In a message dated 3/13/1999 7:40:58 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< You are copping out in pretense and speaking double-talk betraying your
sisters for the tradition. You are both belittling the plight of the women of
Afghanistan and what they are crying out for. >>
Have you spoken to an Afghani woman about their "plight"? Do they tell you
that it is islam as a whole, or the Taliban?
What was the difference between the lives of women in Afghanistan before the
Taliban and their lives now, under the Taliban?
The Taliban prevented women doctors from working - and prevented women from
seeing male doctors. Did Islam before the Taliban prevent women from being
doctors?
There is no pretense, nor double-talk. However pretension and double-talk it
may sound to you when you don't have the knowledge to understand but a mass of
ego not to admit it.
You wrote " Law and scripture is defensible only if it is just and responsive
to change. The doors of independent reason were closed in the fifteenth
century by the colleges. This is a dead end of evolution. "
>From what I wrote, please copy and paste, and explain to me where I
incorrectly identified the mechanisms of change within Islam. Especially,
please comment on Ijtihad, usul al-fitr and usul al-tafseer. Was I wrong when
I identified the choice of working within usual al-fitr or the options for
going beyond it? In what ways was I wrong?
You wrote " I'm afraid I know the Qur'an only too well. ". Does this mean you
are a scholar of Islam? Then you must know Sharia, Hadeeth also. How well do
you figure you would do with other scholars of Islam?
Have you read all of the sunnah, which compilation did you read? Aren't there
contradictions between the texts? Do you think a strictly koranic reading
contradicts with the Hadeeth? Have you studied the conflicts over which are
deemed true hadeeth and which others are not?
You reveal with your statement that either you didn't read what was written by
Jessica and I, or you just couldn't comprehend. It was all about law and
scripture being responsive to change and focus on justice.
You ignored Jessica's comment about Muslim women's activism - completely over
rode it telling us that all of them, not just Jessica and I, are wrong - but
you didn't bring one fact into play that disputes what either of us said. You
really just told me that you don't understand what I said, and instead of
asking more about it, you choose to stick to what is incorrect because that is
what you know, and you don't want to be wrong.
You wrote " circumcision is practised on women in the name of Islam and in the
name of
the sunna. It is still an accepted and enforced cultural practice associated
with several cultures within Islam through its very partial acceptance by
Muhammad's quote "Reduce but do not destroy". Egyptian Islamic clerics
insisted on re-instituting it to the outrage of women worldwide. "
Circumcision is also practiced by non-muslims. Notably it is practiced among
christians in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Uganda. It is not a common practice of
the Wolof in Senegal, who are virtually all muslim. A factual review of the
practice, reveals that not all muslims practice fgm and some christians do.
Are these christians doing fgm in the name of islam and the sunnah?
Are those muslims not doing fgm going against islam and the sunnah?
Who are these islamic clerics - name them. Are they kind of like the mormons
practicing polygamy in the name of christianity? Or perhaps the fundamentalist
christians in the u.s. who say a host of things about women, that other
christians dismiss.
You wrote " The confinement of women in Islam is not for their good, but to
control
reproductive freedom. Until women are reproductively free the world will
never be free. The Afghani women made this plea and you rejected it. "
The Afghani women I know, made no plea to me that I rejected - made no plea
within the organizations we work in together, that I rejected. Until they tell
me I have, then I probably won't be taking you seriously.
What women are confined in Islam? All muslim women are confined by Islam?
Confined how? Confined from education? Confined from professional educations?
Restricted in movement? In travel? From holding governmental positions?
Confined in marriage - how exactly are they confined in marriage and do those
confines apply in every muslim country?
Are the Kuwaiti women confined like the Saudi Women? What is the particular
ideology of islam, really culture, in Saudi Arabia which makes them treat
women as they do, compared to the Islamic view in Senegal - are muslim women
confined in Senegal? Compare the rights of women in Sudan now, compared with
those about 20 years ago. If there is a change, is this political or
religious? What are the confinements of women in India - what about malaysia?
What recently happened in sudan with regards to women covering themselves
and/or wearing traditional Sudanese clothing? Had they never been wearing
traditional clothing under Islam? Sudanese women are confined? In what ways?
Is there a difference between rural woman and women in more urban areas? Do
such differences exist around the world - are there differences between rural
and urban living women in China? In Mexico?
Chris, what is your analysis of the surah where the woman corrects the Prophet
(swt) in relation to women being seen as having less rational thought than
men?
Do you not find a contradiction in your statements about being for the
liberation of women when you ignore the words of muslim women activists, of
Jessica and I, calling them "Facile Rubbish" while providing not one shred of
a solid contradictory statement?
Were you belittling the plight of the Aghani women when you gave me the
mission to go liberate them on my visit? Were you belittling my plight when
you decided to give me a mission. (one that it seems you aren't doing
yourself).
You were better off when you only sent me little notes with vague statements.
"It is better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and
remove all doubt"
Nicole
