Can we talk?
One thing I just don't get.....why the so-called Womens Rights movement continues to ignore the threat to women that is radical Islam. Under the Taliban's rule, women were held prisioner in their own home. They could not work, or go to school or even go to the market without a male escort! They were bought and sold as chattel at the whim of their husbands or fathers.
Ah but the Taliban is history you say. True, but that does not mean that the anti-woman mindset is. Take a look at what has happened in "enlightened" Europe to Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This Somali born Muslim woman has had the audacity to speak her mind about the radicals and she even ran for (and was elected to) public office. She partnered with Theo Van Gogh in the making of the movie "Submission", the film that cost Van Gogh his life at the hands of an Islamist. For her role, Hirsi Ali had to live in a police station - under 24 hour guard. When the Islamists couldn't reach her there, they got her Dutch citizenship revoked. Hirsi Ali has since moved to the US because of her treatment by the oh so enlightened Dutch.
Or consider this story out of the "moderate" kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Officials are considering an unprecedented proposal to ban women from performing the five Muslim prayers in the immediate vicinity of Islam's most sacred shrine in Mecca. Some say women are already being kept away."
So one of the absolute MUSTS of Islam, women are being prohibited from doing because they are women! Women do not have any rights under Islam and yet I do not hear a peep out of those who complain that the Catholic Church is "repressive"...
This article addresses the main complaint I have heard out of most Americans vis a vis the elusive "moderate" Muslim.
"Recent articles about a Muslim woman doctor, who received death threats after speaking out on Al-Jazirah network against Muslim hardliners and terrorists, has been generating publicity for the right people and for a well justified cause that seldom gets enough attention, even though it would work to our advantage in the war against terrorism.Everyone wants to fight terrorism, but we seldom see any mention of Muslims who are fighting against hardliners and terrorists. That is what causes many people to question whether Muslims really mean what they say. "
It explains why you don't hear a lot of "moderate" Muslims speaking out. It also gives you a sense of why women in Islam don't speak out. Considering that women are still stoned in the Middle East and in other Islamic countries for "acts incompatable with chastity" it is not a stretch to understand why they don't speak out about the abuse that they recieve in the name of "family honor".
There is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to make certain that the moderates are willing and able to speak out. Until that time, those of us in freer countries need to give voice to their suffering. It is up to us to tell their stories and it is up to those of us who want them to speak out to support and encourage, rather than harrangue them for not speaking out. I know it is hard, but it is something that we can and should do.
Ah but the Taliban is history you say. True, but that does not mean that the anti-woman mindset is. Take a look at what has happened in "enlightened" Europe to Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This Somali born Muslim woman has had the audacity to speak her mind about the radicals and she even ran for (and was elected to) public office. She partnered with Theo Van Gogh in the making of the movie "Submission", the film that cost Van Gogh his life at the hands of an Islamist. For her role, Hirsi Ali had to live in a police station - under 24 hour guard. When the Islamists couldn't reach her there, they got her Dutch citizenship revoked. Hirsi Ali has since moved to the US because of her treatment by the oh so enlightened Dutch.
Or consider this story out of the "moderate" kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Officials are considering an unprecedented proposal to ban women from performing the five Muslim prayers in the immediate vicinity of Islam's most sacred shrine in Mecca. Some say women are already being kept away."
So one of the absolute MUSTS of Islam, women are being prohibited from doing because they are women! Women do not have any rights under Islam and yet I do not hear a peep out of those who complain that the Catholic Church is "repressive"...
This article addresses the main complaint I have heard out of most Americans vis a vis the elusive "moderate" Muslim.
"Recent articles about a Muslim woman doctor, who received death threats after speaking out on Al-Jazirah network against Muslim hardliners and terrorists, has been generating publicity for the right people and for a well justified cause that seldom gets enough attention, even though it would work to our advantage in the war against terrorism.Everyone wants to fight terrorism, but we seldom see any mention of Muslims who are fighting against hardliners and terrorists. That is what causes many people to question whether Muslims really mean what they say. "
It explains why you don't hear a lot of "moderate" Muslims speaking out. It also gives you a sense of why women in Islam don't speak out. Considering that women are still stoned in the Middle East and in other Islamic countries for "acts incompatable with chastity" it is not a stretch to understand why they don't speak out about the abuse that they recieve in the name of "family honor".
There is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to make certain that the moderates are willing and able to speak out. Until that time, those of us in freer countries need to give voice to their suffering. It is up to us to tell their stories and it is up to those of us who want them to speak out to support and encourage, rather than harrangue them for not speaking out. I know it is hard, but it is something that we can and should do.
posted by The Lady Logician at
10:19 AM
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