists bigoted people feel good, it makes them feel morally superior, I am sorry to burst their bubble and tell them that the propaganda that they are fed day and night about us –Muslim women- is nothing but what it is just mere PROPAGANDA.

The Zionists and their supporters influence and manipulate people through playing with our emotions of hate and fear; when someone reads a story of a young Pakistani girl killed or forced to marry, we instinctively become emotionally entangled with sympathy with her and loathing to her “Muslim” (criminal, yet conveniently omitted) father, and we lose sight to see that this is a criminal case and not a genuine Islamic practice.

When the media raises the alert of terrorism from green to yellow to orange or red, they play with our fear, we cease to be rational, we lose our level-headedness and we fall an easy prey to whatever they want us to swallow.

Any fair-minded researcher cannot fail to see that all these accusations and allegations have nothing to do with the authentic teaching of Islam, bad cultural practices exists in all human societies.

In fact if those propagandists are truly genuine in their defence of the rights of Muslim women, they would’ve discovered that the best way to counteract and defeat these bad practices is by teaching those illiterate and poor Muslims the correct Islamic views regarding these matters.

Those Muslims who are engaged in criminal activities due to ignorance can only be helped through teaching them what Islam really say about their misdeeds, and it’s through their pure love and reverence to Islam that we might hope for any success in challenging all those wicked practices.

All good people of the world need to wake up URGENTLY and not swallow the lies of Zion so easily.

READ about Islam from its authentic and original sources, and make some effort to talk to Muslims, listen to what we have to say!
and if you truly care about our oppression as Muslim women, please come and talk to us, listen to what we have to say, not what Horowitz, Dershowitz, or Cohen have to say.

Do not just swallow the Zionist bait!
The future of our world depends on your informed choices

Since its inception, Islam had been perceived by its followers as the driving force for women liberation as seen by those who understood the message. The prophet of Islam zealously condemned the mistreatment of women in the ancient Arabian culture.

He campaigned tirelessly for the rights, equality and protection of women in a society where women were not seen any thing more than a commodity for the service and pleasure of men.

Our history is teeming with prominent names of Muslim women scholars in all fields of knowledge, material as well as spiritual; starting from arts ending with philosophy, including all what’s in between such as poetry, science medicine, theology and much more.

Muslim women have always had the financial independence for example, as a fundamental and unquestionable right; whatever a woman earns is hers and hers alone. She is under no obligation to spend it on anything but what she wishes. Her husband on the other hand is obliged from a legal and spiritual perspective to provide for her and her children, no matter how well she is doing financially.

Muslim women do not change their name when they get married, they are independent entities and not defined by their association with their husbands.

In other words, we do NOT carry the baggage of oppression that European women had endured, nor do we harbour their -understandable- animosity to men.

Furthermore, we are not interested in a life of quarrel and antagonism with men, we love our men, as husbands, brothers, fathers, sons, uncles, and friends, and we view our relationships with them as one of complement and harmony rather than of conflict, competition and hostility.

To get to the real truth about Islam and women, one must be equipped with enough historical, theological, and cultural knowledge about that which he/ she are criticising.

If anyone wants to criticise Islam, by all means feel free to do so, but DO NOT do it ignorantly or arrogantly, without equipping yourself with sufficient and reliable FACTS from authentic and original sources.

It is unscientific, irrational, meaningless, and dishonest to be critical of something that you know nothing or very little about, (and that which you know, comes mainly from shallow media sources or phoney stories from Hollywood rather the authentic books of that religion).

Academic integrity requires the application of proper criteria of research; it necessitates that one must study the valid sources, otherwise all research would be a sham and a scam, and all conclusions would be lacking in credibility, faulty and flawed.

Simply put: do your homework

Did it ever occur to you to ask why is it that 4 out of 5 converts to Islam are women; knowing that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world?  http://www.islamicweb.com/begin/results.htm

Total Number of Muslims on the Earth (1998) ….  1,678,442,000

Expected Number of Muslims on the Earth (2000) 1,902,095,000

34,000 Americans have converted to Islam following the events of September 11, and this is the highest rate reached in the U.S. since Islam arrived there.

  http://sultan.org/articles/convert.html

Interesting also to notice that in the so called “Democratic Free World” the number of women in Parliaments is less than those in the “Undemocratic, Un-Free” Islamic countries

The free world: US 16.3% , UK 19.7%, Israel 14.2%, and France 12.2%

The “other” world: Rwanda 48.8%, Afghanistan 27.3%, Iraq 25.5%, United Arab Emirates 22.5%,Pakistan 21.3%, Monaco 20.8%, Sudan 17.8%

http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm

At this point, suffice to know:

 What the Quran say about women:

“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions”. (16-97)

 “The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practise regular charity, and obey God and His Messenger. On them will God pour His mercy: for God is exalted in power, Wise”. (9:71)

“If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female – and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them”. (3-124)

“Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom’s weight of evil, shall see it”. (99:7-8)

“It is He who created you from a single soul, and made its mate of like nature, in order that he might dwell with her (in love)”. (7:189)

“And among His Signs is this: He created for you mates from among yourselves that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He plants love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are Signs for those who reflect. 30-21

“For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for truthful men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in God’s praise; for them has God prepared forgiveness and great reward”. (33:35) 

 “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (one who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)” (Qur’an 49:13)

“O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, Who created you from a single soul, created, of like nature, its mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women-reverence God, through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (that bore you): for God ever watches over you” (Qur’an 4:1)

 “Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he/she male or female: you are members one of another…” If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female, and have faith, they will enter paradise and not the least injustice will be done to them” (Qur’an 4:124)

“Glory be to Him Who created all the pairs: of what the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge of”. (36; 36) 

The very FIRST revealed verse in the Quran -which was addressing both men and women- was the word: READ;

 “Read!! in the name of your Lord Who created.
Created man from “alaq” (something which clings)
Read: And thy Lord is the Most bountiful,
Who taught (the use of) the pen,
Taught man that which he knew not.
Nay, but verily man is rebellious
That he thinks himself independent and self-sufficient.
Surely to your Lord is the return” (96:1-7)

Some of Muhammad’s sayings:

“Women are but shaqa’iq (twin halves or sisters) of men”

“I commend you to be good to women”

“Heaven lies at the feet of mothers”

“The best of you are the kindest to their wives”

“Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every Muslim male and female”

Any honest observer and researcher will not fail to notice the Islam is a practical religion, a religion of “fitra”, inner nature, and indeed Islam deals with human-nature rather than suppresses it, it does not deny it nor go against it.

It combines the materialistic side of our human-nature with the spiritual, without compromising either.

One of the nicest descriptions of Islam I’ve ever heard was from a new Muslim friend, who said: “Islam is organic, it just feels so natural”

And another convert friend said: “Islam is a treasure covered with a blanket of Muslims”

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-768956312207897325&q=when

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4312980342283025421&q=empire

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7502243539190558658&q=empire

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=94144204270367302&q=empire

Every person of integrity, every peace loving and harmony seeking human; should set their prejudice (that was picked up from Hollywood and tabloid newspapers) aside and to try to answer the simple question: why do one quarter of the world chose Islam as a faith?
Is it not worth real investigations and honest research?

To summarize, from a Muslim woman’s standpoint; our real oppression comes not from Islam, but rather from those who wage war against our people in the name of "democracy", "liberation", and spreading “civilised” values, while not only ignoring our feelings and opinions but also murdering our beloved ones, and destroying all that is dear in our lives.

To believe in God or not believe, to have a faith or not is not the issue, it will forever be matter of disagreement, it is the individual’s choice of how he/ she perceive the world; but what is of crucial importance for the survival of our world is: are we able to learn to live together -as compassionate human beings- with those differences by putting into practice our high principles of tolerance and respect of those who chose a different view of the world.

Finally, I call upon all truth and justice seekers, freedom hunters and peace lovers to exercise their right of FREEDOM of THOUGHT and investigate, examine, and explore this mystifying religion, and please do not think that I am proselytising, in fact this word sickens me…

All I am asking is: for the sake of a better future of our world, people need to educate themselves about the Islam, and not be afraid of KNOWLEDGE and AWARNESS.

The atheistic call for killing God, terminating religion or uprooting faith from humans’ hearts and minds is a mirage, it’s an impossible dream, because humans will always thirst for spiritual fulfilment, and will forever ask the inevitable and  challenging questions about our reality and the purpose of our existence.

The longing for answers for existential questions will never cease to exist as long as humans exist.

 Atheists are free to reject religion, they can deny God all they like, but their denial simply would offer nothing for a seeker’s inquisitive and curious mind.

 Their denial is powerless; as it fails to provide any contentment, tranquillity or peace to one single longing soul.

Islam, with its utter simplicity, pure logic, and total comprehensiveness, will always exist, as a philosophy that satisfies the inquisitiveness of many hearts, souls, and minds; hence, it’s wise and worthwhile that secular people on the left come to terms with this reality, and acknowledge that there is room in the intellectual-world, as well as the material world, for all of us.

Therefore, a dialogue with Muslims is inevitable, and our hope for a peaceful world requires a minimum degree of understanding of the other that should enables TRUST -rather than fear- to flourish and COOPERATION -rather than aggression- to be the norm.

Our dream of a peaceful future for our children necessitates taking the dignified step of setting our prejudices aside and opening our hearts and minds to finding out the truth about the other, beyond this murky thick fog of propaganda.

We can only see with open eyes

We can only hear with open ears

We can only think with open minds

This is an excerpt from a dialogue (through exchange of emails) written to my friend Sam, when he asked me about suffering

The Question of Suffering

How could an Intelligent Being allow such cruelty?

A most valid, most important, and most relevant question.

To start with, I am afraid that by talking about this topic, it would be very difficult to be objective. We won’t be able to discuss it from a purely scientific perception.

We can’t -even if we wanted to- be objective; as this issue entails feelings, emotions, philosophy, personal experience. Therefore I find that –here- I can’t be anything other than subjective; reflecting on my own personal life and my personal experiences.

The most negative occurrences in the life of a human being can be summarized as such: physical pain, emotional pain like grief, sorrow, and fear.

Contemplating on my own life and like every one on the planet I’ve experienced all; but with such intensity that some times it felt and feels almost unbearable.

As little girl I survived the horrors of war, I watched my childhood being stolen away from me. I witnessed the destruction of a people. I experienced the loss of every thing I loved; including my home, my garden, my relatives, my friends, my village, my identity, even my much-loved books and school bag.

I had to rely on UN food and cloths parcels in order to survive.

I witnessed fighter planes flying so low in the sky -that as a child you thought they’re about to fall onto your head- while bombing villages killing innocent women and children.

At such a tender age, I came face to face with human cruelty and brutality and witnessed their ability to inflect so much pain, suffering, and humiliation upon its own kind.

I left home as a refugee with absolutely nothing except the two dresses and a jumper that my mum had forced me to put on in the burning heat of Middle Eastern summer.

She could carry nothing as her youngest baby was only three months old; she had to look after him and his four other sisters; the eldest was only seven years old. For six days we were hiding in a tomb in one of the graveyards in a neighbouring village.

I lived through a kind of fear that had left its permanent mark on me. Until this very day I still jump when I hear a loud noise; I still tremble when I hear the roar of an airplane.

My family of seven and I had lived for some years of our life sharing one room, living with another family of twelve (in Jordan ), then sharing with a different family of ten (in Libya ).

At a very young age, I’ve experienced pain, fear, and sorrow that many people don’t experience in a lifetime.

I agonized as my roots were uprooted time and time again; so much so that at the age of seventeen I decided to live an isolated life refusing to talk to anyone so not to get emotionally attached, in case I lose them again, by doing so I was trying to protect my sanity.

My experiences at the time had taught me that I should never allow my self to make friends or love any one; as every one I loved I ended up loosing or getting separated away from.

As a young mother I was severely ill that I thought I was dying, I asked the doctors to allow me to leave the hospital for few hours because I wanted to see “Beauty and the Beast” movie with my children before it was too late; as I didn’t think I’d make it through to ever watch anything else with them let alone watch them grow.

The pain that I went through at the time was so horrendous that it would keep me awake all day and night; they had to use powerful sedatives to put asleep.

I prayed that no one ever may go through what I’ve been going through.

For four years I was bed ridden, fighting what seemed to be an endless battle with excruciating pain; at some point I couldn’t even hold a cup of tea in my hand let alone making one.

I couldn’t even drive; Khaled used to help me to the car, driving around for a little while for some of change just to lift my spirit up. At the end of each trip I’d come home shattered and so exhausted that I would decide I would never leave the house again.

I would read a paragraph over and over and over again without being able to understand a thing. People would be surrounding me chatting trying to cheer me up, yet I wasn’t even able to comprehend what they were saying.

I sat in front of the consultant who looked after me, tears streaming as he told me that this is it for me. Announcing a life-sentence of pain and agony, and advising me that I should stop hoping to become better or be cured; rather I should be looking for ways of coping with my new life-imprisonment.

I stared at him while he was confirming the end of my life -as I knew it- in horror and disbelief, refusing to believe anything he said as my thoughts echoed “who do you think you are? You are not God to be telling me this nonsense”

The last episode of my extraordinary -yet very ordinary- life was the loss of my dearest, my greatest, my one and only love.

That recent episode you and other friends have been eyewitnesses to.

From this summarized narrative of my life you could vividly see that, like every human being I’ve almost hit rock-bottom of every negative experience that any human can go through:

Loss of physical health and living with excruciating pain

Loss of all material positions even my very own identity

Loss of mental and intellectual capacities

Loss of the love of my life

Of course, the purpose of sharing these intimate experiences is not to complain or to seek empathy, I am only eager to emphasize the reality that through solid personal experiences I have a reasonable idea about pain and what it means to suffer.

Now then, through all what I’ve been through; One Thing and one thing only kept me going, helped me, held me, and carried me through; and that is my Faith.

I could never reconcile my agonized painful existence with futility and lack of purpose.

My logic and my feelings lead me to conclude that if everything came from nothing, if there was no purpose in the existence of the universe, if there is no purpose in the existence of life; then, it’s more reasonable to think that there is no purpose in a life full of agony such as mine, there is no point in living on to suffer more. I.e. there is no purpose in life. period.

The only thing that could ever console and comfort this troubled soul of mine was this faith, this insight glowing inside dispelling all the darkness, and this intuition that this can’t all be in vain.

And like a tender mother’s hand stroking her child

Like a soft warm blanket in a cold winter night

Like gentle rain drops drizzling over a parched piece of land

Like a rainbow flowing shimmering through thick dark clouds

I feel God’s loving hand

Then…

Then this sweet… sweet comfort descends, overwhelms you, embraces you, lifts you high as you cry:

Here I am God… exhausted… come to my aid

Here I am God… in much anguish… relieve me… ease my pain

Here I am God… full of sorrow… soothe my hurt

Here I am God… lonely… be my friend and ally.

Here I am God… tiered… help me…hold me… heal me

Here I am God… lost… guide me… show me the way

Then suddenly!

That distressed soul… that troubled heart would be magically transformed…

Calm descends… serenity  prevails… joy overwhelms… and sweet… sweet comfort falls down like rain.

You feel helped… held… healed… and carried through.

Even if the pain is still there!

There are no words in any human dictionary or vocabulary that could come near to describe that feeling, all we can do is give analogies.

Never the real feelings.

Then with time; and in retrospect the wisdom of what you’ve been through will become more apparent.

Like pieces of a jigsaw your life would start making sense; some of the pieces might be very murky and horrible, others might be bright and colourful, each piece alone does not make any sense; yet as they assemble together a beautiful pattern emerges, an amazing tapestry materializes, embroidered with all songs of awe and all shades of wonder.

Such was my life.

Such is life.