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Showing posts with label muslim women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label muslim women. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
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A shaykh sits next to a capitalist on a flight...
The capitalist asks the shaykh: "What is your occupation?"
Shaykh: "I'm into big business."
Capitalist: "But what business exactly?"
Shaykh: "I deal with Allah (swt)."
Capitalist: "Ah so your a religious Muslim leader? I have one problem with you muslims, you oppress women."
Shaykh: "How do we oppress women?"
Capitalist: "You make women cover up completely and make them generally stay in their homes."
Shaykh: "Ah' I have a problem with you people, you oppress money."
Capitalist: "What?! How can one oppress money?"
Shaykh: "You keep your money hidden away, in banks and safes. You keep it covered up, why don't you display it in public if its a beautiful thing?"
Capitalist: "It will get stolen obviously."
Shaykh: "So you keep your money hidden because its valuable. We value the worth of women far, far more. Therefore these precious jewels are not on display to everyone.They are best kept in honour and dignity!!"
The capitalist asks the shaykh: "What is your occupation?"
Shaykh: "I'm into big business."
Capitalist: "But what business exactly?"
Shaykh: "I deal with Allah (swt)."
Capitalist: "Ah so your a religious Muslim leader? I have one problem with you muslims, you oppress women."
Shaykh: "How do we oppress women?"
Capitalist: "You make women cover up completely and make them generally stay in their homes."
Shaykh: "Ah' I have a problem with you people, you oppress money."
Capitalist: "What?! How can one oppress money?"
Shaykh: "You keep your money hidden away, in banks and safes. You keep it covered up, why don't you display it in public if its a beautiful thing?"
Capitalist: "It will get stolen obviously."
Shaykh: "So you keep your money hidden because its valuable. We value the worth of women far, far more. Therefore these precious jewels are not on display to everyone.They are best kept in honour and dignity!!"
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
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Experiences of a Recently Converted Hindu Woman
My Experiences and How I Find that Islam does not Oppress Women"
by Sister Noor, University of Essex
I came from a purely Hindu family where we were always taught to regard ourselves (i.e. women) as beings who were eventually to be married off and have children and serve the husband-- whether he was kind or not. Other than this I found that there were a lot of things which really oppressed women, such as:
- If a woman was widowed, she would always have to wear a white sari (costume), eat vegetarian meals, cut her hair short, and never re-marry.
- The bride always had to pay the dowry (bridal money) to the husband's family.
- And the husband could ask for anything, irrespective of whether the bride would have difficulty giving it
Not only that, if after marriage she was not able to pay the full dowry she would be both emotionally and physically tortured, and could end up being a victim of "kitchen death" where the husband, or both the mother-in-law and the husband try to set fire to the wife while she is cooking or is in the kitchen, and try to make it look like an accidental death. More and more of these instances are taking place. The daughter of a friend of my own father's had the same fate last year!
In addition to all this, men in Hinduism are treated literally as among the gods. In one of the religious Hindu celebration, unmarried girls pray for and worship an idol representing a particular god (Shira) so that they may have husbands like him. Even my own mother had asked me to do this. This made me see that the Hindu religion which is based on superstitions and things that have no manifest proof (1), but were merely traditions which oppressed women could not be right.
Subsequently, when I came to England to study, I thought that at least this is a country which gives equal rights to men and women, and does not oppress them. We all have the freedom to do as we like, I thought. Well, as I started to meet people and make new friends, learn about this new society, and go to all the places my friends went to in order to "socialise" (bars, dance halls, ...etc.), I realised that this "equality" was not so true in practice as it was in theory.
Outwardly, women were seen to be given equal rights in education, work, and so forth, but in reality women were still oppressed in a different, more subtle way. When I went with my friends to those places they hung out at, I found everybody interested to talk to me and I thought that was normal. But it was only later that I realised how naive I was, and recognised what these people were really looking for. I soon began to feel uncomfortable, as if I was not myself: I had to dress in a certain way so that people would like me, and had to talk in a certain way to please them. I soon found that I was feeling more and more uncomfortable, less and less myself, yet I could not get out. Everybody was saying they were enjoying themselves, but I don't call this enjoying.
I think women in this way of life are oppressed; they have to dress in a certain way in order to please and appear more appealing, and also talk in a certain way so people like them. During this time I had not thought about Islam, even though I had some Muslim acquaintances. But I felt I really had to do something, to find something that I would be happy and secure with, and would feel respected with. Something to believe in that is the right belief, because everybody has a belief that they live according to. If having fun by getting off with other people is someone's belief, they do this. If making money is someone's belief, they do everything to achieve this. If they believe drinking is one way to enjoy life then they do it. But I feel all this leads to nowhere; no one is truly satisfied, and the respect women are looking for is diminishing in this way.
In these days of so called "society of equal rights", you are expected to have a boyfriend (or you're weird!) and to not be a virgin. So this is a form of oppression even though some women do not realise it.(2) When I came to Islam, it was obvious that I had finally found permanent security. A religion, a belief that was so complete and clear in every aspect of life. Many people have a misconception that Islam is an oppressive religion, where women are covered from head to toe, and are not allowed any freedom or rights. In fact, women in Islam are given more rights, and have been for the past 1400 years, compared to the only-recently rights given to non-Muslim women in some western and some other societies. But there are, even now, societies where women are still oppressed, as I mentioned earlier in relation to Hindu women.
Muslim women have the right to inheritance. They have the right to run their own trade and business. They have the full right to ownership, property, disposal over their wealth to which the husband has no right. They have the right to education, a right to refuse marriage as long as this refusal is according to reasonable and justifiable grounds. The Quran itself, which is the word of Allah, contains many verses commanding men to be kind to their wives and stressing the rights of women. Islam gives the right set of rules, because they are NOT made by men, but made by Allah; hence it is a perfect religion.
Quite often Muslim women are asked why they are covered from head to toe, and are told that this is oppression--it is not. In Islam, marriage is an important part of life, the making of the society. Therefore, a woman should not go around showing herself to everybody, only for her husband. Even the man is not allowed to show certain parts of his body to none but his wife. In addition, Allah has commanded Muslim women to cover themselves for their modesty:
"O prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies (when outdoors). That is most convenient that they could be known as such (i.e. decent and chaste) and not molested." (Quran 33:59)
If we look around at any other society, we find that in the majority of cases women are attacked and molested because of how they are dressed. Another point I'd like to comment on is that the rules and regulation laid down in Islam by Allah (God) do not apply just to women but to men also. There is no intermingling and free-running between men and women for the benefit of both. Whatever Allah commands is right, wholesome, pure and beneficial to mankind; there is no doubt about that. A verse in the Quran explains this concept clearly:
"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and protect their private parts (i.e. from indecency, illegal sexual acts); that will make for greater purity for them. And Allah is well aware of what they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and protect their privaate parts (from indecency, illegal sexual intercourse); and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments...." (Quran, surah "Al-Nur" 24:31)
When I put on my hijaab (veil), I was really happy to do it. In fact, I really want to do it. When I put on the hijaab, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and happiness. Satisfied that I had obeyed Allah’s command. And happy with the good and blessings that come with it. I have felt secure and protected. In fact people respect me more for it. I could really see the difference in behaviour towards me.
Finally, I'd like to say that I had accepted Islam not blindly, or under any compulsion. In the Quran itself there is a verse which says "there is no compulsion in religion" (3). I accepted Islam with conviction. I have seen, been there, done that, and seen both sides of the story. I know and have experienced what the other side is like, and I know that I have done the right thing. Islam does not oppress women, but rather Islam liberates them and gives them the respect they deserve. Islam is the religion Allah has chosen for the whole of mankind. Those who accept it are truly liberated from the chains and shackles of mankind whose ruling and legislating necessitates nothing but the oppression of one group by another and the exploitation and oppression of one sex by the other. This is not the case of Islam which truly liberated women and gave them an individuality not given by any other authority.
Sister Noor has been a muslim for over a year and a half and is currently in her second year of undergraduate study in the Department of Biology
Notes:
(1) In Islaam, strong emphasis is placed on proof and evidence. Superstition, conjecture and following the ways of ones ancestors is heavily censured. Allaah says:
(1) In Islaam, strong emphasis is placed on proof and evidence. Superstition, conjecture and following the ways of ones ancestors is heavily censured. Allaah says:
{Say : Bring your proof if indeed you are truthful} {Baqarah 2:111} {Inform me with knowledge if indeed you are truthful} [An’aam 6:143] {And they do not possess any knowledge regarding it. They do nothing but follow conjecture and conjecture avails nothing against the Truth} [Najm 53:28]
{And when it is said to them: ‘Follow that which Allaah has sent down’, they say: ‘Nay! We shall follow that which we found our fathers following} [Baqarah 2:170]
If the scientists among the non-muslims were to follow this advice and research objectively many of the rulings regarding women in Islam they would find that they are in perfect harmony with the biological/psychological knowledge they have arrived at regarding the nature of women. It is the reaction of the feminist movement to western hypocrisy that has led to the debasement of ‘perceived’ female roles in Islam. That is why most of what is portrayed regarding women in Islaam is pure conjecture and distortion, not fact and truth.
(2) This is where muslims consider the fallacy of the freedom and non-oppression of women lies. Under the name of ‘freedom’ women are told that they have complete automonomy to do as they wish. However, ‘do as they wish’ means that they are encouraged to conform to the trends and fashions that are set for them and imposed upon them by means of the media machine and by means of the multi-billion dollar film industry which makes, fashions, and nurtures the ideas of people and their principles, morals and conduct. As a result they are made the objects of the fantasies of menwho harass them, oppress them and reduce them to nothing but a source of temporary joy and pleasure. Men themselves have been made to let loose the reins of their desires due to the high exposure to naked women they receive, day in day out. This results in provocation, frustration and eventually - a deserving punishment - desensitization. Impotence is a widespread ‘disease’ in the West! This is the position of women in the west. The mere mention of the words sexual harrasment, date-rape - which includes men deliberately getting women tipsy or drunk so that they can have their way with them - and slogans such as NO MEANS NO are sufficient as proof for this reality of the oppression of women in the west. These problems are unknown to the muslim world and are not issues in Islaam.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
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Modesty is a Part of Faith
It was related on the authority of Abu Mas'ood Al-Badri, may Allaah be pleased with him, that:
"The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "One of the admonitions of the previous prophets which has been conveyed to people is that if you have no shame, you can do whatever you wish." [Al-Bukhaari]
Explanation of the Hadeeth:
The saying of the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam:
"If you feel no shame, you can do whatever you wish"
is in the command form, and can be looked at from two angles, each conveying a distinct meaning:
(1) The first is that it is a form of threat and a challenge thrown down against those who engage in inappropriate behavior. Such people have no shame in front of Allaah and therefore, no matter what course they take, it would not make any real difference. In this case, it would be as if the Hadeeth is stating: "If you do not feel any shame from doing these prohibited acts, then do whatever you wish…" Modesty is the quality that prevents one from immodest behavior, and the lack of it will only cause one to increase in distancing himself from Allaah and make him indifferent to creed or deed.
(2) The second meaning pertains to doing that which is lawful. That is, if the action that one is about to do is not within the category of the unlawful, and we are not ashamed of doing the act in front of Allaah or the people, then we are free to do it. However, if we are ashamed to do it, then we should not. The Hadeeth gives a measuring stick by which we can evaluate actions, both privately and publicly.
Thus, the first explanation relates to a lack of consciousness regarding Allaah and the second is regarding the opposite, which is to be conscious of Allaah and of His watching over a person and his actions. The former explanation relates to an unbridled Nafs (base desires and lower self), whereas the latter implies observance of due constraint over it, so that it does not embark on the road to destruction.
Modesty is of two types:
Modesty is either natural or acquired. Natural modesty means that the individual has this quality by nature and does not need to exert any effort to acquire it. Acquired modesty, on the other hand, is attained by those who possess knowledge concerning Allaah, being cognizant concerning His Greatness, Proximity and His Inspection of all that they do.
Points Related to Modesty:
- Modesty is one of the most honorable attributes and is a consistent virtue found in all the various laws sent down to each prophet and messenger.
- It is one of the most perfect and desirable characteristics to possess and an excellent state to be in.
- Modesty only brings good to individuals and is an indication of faith.
- Bashfulness and shame is in direct opposition to indecency and shamelessness.
- Modesty is an element of faith, and indecency has no relation to it.
- Modesty adorns one's nature and personality and is indicative of his being Islamically cultured and refined.
- Indecency, on the other hand, shows that one lacks virtues and is uncouth, dishonorable and uncultured.
- We are obligated to guard ourselves against indecency and from acting indecently or uncultured, as qualified by Islam.
- We must never misconstrue bashfulness or shyness with cowardice - Islamically they are far from synonymous.
- Modesty, as mentioned, is a root virtue. One of the fruits of modesty is chastity.
- There is no modesty when it comes to teaching the laws of Islam or searching for the truth.
jazakAllah khair for reading
King
slave of Allah!
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