TOP TEN RULES IN THE QURAN THAT OPPRESS AND INSULT WOMEN
Al-Nurul
Islamiya Ahogede Okene, Kogi State
Islam in its purest form honors and
elevates women, so we are told. But does it?
Truthfully, too often textual
reality (the Quran) matches up with seventh-century Arabia. Gender inequality
and oppression in the Quran reflect this excessively patriarchal culture. If
Allah and Muhammad improved on this patriarchy, then they did not go far enough
for a worldwide religion that claims universality.
Therefore, the following rules and
attitudes should in no way be transferred to today’s world.
But before reading the list, we
should prevent a strategy of Muslim polemicists and missionaries who believe
that Islam is the best religion in the world and who want it to spread around
the globe. Sometimes they attempt to refute my top ten lists. But attempting to
refute such a list is like reviewing a long book only from the last chapter.
The reviewer has skipped over the hard work of reading all the preceding chapters.
Likewise, Muslim polemicists must not skip over all of the links under each
point or all of the commentary from a respected and traditional Muslim scholar,
Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi (d. 1979) (The Meaning of the Qur’an). They
must not take a shortcut, but must instead do the hard work of refuting all of
the supporting articles and Maududi himself. This present "top ten"
article is merely a summary of all of the data found in these back-up
articles and Maududi’s ideas, all of which are quickly referenced under each
point.
Here are the top ten rules in the
Quran that oppress and insult women.
10. A husband has sex with his wife,
as a plow goes into a dirt field.
The Quran in Sura (Chapter) 2:223
says:
Your women are your fields, so go
into your fields whichever way you like
. . . . (MAS Abdel Haleem, The Qur’an, Oxford UP, 2004)
We should make no mistake about this
verse. It includes sexual positions. In a footnote to this verse, Haleem says
that Muslims in Medina heard from the Jews that "a child born from a woman
approached from behind would have a squint."
The hadith are the reports of
Muhammad’s words and actions outside of the Quran. Two reliable hadith
collectors and editors are Bukhari (d. 870), Muslim (d. 875). After the Quran,
the hadith come second in importance and sacredness among the vast majority of
Muslims around the world.
Since the hadith is explicit, the
readers are invited to click here and read for themselves, at their own
discretion: Muslim nos. 3363-3365.
See these parallel hadith here
and here.
We should have no doubt that the
husband controlled their sex life. If a woman does not want to have sex, then
angels curse her.
. . . "If a man invites his
wife to sleep with him and she refuses to come to him, then the angels send
their curses on her till morning." (Bukhari)
Here
is the back-up article. This one
also provides back up material. See the section at the beginning "Women
Are Men’s Property."
9. Husbands are a degree above their
wives.
The Quran in Sura 2:228 says:
. . . Wives have the same rights
as the husbands have on them in accordance with the generally known principles.
Of course, men are a degree above them in status . . . (Sayyid Abul A’La
Maududi, The Meaning of the Qur’an, vol. 1, p. 165)
Gender inequality shows up in a
theological context. This hadith shows that the majority of the inhabitants of
hell are women.
The Prophet said, "I looked at
Paradise and found poor people forming the majority of its inhabitants; and I
looked at Hell and saw that the majority of its inhabitants were women." (Bukhari,
emphasis added; see also these parallel traditions here
and here.)
This parallel hadith
explains that the majority of the inhabitants of hell are women because they
are ungrateful and harsh towards their husbands. There is no word about the
husbands’ ingratitude and harshness. It should be noted that some Muslim
missionaries and polemicists assert that since women make up the majority of
the world, it only stands to reason that they would be the majority in hell. In
reply, however, this misses the point—and may miss the possibility that women
may be more spiritual than men. Regardless, the reason that women make
up the majority in hell is their harshness and ingratitude. So it has nothing
to do with a mathematical majority. Islam clearly does not honor women.
Muhammad was also superstitious (see
here
for the evidence). This next hadith says that women are part of an evil omen.
I heard the Prophet saying.
"Evil omen is in three things: The horse, the woman and the house." (Bukhari)
Here
is the back-up article. This one
is too (scroll down to the Endnotes and see the brief discussion about Muslim
women in hell).
8. A male gets a double share of the
inheritance over that of a female.
The Quran in Sura 4:11 says:
The share of the male shall be twice
that of a female . . . . (Maududi, vol. 1, p. 311)
For how this religious law works out
in early Islam, see these hadith here
and here
and here.
Malik (d. 795) is a founder of a
major school of law. He composed a law book that is also considered a
collection of reliable hadith: Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik ibn Anas: The First
Formation of Islamic Law (rev. trans. Aisha Bewley, Inverness, Scotland:
Madina Press, 1989, 2001). Malik writes:
The generally agreed upon way of
doing things among us . . . about fixed shares of inheritance (fara’id) of children from the mother or father when one
or the other dies is that if they leave male and female children, the male
takes the portion of two females.
This Islamic law is regressive. But
in the US, for example, the inheritance is divided equally among all siblings,
regardless of the gender. No religious law prohibits this from happening in
advance. So American secular law fits into a modern context better, where women
have more economic opportunities and freedom.
This online booklet has a
short explanation on women’s inheritance "rights." Click on Chapter
15.
Along with the previous link, here
is the back-up article.
7. A woman’s testimony counts half
of a man’s testimony.
The Quran in Sura 2:282 says:
And let two men from among you bear
witness to all such documents [contracts of loans without interest]. But if two
men be not available, there should be one man and two women to bear witness so
that if one of the women forgets (anything), the other may remind her. (Maududi, vol. 1, p. 205).
It seems that the foundational
reason for having two women witnesses is that one of the women may
"forget" something. This goes to the nature of womankind.
Philosophers teach us that one of the main differences between animals and
humans lies in humankind’s rationality. But this verse implies that a woman’s
mind is weak.
This hadith removes any ambiguity
about women’s abilities in Sura 2:282:
The Prophet said, "Isn’t the
witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?" The women said,
"Yes." He said, "This is because of the deficiency of a
woman’s mind." (Bukhari,
emphasis added)
Here
is the back-up article, and so is this one.
This article
too explains Islam’s view on women’s mental inabilities (scroll down to
"Women Are Inferior to Men"), citing many hadith and Muslim
commentators.
6. A wife may remarry her ex-husband
if and only if she marries another man, they have sex, and then this second man
divorces her.
The Quran in Sura 2:230 says:
And if the husband divorces his wife
(for the third time), she shall not remain his lawful wife after this
(absolute) divorce, unless she marries another husband and the second husband
divorces her. (In that case) there is no harm if they [the first couple]
remarry . . . . (Maududi, vol. 1, p. 165)
The finally and absolutely divorced
couple is not permitted to remarry each other unless she marries another man,
they have sex, and he divorces her. Sura 2:230 engenders a divorce on the road
to a possible reconciliation. Why should it be necessary to have the
intervening steps of a second marriage and divorce before the first couple can
work out their differences and get back together?
To see this tragedy in real life, go
to this question and answer at a traditional Muslim fatwa website. Apparently, a Muslim
husband pronounced divorce three times, the divorce is final, and now he
regrets his decision made in haste and anger. The cleric or scholar says that
they are allowed to reconcile only if she follows the Quranic steps of her
marrying someone else, consummating that marriage, and then his divorcing her.
However, Islam should allow this original divorced couple to reunite without
the intervening steps or without an analysis of different levels of anger
(click on the link). Let them reconcile—period.
As for divorce generally,
This article
analyzes the ethics behind Quranic divorce procedures and contrasts them with
the New Testament.
This very short article at a
Muslim website shows concern for the divorce rate in Islam.
This short page at a
Muslim website explains divorce.
This short article at a
(sectarian) Muslim website also gives an overview on divorce, under the larger section on women.
The next two links demonstrate that
sharia (Islamic law) generally must not be allowed to spread around the world.
This news report
says that problems emerge in the modern world during the Islamic divorce
proceedings.
This news report
says that Malaysia permits "text messaging" divorce.
At this Muslim website an Islamic
scholar answers
the question of a Muslim who wrote in about divorce.
Here
is a fatwa (legal decree) on divorce from a Muslim website.
These links add up to this: Islamic
divorce is ambiguous and favors the man.
Here
is the back-up article, and this one
replies to a Muslim polemicist. It analyzes the differences between
Christianity and Islam on divorce.
5. Slave-girls are sexual property
for their male owners.
The Quran in Sura 4:24 says:
And forbidden to you are wedded
wives of other people except those who have fallen in your hands (as prisoners
of war) . . . (Maududi, vol. 1, p. 319).
Sayyid Maududi (d. 1979), a highly
respected traditional commentator and scholar, says in his comment on the verse
that is it lawful for Muslim holy warriors to marry women prisoners of war even
when their husbands are still alive. But what happens if the husbands are
captured with their wives? Maududi cites a school of law that says Muslims may
not marry them, but two other schools say that the marriage between the captive
husbands and wives is broken (note 44). But why would a debate over this
cruelty emerge in the first place? No sex or marriage should take place between
married female prisoners of war and their captors. In fact, no sex should take
place between women captives and their Muslim overlords. But Islam traffics in
injustice too often.
Islam allows deep immorality with
women who are in their most helpless condition. This crime is reprehensible,
but Allah wills it nonetheless—the Quran says so.
For more information on this
Quran-inspired immorality, see this short article.
See also Suras 4:3; 23:5-6; 33:50;
70:22-30, all of which permit male slave-owners to have sex with their
slave-girls. Suras 23:5-6 and 70:22-230 allow men to have sex with them in the
Meccan period, during times of peace before Muhammad initiated his skirmishes
and wars while being based in Medina.
The hadith demonstrate that Muslim
jihadists actually have sex with the captured women, whether or not they are
married. In the following hadith passage, Khumus is one-fifth of the spoils of
war.
Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and
son-in-law, just finished a relaxing bath. Why?
The Prophet sent Ali to Khalid to
bring the Khumus (of the booty) and . . . Ali had taken a bath (after a sexual
act with a slave-girl from the Khumus).
What was Muhammad’s response to the
person who hated Ali for this sexual act?
Do you hate Ali for this? . . .
Don’t hate him, for he deserves more than that from [the] Khumus. (Bukhari)
This hadith
shows that Muhammad was intimate with his slave-girls.
Moreover, jihadists may not practice
coitus interruptus with the women they capture, but not for the reason
that the reader may expect. While on a military campaign and away from their
wives, Muslim jihadists "received captives from among the Arab captives
and we desired women and celibacy became hard on us and we loved to do coitus
interruptus." They asked the prophet about this, and it is important
to note what he did not say. He did not scold them or prohibit any kind of sex
whatsoever. Rather, he invokes the murky, quirky doctrine of fate:
It is better for you not to do so
[practice coitus interruptus]. There is no person that is destined to exist,
but will come to existence, till the Day of Resurrection. (Bukhari;
also go here
and here)
That is, these enquiring Muslims
should stop doing coitus interruptus, but instead go all the way with
the enslaved sex objects. Fate controls who should be born.
It is one thing for some soldiers in
any army to strike out on their own and rape women. All armies have criminal
soldiers who commit this wrong act. But it is quite another to codify rape in a
sacred text.
This article
quotes the Quran and many hadith passages on sex with prisoners of war. It also
analyzes modern Islamic scholars on the topic. They support this practice. In
Appendix One, the author answers a Muslim charge that the Old Testament allows
this practice. Besides, Jesus fulfills
the Old Testament in the areas of human, economic relations (and more areas;
see the link).
This article
provides further details on Muhammad’s encouragement to his soldiers to
"do it."
Besides the two previous links, here
is the back-up article.
4. A man may be polygamous with up
to four wives.
The Quran in Sura 4:3 says:
And if you be apprehensive that you
will not be able to do justice to the orphans, you may marry two or three or
four women whom you choose. But if you apprehend that you might not be able to
do justice to them, then marry only one wife, or marry those who have fallen in
your possession. (Maududi, vol. 1, p. 305)
The clause "marry those who
have fallen in your possession" means slave-girls who were captured after
a war. Men may "marry" them because slaves do not incur very much
expense, not as much as free women do. This means that the limit on four wives
is artificial. Men could have sex with as many slave-girls as they wanted.
Maududi paraphrases the verse:
"If you need more than one [wife] but are afraid that you might not be
able to do justice to your wives from among the free people, you may turn to
slave girls because in that case you will be burdened with less
responsibilities" (note 6) (See Sura 4:24).
However, Muhammad would not allow
polygamy for his son-in-law Ali, because an extra wife would hurt Muhammad’s
first daughter Fatima, by his first wife Khadija. Fatima was married to Ali.
I heard Allah’s Apostle who was on
the pulpit, saying, "Banu Hisham bin Al-Mughira have requested me to allow
them to marry their daughter to Ali bin Abu Talib, but I don’t give permission,
and will not give permission unless ‘Ali bin Abi Talib divorces my daughter in
order to marry their daughter, because Fatima is a part of my body, and I hate
what she hates to see, and what hurts her, hurts me." (Bukhari)
Despite the fact that Muhammad is
very much aware that polygamy is hurtful and insulting to women, he still
practices it himself and allows it for his followers in general.
Muhammad’s "special"
marriage privileges
Moreover, it seems that Allah gave
Muhammad special permission to marry as many women as he desired or take them
as slaves or concubines, just as in the pre-Islamic days of
"ignorance."
The Quran in Sura 33:50, a lengthy
verse, grants Muhammad wide latitude in his marriages:
O Prophet, We have made lawful to
you those of your wives, whose dowers you have paid, and those women who come
into your possession out of the slave-girls granted by Allah, and the daughters
of your paternal uncles and aunts, and of your maternal uncles and aunts, who
have migrated with you, and the believing woman who gives herself to the
Prophet, if the Prophet may desire her. This privilege is for you only, not for
the other believers . . . .
(Maududi vol. 4, p. 111, emphasis added).
This verse says that besides those
women whose dower Muhammad paid, he may marry slave-girls—that is, he may have
sex with them (see this article
for this Quran-inspired immorality). Maududi references three slave-girls taken
during raids, and Mary the Copt,
a gift from an Egyptian ruler. Muhammad had sex with her, and there does not
seem to be a political need for this. Second, Muhammad may marry his first
cousins, and Maududi cites a case in which this happened. Third, if a believing
woman offers herself to Muhammad, and he desires her, then he may marry her
(Maududi vol. 4, note 88).
This hadith
shows that Muhammad was intimate with his slave-girls.
But the capstone of these
"special" marriages occurs when Muhammad also marries the ex-wife
(Zainab) of his adopted son (Zaid). His son-in-law divorced her with the
prophet standing in the background. In fact, early Islamic sources say that
Muhammad catches a glimpse of his daughter-in-law in a state of undress, so he desired her. Once the divorce is final, Allah
reveals to him that this marriage between father-in-law and daughter-in-law is
legal and moral in Sura 33:36-44.
This hadith
says that Muhammad used to visit nine (or eleven) wives in one night. See the parallel
hadith here,
here,
and here.
This article
explains why Christians do not accept polygamy.
This page
in an online index explains polygamy.
For a more thorough analysis of
polygamy in the Quran, go to this online booklet and click
on Chapter 12.
See this article
on the number of wives and human sexual property Muhammad allowed himself.
Besides the previous four links, here
is the back-up article. At the end, it links to more articles on the dubious
marriage and divorce of Zaid, Zainab, and Muhammad.
3. A Muslim polygamist may simply
get rid of one of his undesirable wives.
The Quran in Sura 4:129 says:
It is not within your power to be
perfectly equitable in your treatment with all your wives, even if you wish to
be so; therefore, (in order to satisfy the dictates of Divine Law) do not lean
towards one wife so as to leave the other in a state of suspense. (Maududi, vol. 1, p. 381)
Maududi provides an interpretation
of the verse (vol. 1, pp. 383-84, note 161). He writes:
Allah made it clear that the husband
cannot literally keep equality between two or more wives because they
themselves cannot be equal in all respects. It is too much to demand from a
husband that he should mete out equal treatment to a beautiful wife and to an
ugly wife, to a young wife and to an old wife, to a healthy wife and to an
invalid wife, and to a good natured wife and to an ill-natured wife. These and
like things naturally make a husband more inclined towards one wife than
towards the other.
This means that wives are the source
of a man’s inability to treat all of them equally. One is beautiful, while
another is ugly. How can Allah demand from a husband super-human strength under
changing circumstances in his wives?
Maududi continues:
In such cases, the Islamic law does
not demand equal treatment between them in affection and love. What it does
demand is that a wife should not be neglected as to be practically reduced to
the position of the woman who has no husband at all. If the husband does not
divorce her for any reason or at her own request, she should at least be
treated as a wife. It is true that under such circumstances the husband is
naturally inclined towards a favorite wife, but he should not, so to say, keep
the other in such a state of suspense as if she were not his wife.
Maududi says here that the wife
should not be suspended between marriage and divorce. If the husband stays with
the no-longer desirable wife, then he should treat her fairly and provide for
her.
Where may Maududi get his idea about
keeping or divorcing an unattractive wife?
This article
(see "the unpleasant truth behind divorce in Sura 4:130")
demonstrates that Muhammad wanted to divorce one of his wives because she was
overweight and old. Instead of a divorce, she gave up her "turn" in
the "rotation" with the prophet, who gladly agreed with her proposal.
See these three hadith here,
here
and here.
In addition to the link to the
previous article, here
is the back-up article.
2. Husbands may hit their wives even
if the husbands merely fear highhandedness in their wives (quite apart from
whether they actually are highhanded—as if domestic violence in any form is
acceptable).
The Quran in Sura 4:34 says:
4:34 . . . If you fear
highhandedness from your wives, remind them [of the teaching of God], then
ignore them when you go to bed, then hit them. If they obey you, you
have no right to act against them. God is most high and great. (Haleem,
emphasis added)
The hadith says that Muslim women in
the time of Muhammad were suffering from domestic violence in the context of
confusing marriage laws:
Rifa’a divorced his wife whereupon
‘AbdurRahman bin Az-Zubair Al-Qurazi married her. ‘Aisha said that the lady
(came), wearing a green veil (and complained to her (Aisha) of her husband and
showed her a green spot on her skin caused by beating). It was the habit
of ladies to support each other, so when Allah's Apostle came, ‘Aisha said,
"I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women.
Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!" (Bukhari,
emphasis added)
This hadith shows Muhammad hitting
his girl-bride, Aisha, daughter of Abu Bakr, his right-hand Companion:
"He [Muhammad] struck me
[Aisha] on the chest which caused me pain." (Muslim no. 2127)
See this article
for fuller details on wife-beating. It clarifies many translations of the
verse. At the end, it has many links to modern interpretations of Sura 4:34 and
to arguments for wife-beating today.
This article,
though long, offers a clear analysis of wife-beating, examining the hadith and
other early source documents, as well as refuting modern Muslim polemics.
This article
is a superb analysis of the subject, giving various translations of Sura 4:34.
It cites the hadith and classical commentaries and refutes modern defenses.
Finally, this article
is thorough in examining the Quran and hadith and Muslim polemics.
1. Mature men are allowed to marry
prepubescent girls.
The Quran in Sura 65:1, 4 says:
65:1 O Prophet, when you (and the
believers) divorce women, divorce them for their prescribed waiting-period and
count the waiting-period accurately . . . 4 And if you are in doubt
about those of your women who have despaired of menstruation, (you should know
that) their waiting period is three months, and the same applies to those
who have not menstruated as yet. As for pregnant women, their period ends
when they have delivered their burden. (Maududi, vol. 5, pp. 599 and 617,
emphasis added)
Maududi correctly interprets the
plain meaning of verse 4, which appears in the context of divorce:
Therefore, making mention of the
waiting-period for girls who have not yet menstruated, clearly proves that it
is not only permissible to give away the girl at this age but it is
permissible for the husband to consummate marriage with her. Now, obviously
no Muslim has the right to forbid a thing which the Qur’an has held as
permissible. (Maududi, vol. 5, p. 620, note 13,
emphasis added)
Divorcing prepubescent girls implies
marriage to them. So the fathers of prepubescent girls may give them away, and
their new husbands may consummate their marriage with them. If Islam ever
spread around the world, no one should be surprised if Quran-believing Muslims
lowered the marriage age of girls to nine years old.
This is precisely what happened in Iran after the religious revolution of
Ayatollah Khomeini. A girl’s marriage age was lowered to nine years.
Why should this surprise us? After
all, Muhammad was betrothed to Aisha when she was six, and he consummated their
union when she was only nine.
The hadith says:
. . . [T]hen he [Muhammad] wrote
the marriage (wedding) contract with Aishah when she was a girl of six years of
age, and he consumed [sic, consummated] that marriage when she was nine years
old. (Bukhari;
since this is a serious issue, see the parallel hadith here,
here,
here,
here,
here,
here,
here,
and here)
This hadith demonstrates that
Muhammad pursued Aisha when she was a little girl.
The Prophet asked Abu Bakr for
‘Aisha’s hand in marriage. Abu Bakr said "But I am your brother." The
Prophet said, "You are my brother in Allah's religion and His Book, but
she (Aisha) is lawful for me to marry."
(Bukhari;
see this hadith
that shows Muhammad’s dream life in regard to his pursuit of little Aisha, and this one
and this one.
These last three links contrast with Muhammad’s pursuit of Aisha through her
father Abu Bakr. Apparently Muhammad did not wait for Allah to fulfill his
desire for a six year old, but took matters in his own hands.
This hadith recounts the
fifty-plus-year-old Muhammad’s and the nine-year-old Aisha’s first sexual
encounter. She was playing on her swing set with her girlfriends when she got
the call.
. . . [M]y mother, Um Ruman, came
to me while I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends. She called
me, and I went to her, not knowing what she wanted to do to me. She caught me
by the hand and made me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless then,
and when my breathing became all right, she took some water and rubbed my face
and head with it. Then she took me into the house. There in the house I saw
some Ansari women who said, "Best wishes and Allah's Blessing and a good
luck." Then she entrusted me to them and they prepared me (for the
marriage). Unexpectedly Allah's Apostle came to me in the forenoon and my
mother handed me over to him, and at that time I was a girl of nine years of
age. (Bukhari;
see a parallel hadith here)
This hadith describes Muhammad
counseling a Muslim man to marry a young virgin for the extra thrill it gives
him to fondle her, and she him.
When I got married, Allah’s Apostle
said to me, "What type of lady have you married?" I replied, "I
have married a matron." He said, "Why, don’t you have a liking for
the virgins and for fondling them?" Jabir also said: Allah’s Apostle said,
"Why didn’t you marry a young girl so that you might play with her and she
with you?" (Bukhari)
See parallel hadith here
and here.
This hadith describes Muhammad’s and
Aisha’s ill-timed sexual encounters:
Narrated ‘Aisha:
The Prophet and I used to take a
bath from a single pot while we were Junub. During the menses, he used to order
me to put on an Izar (dress worn below the waist) and used to fondle me. While
in Itikaf, he used to bring his head near me and I would wash it while I used
to be in my periods (menses).
(Bukhari)
For more evidence on this most
outlandish of Muhammad’s domestic acts even for seventh-century Arabia, readers
should refer to this article.
This article
responds to Muslim defenses of this indefensible Quranic permission.
This summary
of a news reports reveals Pakistan lowering the marriage age to twelve for a
girl.
According to this report an ethnic
minority in China allows marriages for girls at nine years old. The report says
that Islam has influenced this minority and practice.
This is a great article
analyzing the marriage age of women in the Bible.
Conclusion
The nightmare must end for women in
Islamic countries.
But the political and legal
hierarchies in the Islamic world do not seem ready to reform on women’s rights.
Here is a 1998 interview
with Shirin Ebadi, one of the first female judges in Iran. She correctly sees
abuses in Iranian law, which favors men. However, what has been done about
these abuses?
Zohreh Arshadi "was a
practising lawyer in Iran prior to her forced exile to Europe. She is currently
an advocate in France and is active in human rights and especially of the
rights of women. She has been especially active in defence of the rights of
women in Iran." She reports
on the inequities in Iranian law as it pertains to women:
The Islamic punishments have
encouraged a culture of violence against women, especially within the family
and has spilled into violence against children. This has been commented upon by
many within the country . . . The fact that men receive a lighter punishment if
they commit a violence against women undoubtedly encourages such violence. We
saw how women could be killed with impunity during alleged adultery. Stoning to
death for adultery, although technically admissible for both sexes, has also
been carried out mainly against women.
Though these two examples come from
Iran, they could multiply throughout the Islamic world. However, the legal
hierarchies understand the cost of reform: abandoning many verses in the Quran
and many passages in the hadith, and this they cannot do.
A sign of hope? The Iraqi Constitution, so far, says that 25% of the seats in the Parliament are
specified for women. So maybe reform can be encouraged in a fledgling democracy.
But if Islamic nations, especially
those who follow sharia (Islamic law) closely, refuse to reform, then the
second best strategy must be played out. Islam must never be allowed to impose
its sharia system of "justice" anywhere in the West and around the
world. No sharia courts should be permitted outside of the Islamic world. The
Quran—the ultimate source of sharia—oppresses women specifically and people
generally.
The Islamic holy book is too
patriarchal and culture-bound to be relevant to the new millennium.
This present article has two
companion top ten lists: here
and here.
All three lists demonstrate Islamic harshness and violence—especially six
hundred years after Jesus came and showed us a better way.
Jesus saves. Muhammad oppressed.
Supplemental Material
The readers may go to these three
sites for other translations of the Quran: this
one has multiple translations; this one has three; and this conservative translation is subsidized by the Saudi royal family.
Here
is the website for the online hadith.
A good online resource for the
historical context of a sura is here, where Maududi provides excellent
background material.
Part One of an article, leading to two other parts, is one of the best and most
thorough discussions of women in Islam. It analyzes many Quranic verses, hadith
passages, and modern Islamic views, more than this top ten list can cite and
analyze. For fair-minded readers, the three-part article is a convincing
assessment, leading to one conclusion: Islam dishonors and even abuses women in
many areas of life, according to the original source documents of Islam. If
Muslim polemicists and missionaries have time on their hands, they should
attempt to refute these articles instead of this top ten list, which is only a summary
of many other articles and links, like this three-parter.
This webpage
has a number of links to women’s issues, as well.
This is a superb overview
of the Quran and hadith on women’s inferior status in Islam.
This online booklet explores
the differing ideas in Islam and Christianity on the place of women.
This short booklet has an
excellent overview on Islam and women’s role.
This news report
states that women in Pakistan have lost the fight to reform rape laws. The
report says:
Statutes known as the Hudood
ordinances, based on sharia law, currently operate in Pakistan. They require a
female rape victim to produce four male witnesses to corroborate her account,
or she risks facing a new charge of adultery.
Most women refuse to report a rape for
fear they will be treated as a criminal.
Under current laws, a victim risks
courting punishment if she reports a rape allegation as the Hudood ordinances
criminalise all extra-marital sex.
A woman who fails to prove that she
was raped could then be charged with adultery under the same legislation.
According to a 2002 report by the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a woman is raped every two hours and gang
raped every eight hours.
However, because of social taboos,
discriminatory laws and victimisation of victims by police, campaigners say
that the scale of rape is almost certainly higher.
Why must the (raped) woman bring
four witnesses? The Quran in Sura 24:4 says:
And those who accuse chaste women,
and produce not four witnesses, flog them with eighty stripes, and reject their
testimony forever, they indeed are the Fasiqun (liars, rebellious, disobedient
to Allah).
Evidently, if a woman cannot produce
four witnesses, then she must be whipped or flogged.
MEMRI TV reports
that Saudi TV aired a talk show that discussed this issue. Scrolling
three-fourths of the way down the link, the readers can see an Islamic scholar
holding up sample rods that husbands may use to hit their wives.
Memri TV has a transcript of an
Iraqi cleric who says that certain nations allow husbands to beat their wives
and do not protest it. On the other hand, Islamic societies provide guidelines,
such as not hitting on the face and not severely.
Memri TV also has a video clip
and transcript of Sheik Yusouf al-Qaradhawi who made commotion in London for
opposing homosexuals and advocating wife beating. He says that wife beating is
not done by the "best" among the Muslims. Reply: But why is it
enshrined in the eternal word of Allah? Muslims constantly bring up the beating
done with a toothpick. A toothpick in Muhammad's day was something like a thin
branch or long twig. Granted, it could not kill, but it could inflict pain. No
one should beat his wife, even threaten to beat her. Why cannot Muslims see
this? The Quran says it is legitimate. Of course, he blames the "Zionist
lobby" for any persecution he believes that he suffered. This is also
irrational.
MEMRI TV has a video clip and a
transcript of an Egyptian cleric who says that a man may kill his wife if he
catches her in the act of adultery (in flagrante delicto), but his murder of
her must take place within a short time of catching her. His punishment is
reduced to a mere misdemeanor, which carries a light sentence. The wife, on the
other hand, if she kills her husband immediately after the act, does not get a
reduced sentence. Why not? The other woman in bed with the first woman's
husband may be one of his wives.
MEMRI TV has a transcript of a
Bahraini cleric outlining the rules for wife-beating. Apparently, it never
occurs to these clerics that this practice is wrong for all times and all
places. Bluntly said, Muhammad was misguided in Sura 4:34.
MEMRI TV also provides a transcript of a
woman reformer in Saudi Arabia who says women should have more rights. Her
battle is noble, but she is fighting uphill.
MEMRI TV has a video clip and a
transcript showing a Saudi cleric, a member of the Shura Council, arguing for
the rights of women to drive cars. The tone of the exchange reveals that the
moderate cleric (moderate on this issue at least) is fighting an impossible
battle.
However, MEMRI TV has a video clip and a
transcript of another Saudi cleric arguing against giving women the right to
drive cars.
This present article criticises
Amina Wadud's shaky exegesis of Sura 4:34, but this report
shows her leading Muslim prayers for men and women in a church. (Muslims were
only able to prevent it from happening in a mosque, but object against her
leading prayers anywhere in front of a mixed congregation). The report cites
other women who have done this, as well. It also reports on Muslim reactions to
this new development. Further discussion and links regarding Amina Wadud's move
are found in the Index to Islam
on this site.
The man designated by Iran’s
hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as his Minister of Justice vowed
that "improperly-veiled women" will be treated as if they had no
Islamic veil at all.
Jamal Karimi-Rad told the local
press, "Being improperly veiled and not wearing a veil are no different.
When it is clear from the appearance of a woman that she has violated the law,
then the crime is obvious and law enforcement agents can take legal measures
against her".
"Crimes such as mal-veiling or
other prohibited acts, which happen before the eyes of a law enforcement agent,
are evident crimes and must be dealt with in accordance with the law",
Karimi-Rad said.
Sharia oppresses women because it
offers them no freedom of choice. If a Muslim woman volunteers to wear a veil
or head covering, then that is her prerogative. However, she should be free not
to wear one, without being punished as a criminal.
Following are excerpts from a TV
debate on women appearing on Saudi TV, which aired on LBC TV on March 25,
2007.
Interviewer: Does the appearance of Saudi women on TV run counter to
Islamic law?
Saudi cleric Nasser Al-Huneini: What we want is for women [to reveal] their culture and
intellect. We want women to play a role in the development of society. But a
woman who insists upon appearing on TV insists upon showing her body. Why do we
act unjustly towards women by saying that we can only benefit from them by
presenting them to people this way?
[...]
Interviewer: How did you feel when you read about the debate in the
Saudi Shura Council about the appearance of Saudi women in the media?
Saudi newscaster Buthayna Nasser: I felt a sense of injustice and indignation, of course.
Nasser Al-Huneini: On the issue of the hijab, all religious scholars are in
agreement that if revealing a woman's face might lead to temptation and other
things, it is forbidden. In addition, even when they permitted the revealing of
the woman's face, they placed restrictions on this. Even Sheik Al-Albani did
so. They stated that only the face and the palms may be exposed. The woman is
not allowed to expose her neck or her hair. She is not allowed to appear with
make-up or jewelry. The religious scholars have all agreed upon this.
[...]
Buthayna Nasser: Sir, when I appear on TV, and when I claim my right to
play a role in this professional field, I demand that my face, which
constitutes my identity, be seen. Under no circumstances am I prepared to allow
my identity to be obliterated.
[...]
Who are these people who wish to
decide for me how I should behave? Why do you treat me as less qualified just
because I am a woman? Why is there always a male voice deciding how I should
behave? The Lord created me equal to you in my duties, punishment, and reward.
When you fast, I fast. When you pray, I pray. When you steal, your hand is cut
off, and when I steal, my hand is cut off. This is the greatest evidence that I
am not less qualified. I know what I am doing, and I know how to maintain my
honor. (Source)
In March 2004, Homa Arjomand,
coordinator of the campaign to stop a sharia court in Canada, delivered this speech
outlining the abuses that inhere in Islamic law, pertaining to women. Needless
to say, sharia favors men’s rights excessively, at the expense of women’s
rights. Arjomand tells the story of a sixteen-year-old who was forced to marry
a twenty-nine-year-old and suffered physical abuse at his hands. How could this
abuse be otherwise, when Allah commanded it in the first place?
Warning! This report
has a photo of a Muslim woman in Denmark getting murdered by her brother in an
"honor" killing.
Copyright by James Malcolm
Arlandson. Originally published at americanthinker.com, this article was slightly edited for Answering Islam.
