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Women in Islam.
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Lately, it has become fashionable for Muslims to claim that Islam grants women respect and dignity. It is asserted that Western values, under the banner of freedom and equality, objectify and demean women. Muslims judge Islamic law to strike the perfect balance of rights and responsibilities for men and women, and insist that such rules are necessary for achieving social harmony as dictated by god’s design. However, an honest study of Islamic gender rules makes it difficult for the objective individual to reach such conclusions.
The ever-too-familiar dress code is an obvious, and often mentioned, example of the Islamic mentality. A strict code of dress exists for both genders. In the presence of women, men must cover the area between their knees and navel. But women, unlike their male counterparts, are seen as succubae whose physical appearance will surely tempt men into sin if not fully covered. It is, therefore, required of women to cover their entire body, sans the face and hands. For the same reasons, women are not allowed to wear any perfume or make-up in public. It is no surprise that such contempt for women leads the more fanatic to cover their women entirely. If hair sparks uncontrollable desire in men, then why not the face? Or the hands? Australia’s most senior Muslim cleric, Taj Din Al-Hilali, summarized my position so eloquently when he responded to the charge that a high percentage of rape crimes in the country were committed by Muslim men, when he said:
"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?
"The uncovered meat is the problem."
The sheik then said: "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred."
Inhertiance law is another shining example of women’s value to Muslims. Women, in general inherit half the share of men. If a father of two dies, the son would receive two-thirds of the inheritance, and the daughter would receive the remaining third. Muslims justification for this law is simple; men are required by the Quran to provide for their families. Since men carry the sole burden to provide financially, they are more entitled to financial compensation. If one is accept this excuse, he would have to ignore other instances where women are relegated to an inferior status.
In some types of criminal cases, women are barred from testifying. In the majority of legal matters, the testimony of two women is equal to that of one man. In political matters, women are prohibited from holding positions of leadership. In divorce, a woman can file a complaint with the local authorities. A hearing would then be arranged, and a judge will decide if a woman has legitimate cause for requesting dissolution of marriage. The procedure for men is much simpler; they have to utter the words “I divorce you.” Since men can take up to four wives at a time, easy divorces are desirable for when a spot needs vacating.
The animosity toward womankind is not surprising in view of the attitude of Islam’s founder. Mohammad, despite of the restriction on the number of wives, married dozens of women. This impressive array of brides included six year old Aisha. Mohammad distrust for women is demonstrated in the famous story of Isra’ and Miraj. It is said that one night, an angel came to the prophet and took him on a journey to Jerusalem. A white horse then descended from above, and carried Mohammad in a trip across heaven and hell, en route to god’s residence. Mohammad looked upon the inhabitants of hell, and he noticed they were mostly women.
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