| Cirio said: Good questions, I'll try to explain some of them to you (warning, this might be a long one!): Women: The views you're expressing here about women are completely false and possibly provoked by what you've been seeing in the media recently (ie: women being mistreated, covering themselves in hijab, etc). Before the time where Islam was "created", women were treated like animals used only for sex and trafficking. Islam actually paved the way for women to live equal lives when women had none. Before any of the rules of Islam were established (such as prayers), the two main components Propet Muhammad taught was a belief in one God (Allah means God in Arabic), and to have respect; respect for elders and for women. In Islam it is actually frowned upon for a man to talk to a non-blood related woman while making eye contact, for it shows disrespect. Men are supposed to look down in the presense of the woman and talk to her kindly. Also, the Quran gives women many perks that it doesn't give men, such as a guarantee to heaven for a good Muslim mother (there's nothing like that for the father). No where in the Quran does it say that women should cover up their heads and faces; those are things created by culture. Moving to present times, most of what you hear about women are from countries such as Afghanistan, Libya, Iran, etc. You must realize that those countries are underdeveloped and have poor governmental structure. Women being treated badly in those countries has nothing to do with religion, rather with the country struggling. There was a time in the US where women were treated with unequality too, and that was because we hadn't established proper laws for giving women equal rights (it is within male nature to be dominant). Many of the countries you constantly hear about in the media are either new, or underdeveloped. For example, the government in Afghanistan has always been extremely weak, this has helped groups like the Taliban to spread their reign over the country. Women cover themselves up and halt from basic advancement (like education) because they are afraid of the Taliban and the rules they've spread. If you look in contrast to countries like Pakistan, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, you'll be amazed at how liberal and educated women are. In Pakistan there are actually more female doctors and engineering emerging than men. And these women are marrying men based on love, not the submissive forcefulness that you see/hear about in the media. In conclusion, it is the country and the politics that create unequality, not religion. If you have more detailed question about women in Islam, feel free to ask! Homosexuals: You are correct about this one; Homosexuality is a sin in Islam. But it is more of a universal thing between the three major religions because homosexuality is not accepted in both Christianity and Judaism. Adultery is not acceptable in any religion and it is frowned upon by society as well. I'm not sure what you're asking here. Stoning: Once again, I don't understand this question; stoning to death is not acceptable in Islam. I mean, back when Islam was created, the non-believers would stone Muslims to death or crush them in boulders for believing in God. Killing in Islam is a major sin, however if you are doing it as self defense (ie: the person is about to kill you), then you are obviously allowed to act on your natural instincts. I believe you've heard this "stoning to death" somewhere, so I'd like to know the source of your question so that I can better form my answer. Jihad: This is probably the most misused term. Jihad literally translates to "to strive for". In Islam, Jihad would be a mother striving to keep her children healthy; a father striving to support his family by going to work; a muslim striving to be faithful by attending friday prayer. That is what Jihad is. There is also a military application of it, something that Osama Bin Laden did. It is for a muslim to travel to another muslim country that is being invaded by non-muslims. Osama did this for Afghanistan during the time when the Soviets were trying to invade Afghanistan. And that's it. That is Jihad and nothing more. Now the terrorists are freakin' blowing this term out of proportion, as they are claiming to do Jihad by killing Americans because they believe the Americans are invading Afghanistan. That is false and it is the incorrect usage of Islam (then again, the terrorists aren't muslim). As for the Israeli conflict, I think you can easily deduce why and military movement by them is jurisdiction for Jihad; a lot of the tension has to do with the political hatred between Jews and Muslims. But the Israeli closure policies also make it difficult for Palestini Muslims to reach places of worship. That is reason enough for Jihad. If you have any more questions, please ask. |
You're correct in most parts, but some things need to be cleared up:
- It's actually stated in the Qur'an to dress modestly and cover up places that would provoke harassment (people are more lenient on the covering of the face since they don't pay as much attention to it as they do the hair and body). And realistically, covering the body/not dressing loosely prevents/reduces the likeliness of the woman becoming a target.
- Stoning, in the Hadith, is the punishment for adultery, and their means of repentance. And this can only be carried out if there are enough witnesses to testify against them. However, its employment as capital punishment is usually used for cheating husbands and the lady he had an affair with. Now as for pre-marital sex, while some societies choose to still employ capital punishment, it's usually punished by 100 lashes.
It can be forgiven, but supposedly the only way to fully repent from them is to accept the consequences as per the Hadith. However, I'm gonna read more into this.
- The countries you mentioned in which the women are mistreated are also strict authoritarian regimes that restricts human rights in general, and the scapegoat for the rule is Sharia law.
- About the Palestine-Israel conflict: There were never (serious) tensions until the British Mandate. And it's not just what you mentioned, there's the Israeli regime's other interior and foreign policies in regards to the Palestinians and neighboring countries, amongst many other things. But that's a complex issue that can't be described here.
- Just FYI Dubai and Abu Dhabi are part of one country called the UAE (United Arab Emirates). 
But personally, I think Muslim countries should take notes from Malaysia, especially under Mahathir Mohamad, Turkey ever since Erdogan came (though the secularists dislike him, or at least his religious policies), and Qatar. Those are what I call progressive countries in the Islamic world.
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Kojima: Come out with Project S already!
