MUSLIMS IS JUST IMPLEMENTING THE PIOUS RULES OF THE HOLY QURAN THEY ARE NOT OPPRESSING WOMEN

?MUSLIMS IS JUST IMPLEMENTING THE PIOUS RULES OF THE HOLY QURAN THEY ARE NOT OPPRESSING WOMEN

HOW MUCH DO ISLAMIC PEOPLE BELIEVE THE ABOVE TRUTH

INTRODUCTION Part III of Part IV

?Everybody must agree with the statement that the human race came before religions are formed. The earth is not uniform in any respect, like, the human race of various places developed as per their surrounding natural ecosystem. This has made some humans black and white, long and short, therefore everywhere their beliefs and sect developed different supreme powers around which religion was made. Based on the many similarities some groups of communities agreed to follow the religion. But it is an idea so therefore from time to time the interpretation varied for both purposes, to meet a particular personal or societal benefit. Whatever religion maybe it is written about cannot be changeable. This is very important for religion as this created all the disturbances and evils. Though principally it is said Islam in its purest form honors and elevates women, practically It is not seen. All too often, textual reality (the Quran) matches up with the historical reality of seventh-century Arabia. Gender inequality and oppression in the Quran reflect the culture of seventh-century desert nomads. If Allah and Muhammad improved on this patriarchy, then they did not go far enough for a religion with a claim to universality.

?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 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), and Muslim (d. 875). The hadith comes only second in importance and sacredness among the vast majority of Muslims around the world. 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)

?9. Husbands are a degree above their wives.

?The Quran in Sura 2:228 says. Wives have the same rights as their 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,). 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. Muhammad was also superstitious. This 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)

?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 hadith. 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. In the US, for example, inheritance is divided equally among all siblings, regardless of the gender. No religious law prohibits this from happening. So American secular law fits into a modern context better, where women have more economic opportunities and freedom

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 are 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). The foundational reason for having two women witnesses is that one of the women may 'forget' something. This verse goes to the nature of womankind and 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 woman said, 'Yes.' He said, 'This is because of the deficiency of a woman's mind.' (Bukhari, emphasis added)

?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 have the intervening step 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, the answer features 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. As for divorce generally. These links can yield only one conclusion: Islamic divorce favors the man.

?5. Slave—girls are the sexual property of 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 marriage should take place between prisoners of war and their captives, married or not. In fact, no sex should take place between women captives and their Muslim overlords. 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 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 allows men to have sex with them in the Meccan period, during times of peace before Muhammad initiated his skirmishes and wars 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 had 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? ?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 invoked 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 into existence, till the Day of Resurrection. (Bukhari). 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. 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.

?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 of four wives is artificial. Men could have sex with as many slaves—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 fewer 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)

?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 dowery Muhammad paid, he may marry slave—girls—that is, he may have sex with them. ?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 conveniently reveals to him that this marriage between father—in—law and daughter—in—law is legal and moral in Sura 33:36—44.

?3. A husband 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 superhuman strength under changing circumstances in his wives?

?Maududi continues: In such cases, 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. ?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 turning the 'rotation with the Prophet, who gladly agreed with her proposal.

?2. Husbands may hit their wives even if the husbands merely fear highhandedness in their wives (quite apart from whether they actually are highhanded).

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 es 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’s daughter of Abu Bakr, his right—hand Companion: 'He [Muhammad] struck me [Aisha] on the chest which caused me pain.' (Muslim no. 2127). ?This subject is a superb analysis, giving various translations of Sura 4:34. It cites the hadith and classical commentaries and refutes modern defenses.

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 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 two 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)

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 ypm?,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,lpour brother.' The Prophet said, 'You are my brother in Allah's religion and His Book, but she (Aisha) is lawful for me to marry.' 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 girlfriends. 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 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 nine years of age.

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). 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). ?For more evidence of this most outlandish of Muhammad's domestic acts even for seventh—century Arabia, responds to Muslim defenses of this indefensible Quranic permission. This summary of news reports reveals Pakistan lowering the marriage age to twelve for a girl.

?Considering the fact that before the advent of Islam the pagan Arabs used to bury their female children alive, make women dance naked in the vicinity of the Ka'ba during their annual fairs, and treat women as mere chattels and objects of sexual pleasure possessing no rights or position whatsoever, these teachings of the Noble Qur'an were revolutionary. Unlike other religions, which regarded women as being possessed of inherent sin and wickedness and men as being possessed of inherent virtue and nobility,?Islam regards men and women as being of the same essence created from a single soul.?The Qur'an declares:

O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate, and from this pair scattered (like seeds) countless men and women. Reverence Allah, through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and reverence the wombs (that bore you); for Allah ever watches over you. (4:1)

The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said,?"Women are the twin halves of men."?The Qur'an emphasizes the essential unity of men and women in a most beautiful simile:

They (your wives) are your garment and you are a garment for them. (2:187)

Just as a garment hides our nakedness, so do husband and wife, by entering into the relationship of marriage, secure each other's chastity. The garment gives comfort to the body; so does the husband find comfort in his wife's company and her in his.?"The garment is the grace, the beauty, the embellishment of the body, so too are wives to their husbands as their husbands are to them."

Islam does not consider a woman?"an instrument of the Devil",?but rather the Qur'an calls her muhsana - a fortress against Satan because a good woman, by marrying a man, helps him keep to the path of rectitude in his life. It is for this reason that marriage was considered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a most virtuous act. He said:?"When a man marries, he has completed one-half of his religion."?He enjoined matrimony on Muslims by saying:?"Marriage is part of my way and whoever keeps away from my way is not from me (i.e. is not my follower)."?The Qur'an has given the raison d'?tre of marriage in the following words: And among His signs is this, that He has created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquillity with them; and He has put love and mercy between you. Verily in that are signs for those who reflect. (30:21). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was full of praise for virtuous and chaste women. He said: "The world and all things in the world are precious but the most precious thing in the world is a virtuous woman. He once told the future khalif, 'Umar: "Shall I not inform you about the best treasure a man can hoard? It is a virtuous wife who pleases him whenever he looks towards her, and who guards herself when he is absent from her."

On other occasions, the Prophet said: "The best property a man can have is a remembering tongue (about Allah), a grateful heart, and a believing wife who helps him in his faith." And again: "The world, the whole of it, is a commodity and the best of the commodities of the world is a virtuous wife." Before the advent of Islam women were often treated worse than animals. The Prophet wanted to put a stop to all cruelties against women. He preached kindness towards them. He told the Muslims:?"Fear Allah in respect of women."?And:?"The best of you are they who behave best to their wives."?And:?"A Muslim must not hate his wife, and if he is displeased with one bad quality in her, let him be pleased with one that is good."?And: "The more civil and kind a Muslim is to his wife, the more perfect in faith he is."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was most emphatic in enjoining Muslims to be kind to their women when he delivered his famous khutba on the Mount of Mercy at Arafat in the presence of one hundred and twenty-four thousand of his Companions who had gathered there for the Hajj al-Wada (Farewell Pilgrimage). In it, he ordered those present, and through them all those Muslims who were to come later, to be respectful and kind towards women. He said: "Fear Allah regarding women. Verily you have married them with the trust of Allah and made their bodies lawful with the word of Allah. You have got (rights) over them, and they have got (rights) over you in respect of their food and clothing according to your means." In Islam, a woman is a completely independent personality. She can make any contract or bequest in her own name. She is entitled to inherit her position as mother, wife, sister, and as the daughter. She has the perfect liberty to choose her husband. The pagan society of pre-Islamic Arabia had an irrational prejudice against their female children whom they used to bury alive. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was totally opposed to this practice. He showed them that supporting their female children would act as a screen for them against the fire of Hell: It is narrated by the Prophet's wife, 'A'isha, that a woman entered her house with two of her daughters. She asked for charity but 'A'isha could not find anything except a date, which was given to her. The woman divided it between her two daughters and did not eat any herself. Then she got up and left. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to the house, 'A'isha told him about what had happened and he declared that when the woman was brought to account (on the Day of Judgment) about her two daughters they would act as a screen for her from the fires of Hell.

The worst calamity for a woman is when her husband passes away and, as a widow, the responsibility of maintaining the children falls upon her. In the Eastern World, where a woman does not always go out to earn her living, the problems of widowhood are indescribable. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) upheld the cause of widows. Most of his wives were widows. In an age when widows were rarely permitted to remarry, the Prophet encouraged his followers to marry them. He was always ready to help widows and exhorted his followers to do the same. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said:?"One who makes efforts (to help) the widow or a poor person is like a mujahid (warrior) in the path of Allah, or like one who stands up for prayers in the night and fasts in the day."

Woman as mother commands great respect in Islam. The Noble Qur'an speaks of the rights of the mother in a number of verses. It enjoins Muslims to show respect to their mothers and serve them well even if they are still unbelievers. The Prophet states emphatically that the rights of the mother are paramount. Abu Hurairah reported that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and asked:?"O Messenger of Allah, who is the person who has the greatest right on me with regards to kindness and attention?"?He replied,?"Your mother." "Then who?"?He replied,?"Your mother." "Then who?"?He replied,?"Your mother." "Then who?"?He replied,?"Your father." In another tradition, the Prophet advised a believer not to join the war against the Quraish in defense of Islam, but to look after his mother, saying that his service to his mother would be a cause of his salvation. Mu'awiyah, the son of Jahimah, reported that Jahimah came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said,?" Messenger of Allah! I want to join the fighting (in the path of Allah) and I have come to seek your advice."?He said,?"Then remain in your mother's service because Paradise is under her feet." The Prophet's followers accepted his teachings and brought about a revolution in their social attitude toward women. They no longer considered women as mere chattel, but as an integral part of society. For the first time, women were given the right to have a share in inheritance. In the new social climate, women rediscovered themselves and became highly active members of society rendering useful service during the wars which the pagan Arabs forced on the emerging Muslim umma. They carried provisions for the soldiers, nursed them, and even fought alongside them if it was necessary. It became a common sight to see women helping their husbands in the fields, carrying on trade and business independently, and going out of their homes to satisfy their needs.

'A'isha reported that Saudah bint Zam'ah went out one night. 'Umar saw her and recognized her and said,?"By God, O Saudah, why do you not hide from us?"?She went back to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and told him about it while he was having supper in her room, and he said,?"It is permitted by Allah for you to go out for your needs."?The predominant idea in the teachings of Islam with regard to men and women is that a husband and wife should be full-fledged partners in making their home a happy and prosperous place, that they should be loyal and faithful to one another, and genuinely interested in each other's welfare and the welfare of their children. A woman is expected to exercise a humanizing influence over her husband and to soften the sternness inherent in his nature. A man is enjoined to educate the women in his care so that they cultivate the qualities in which they, by their very nature, excel. These aspects were much emphasized by the Prophet (peace be upon him). He exhorted men to marry women of piety and women to be faithful to their husbands and kind to their children. He said: "Among my followers, the best of men are those who are best to their wives, and the best of women are those who are best to their husbands. To each of such women is set down a reward equivalent to the reward of a thousand martyrs. Among my followers, again, the best of women is those who assist their husbands in their work, and love them dearly for everything, save what is a transgression of Allah's laws."

Once Mu'awiyah asked the Prophet (peace be upon him),?"What are the rights that a wife has over her husband?"?The Prophet replied,?" Feed her when you take your food, give her clothes to wear when you wear clothes, refrain from giving her a slap on the face or abusing her, and do not separate from your wife, except within the house."?Once a woman came to the Prophet with a complaint against her husband. He told her:?"There is no woman who removes something to replace it in its proper place, with a view to tidying her husband's house, but that Allah sets it down as a virtue for her. Nor is there a man who walks with his wife hand-in-hand, but that Allah sets it down as a virtue for him; and if he puts his arm round her shoulder in love, his virtue is increased tenfold."?Once he was heard praising the women of the tribe of Quraish,?"...because they are the kindest to their children while they are infants and because they keep a careful watch over the belongings of their husbands."

The Shari'ah regards women as the spiritual and intellectual equals of men. The main distinction it makes between them is in the physical realm based on the equitable principle of fair division of labor. It allots the more strenuous work to the man and makes him responsible for the maintenance of the family. It allots the work of managing the home and the upbringing and training of children to the woman, work which has the greatest importance in the task of building a healthy and prosperous society. It is a fact, however, that sound administration within the domestic field is impossible without a unified policy. For this reason, the Shari'ah requires a man, as head of the family, to consult with his family and then to have the final say in decisions concerning it. In doing so he must not abuse his prerogative to cause any injury to his wife. Any transgression of this principle involves for him the risk of losing the favor of Allah because his wife is not his subordinate but she is, to use the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him),?'the queen of her house',?and this is the position a true believer is expected to give his wife. In contrast to these enlightened teachings of Islam in respect of women, Western talk of women's liberation or emancipation is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honor, and degradation of her soul!

?DOES ISLAM REALLY SUBJUGATE WOMEN?

There is a popular narrative in the West that Islam is sexist. But aside from fundamentalist practices like honor killings, does moderate Islam actually deny women freedoms? There is a popular narrative in the West that Islam is sexist. Brutal accounts of honor killings and public stonings of women accused of adultery have permeated the Western media. But these heinous acts affect a small minority of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims, particularly those in fundamentalist countries like Iran and Somalia. What of the hundreds of millions of?other?female Muslims around the globe, from Indonesia to Egypt, from China to Germany? Does moderate Islam deny them freedoms in their daily lives, or is this a convenient narrative to justify anti-Islamic sentiment The Koran cautions women “to draw their outer garments close around themselves” so that they will not inspire sexual desire in men other than their husbands? Many in the West decry the various head coverings as sexist, but their implementation differs widely in the Muslim world. In Saudi Arabia women typically wear a?niqab, a full-body garment with a veil that obscures the face.?While in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, head coverings are completely optional and actually used often as a fashion statement. In Turkey and France,?burqas, full-body garments with or without a veil,?are banned in public. French President Nicholas Sarkozy has called the?burqa?“not a sign of religion [but] a sign of subservience.” Afghan filmmaker?Sonia Nassery Cole?doesn’t wear a headscarf herself, but she believes that women should be able to wear whatever makes them feel safe and beautiful. If that happens to be a burqa, France has “no right” to ban it, she says. Cole grew up Muslim in Afghanistan but fled to the United States shortly after the Soviet invasion in 1979. Ever since she has campaigned for women’s and children’s rights from abroad, serving on the board of the Afghanistan Relief Committee and establishing the Afghanistan World Foundation. But when she returned to Afghanistan in 2009 to spearhead aid efforts and to make her first feature film “The Black Tulip,” what she found was nothing like the Afghanistan of her childhood. Under the Taliban, “the country went like 500 years backward,” she tells Big Think.?“There are pictures I have seen of my mom and her friends wearing high boots, miniskirts, dancing, going to work with beautiful suits, above-the-knee skirts, high heels,” she recalls.?

?As Nassery Cole paints it, Afghanistan used to be a bastion of equality for women. “Afghan women had their rights before European and American women even knew what rights were,” she says. “My mother was a very powerful woman and she [stood] shoulder to shoulder with my father; she worked with him all the time, even when he was a diplomat.” She says her grandmother was indisputably the boss of the house. Cole admits that?the Koran can be interpreted to promote misogyny, as it is by the Taliban, “but the essence of Islam is the highest respect for women,” she says. Fundamentalist interpretations of the Koran are the enemy, not the Koran itself.?But author and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali sees Islam as antithetical to liberalism and women’s rights. A former Muslim herself, she has been one of Islam’s most vocal critics. As she discusses in?her Big Think interview, her Islamic upbringing was nothing like Cole’s: “When I was a Muslim woman, we were brought up to believe in our own submission—submission to the will of God, submission to the will of your parents, submission to the will of your husband. And submission to the will of the husband is absolute except when he asks you to forsake Allah.”

?Naturally, there will be fundamentalists in any religion, who insist on literal interpretations of outdated dogma. But the problem is not just with fundamentalism,?but with Islam itself, says Hirsi Ali.?In her book “The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation for Women and Islam,”?she pinpoints three reasons why the Muslim world lags behind the West and, increasingly, Asia. First, “Islam is strongly dominated by a sexual morality derived from tribal Arab values dating from the time the Prophet received his instructions from Allah, a culture in which women were the property of their fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, or guardians,” she says. “The essence of a woman is reduced to her hymen. Her veil functions as a constant reminder to the outside world of this stifling morality that makes Muslim men the owners of women and obliges them to prevent their mothers, sisters, aunts, sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces, and wives from having sexual contact. “But the holy books of Christianity and Judaism were written hundreds of years before the Koran, in even less enlightened times. In the Ten Commandments, for instance, women are clearly viewed as property: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.” In this litany, women are listed alongside slaves (manservants and maidservants) and animals, suggesting a similar status.?These books do not jibe with our modern interpretations of women, yet mainstream Christianity and Judaism have evolved over the years. Secondly, a Muslim’s relationship with God is ontologically different from a Christian’s, says Hirsi Ali. “A Muslim’s relationship with his God is one of fear,” she says. “He punishes you cruelly if you break His rules, both on earth, with illness and natural disasters, and in the hereafter, with hellfire.” When she emigrated to the West at age 22, Hirsi Ali realized that “God and His truth had been humanized here.” Instead of focusing on Hell and punishment, Christianity focuses on salvation. For Christians, “God is a god of love rather than a cruel ruler who metes out punishments.”?

But perhaps the main?difference is that Islam has one moral source, the Prophet Muhammad, who was himself a human.?“Muhammad is infallible,” says Ali. “You would almost believe he is himself a god, but the Koran says explicitly that Muhammad is a human being; he is a supreme human being, though, the most perfect human being.”?And Muhammad, a seventh-century man, has become an example for all Muslim men, she told the Dutch publication Trouw. There are thousands of?hadith, accounts of Muhammad’s words and actions, which explain how a seventh-century Muslim was supposed to live. Yet devout twenty-first-century Muslims also consult these writings for daily guidance. Things that were acceptable then, like marrying a 6-year-old girl, are clearly not acceptable in 2010. By Western standards the Prophet would now be considered a pervert, Hirsi Ali has said.

HOW THE ISLAMIC STATE TALKED WOMEN INTO SUBJUGATION: NEW UN WOMEN REPORT ANALYZES THE USE OF GENDERED MESSAGING BY ISIL

UN Women launched a new report that examines the use of gendered messaging by the terrorist group, Islamic State in Iraq, and the Levant (ISIL) as its control and governance tactics. The report, based on an analysis of ISIL’s magazines in Arabic, English, and French, was released at an event in New York, co-organized by UN Women, the United Kingdom Mission to the UN, and the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN.

Empowerment or Subjugation: A Gendered Analysis of ISIL, generously funded by the Government of Finland,?shows how ISIL strategically crafted its messages to women to persuade them to travel to its territory and to adhere to its moral code and governance model, which include women’s strict obedience to their husbands. It also highlights how its language targeting men, spoke to gendered issues of power and dominance. The report reveals that the terrorist group used women and purportedly women’s voices and experiences as tools to promote its rigid social order and the subjugation of women. The extremist group also used a radical interpretation of religion in contradictory and self-serving ways. For example, to justify greater freedoms for women to travel on their own to ISIL-controlled areas, but also to justify severe limitations on the basic movement of women living in ISIL territories. “If a false sense of empowerment attracted women to join ISIL, we need to make its worldview known for what it is,” said Mohammad Naciri, Regional Director of UN Women for the Arab States. In recent years, there has been greater recognition of the interplay of issues of gender equality, violent extremism, and peace and security. In response to the UN Security Council’s resolution 2242 in 2015, which explicitly acknowledged these interlinkages and called for gender-sensitive research and data on the drivers of radicalization for women, UN Women, with generous funding from the Governments of Japan and Finland, commissioned research on the issue. In addition, as part of the funding from Japan, a?regional program?focusing on preventing violent extremism through women’s empowerment at the community level was rolled out in Indonesia and Bangladesh in 2017.

?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 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 practicing 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 the rights of women. She has been especially active in defense 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 have 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 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 strongly 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 and people generally. The Islamic holy book is too patriarchal and culture—bound to be relevant to the new millennium.

Women in the Quran and the Sunnah: Prof. Abdur Rahman I. Doi, Professor, and Director, Center for Islamic Legal Studies,

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaire.

In Islam, there is absolutely no difference between men and women as far as their relationship with Allah is concerned,?as both are promised the same reward for good conduct and the same punishment for evil conduct. The Qur'an says: And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women. (2:226)

CONCLUSION

The Qur'an, in addressing the believers, often uses the expression, ‘believing men and women'?to emphasize the equality of men and women in regard to their respective duties, rights, virtues and merits. It says:

??For Muslim men and women,

??for believing men and women,

??for devout men and women,

??for true men and women,

??for men and women who are patient and constant,

??for men and women who humble themselves,

??for men and women who give in charity,

??for men and women who fast,

??for men and women who guard their chastity,

??and for men and women

??who engage much in Allah's praise,

??for them has Allah prepared

??forgiveness and great reward. (33:35)

This clearly contradicts the assertion of the Christian Fathers that?women do not possess souls and that they will exist as sexless beings in the next life.?The Qur'an says that women have souls in exactly the same way as men and will enter Paradise if they do good :

Enter into Paradise, you and your wives, with delight. (43:70)

Who so does that which is right, and believes, whether male or female, he or she will quicken to a happy life. (16:97)

The Qur'an admonishes those men who oppress or ill-treat women:

???O you who believe! You are forbidden

??to inherit women against their will.

??Nor should you treat them with harshness,

??that you may take away part of the dowry

??you have given them - except when

??they have become guilty of open lewdness.

??On the contrary, live with them

??on a footing of kindness and equity.

??If you take a dislike to them,

??it may be that you dislike something

??and Allah will bring about through it

??a great deal of good. (4:19)

?We have great hope that the violence will settle down. It is a natural human tendency to can not just hold one side of the coin; it gives us a view in peace. At present most countries are ruled by violence, torture, and terror, so we do not hope much near the freedom of fear. As their own family members are doing this, nobody comes out of their own family members.?