Yes, family violence is the root of the problem, but when mullahs preach that it is okay to hit your wife or children, then should religion not take some responsibility for perpetuating the violence?
And since Islam provides no way to make changes in practice, then are we to be stuck forever with old problems? Take for example the case of rape. According to shariah 4 witnesses are required to prove a rape allegation against a man. If 4 witnesses are not available, then the women is in the wrong for being with the man. Is this justice? But according to Islam this is justice - how?
Forget justice. Take the simple matter of Eid - every single Eid, there is no consensus on when Eid is. We live in modern times when we can predict weather and yet we cannot fix Eid dates worldwide? On a basic level it causes problems in making plans for Eid - which is not a big issue. But on a more fundamental level, it shows how our religion is incapable of using scientific knowledge.
OK, you think it would stop there. Let me just give one final example. Let us say that if I call Allah God, then many, many Muslims believe that I am an idiot who does not worship Allah. Yet, Islam itself states that the first act of worship is intention. If intention is so fundamental, then why do Muslims find it unacceptable if Allah is called God, Bhagwaan, Khoda, etc! Those moronic Somalis who sentenced that poor teacher were thinking along the same dysfunctional thought process.
There are many, many problems with Islam. Unfortunately, we have not figured out a way to solve even the simple ones. So if you wonder why some Muslims are frustrated, please understand why.
- M. Raheem
New York, NY
Aziz Huq <azizhuq@hotmail.com> wrote:
Dear all:
The murder of Aqsa Parvez is indeed tragic but we need to remember that this is a CRIME and the category is FAMILY VIOLENCE. Putting the blame of Islamic ideology will only help continuation of this cruel practice. Family violence cuts through national boundaries, levels of economic development and religious understanding. Let us unite against FAMILY VIOLENCE to help curb this cruelty which takes place in many homes every day often resulting in death.
Aziz Ul Huq
To: banglarnari@yahoogroups.com; mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com; alochona@yahoogroups.com; uttorshuri@yahoogroups.com
From: farida_majid@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:32:21 -0500
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Hijab: Cause of a trgic end of a life
A reminder: The most enthusiastic champion of Hijab in Bangladesh is none other than Shah Abdul Hannan.He was the one who delivered the message on behalf of Jamaat to the French Govt. protesting its ban on hijab saying, "A ban on hijab is an assault on Islam."Farida Majid--------------------- --------- --------- -======== ======= December 12, 2007The deadly face of Muslim extremism
By Tarek Fatah and Farzana HassanThe National Posthttp://www.nationalpost.com/ todays_paper/ story.html? id=162281
The tragic death of a Mississauga, Ont. teenage girl — allegedly at the hands of her own traditionally minded Muslim father — has sent shock waves across the world. Canadians are justified in raising concerns as to whether this is a sign of the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in their own backyard.
Aqsa Parvez, a sprightly 16-year old, beloved of her friends and peers at Applewood Heights Secondary School, was only trying to be herself, was only wishing for a normal adolescence amid Canada's rich cultural mosaic. The father has now been charged with murder, and his son with obstruction, while a young life has been snuffed out — likely in the name of honour and Islam
Radical Muslim men consider themselves ultimately responsible for the conduct of the womenfolk. This outlook is rooted in a medieval ethos that treats women as nonpersons, unable to decide for themselves what they should wear, where they must go and what they must accomplish in life. If their conduct is seen as contravening this austere religious outlook, they are invariably subjected to abuse.--------------------- --------- --------- --------- ----- If convicted, Aqsa's father must be
awarded the strictest punishment available
--------------------- --------- --------- --------- -----
The hijab in particular has become a thorny issue among Muslim families. It has been elevated as a sort of "sixth pillar of Islam" among militant sects. Young teenage girls are often lectured over the virtues of the hijab by their family members. Once they hit puberty, compliance is deemed a non-negotiable religious requirement.
Yet none of this is actually mandated by the Koran. The Koran, while speaking generally of modesty in dress and demeanor, falls short of specifying the details of that modesty. Scripture also makes allowances for non-compliance of religious edicts if the environment is not conducive to their observance.
The Koran exhorts compassion upon parents, caretakers and guardians of young girls. Yet some families instead exhibit a strict conformity to doctrine and dogma, which in turn leads to violence, bigotry and intolerance of alternative understandings of faith.
There is much discussion in Canadian society about the religious freedoms of those who choose to wear the hijab. We hear relatively little about the oppression of young girls who make the opposite choice. Seldom is their oppression from within their own community, or even their own family, cast as a human rights issue.
If convicted, Aqsa's father and brother must be awarded the strictest penalty available under the law. As for the imams and clergy of Canada's mosques, who constantly berate young women for not wearing the hijab or snub them for "violating Islam," they need to reflect on the consequences of their sermons.
Consider, as an example, the Montreal mosque that recently posted on its Web site a warning to the effect that if young girls took off their hijab, they could end up getting raped and having "illegitimate children." Other proferred risks included "Stresses, insecurity and suspicion in the minds of husbands" and "instigating young people to deviate towards the path of lust."
As if the threat of rape and the fear of illegitimate children were not enough, these pre-teen girls were told that if they took off their hijab, they would cease to be Muslims: "By removing your hijab, you have destroyed your faith. Islam means submission to Allah in all our actions." Little wonder then, that Canadian girls walk away from sports tournaments rather than remove their hijabs.
Muslims need to stand up to this sort of emotional and religious blackmail by imams who spread the competing agendas of Saudi Arabia and Iran into Canada. Young Aqsa Pervez's death cannot be reversed. But in her memory, we can at least challenge those whose message leads to rage and madness.
--------------------- ----
-- Tarek Fatah is author of Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State, to be published by Wiley & Sons in March, 2008. Farzana Hassan is author of Islam, Women, and the Challenges of Today. Both are members of the Muslim Canadian Congress.
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