Jamaat al-Muslimeen International Forum
Muslim Women Trapped Between East and West
What can be done in Light of United Nations' Interference?
by Br. Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D
(Dr. Siddique's books are not available on the internet. In the light of
efforts by the United Nations and the attacks at the Feminist Expo and
at the Beijing Conference earlier, it is now necessary to give an outline of
the information in his six books.)
Premise: Change must come from within a society's inner being. The
Muslim world's values are enshrined in the Qur'an and the authentic
Hadith.
Both these sources are available in their pristine purity. Whenever these
teachings have been implemented, society has progressed in a dynamic
way towards justice and equality. Only if these sources were to fail or be
discarded by their audiences, would it be necessary to find salvation
in other relatively flawed sources such as the United Nations' charter and
declarations.
My criticism and advice is aimed at BOTH the forces oppressing women:
the feudal, tribal, patriarchal and male-chauvinistic ("my woman
belongs to me") segments of Muslim society as well as the genocidal cultural
imperialism of the West, including the U.S., Western Europe and Russia.
When I started writing my books (late 1970s early 80's), my immediate
audience were Muslims. Although the male-chauvinist groups which control
mosques in America, blocked any information on my books, the books
found their own way. It can be safely said that just about every Islamically
active sister in America has either read or read about THE STRUGGLE OF MUSLIM
WOMEN and/or LIBERATION OF WOMEN THRU ISLAM and to a lesser degree ISLAM-WAVE
OF THE FUTURE. (One source of amusement for me is the fact that "Islamic"
magazines in America still have to publish a review of my books which
have gone through 4 editions. These groups often found too late that their
own female associate editors had read them but often would not admit it.)
In the post-Beijing conference era, the first audience has to be the
West which is trying to destroy the Muslim world, and the U.S. in
particular which has launched an insidious war against Islam after the Zionist
takeover of the White House.
(I request that both segments of my suggestions be read. So please be patient.)
TO the WEST:
1. Let's begin with an issue on which most people can agree:
PLAYBOY, PENTHOUSE and other 'girlie' magazines constitute exploitation and
dehumanization of women. Even Betty Frieden would not find them
progressive although Larry Flynt became the moral mentor of President Clinton
during the Monica Lewisnsky debate. So, let's PROHIBIT all exports of these
magazines to Muslim countries.
2. Certain basic standards of morality should be accepted by the
West if it is to deal with the Muslim world. For instance ADULTERY, pre-MARITAL
SEX, fornication of all kinds outside marriage are anathema to Muslim values
(still espoused by most Muslims). All such American, European, Russian
etc. movies and videos which extol the destruction of the family through
such sexual activity must not be exported to the Muslim world. (Now don't
say FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: we are talking here of the respect for the
female and the peace of the family.) Every society sins, but the way adultery is
extolled in western media is definitely an attack on systems based on
values of chastity.
3. Transmissions of Voice of America, BBC, Deutchland, etc. should
be on basis of reciprocal exchange with Radio Pakistan, Voice of Islamic
Iran, Baghdad Radio, Al-Jazeerah and others. If it's a global village, let
all sides be heard. You can't be pouring in your garbage without letting
the thirsting masses of America hear the spiritual harmonies (even in
translation) of the Qur'an, the Wisdom of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the
poetry of Iqbal, Rumi and African writers and poets.
4. Racist advertising must be banned: The image of the thin, blond,
blue-eyed, long legged, long-haired white woman being transmitted all
over Asia and Africa is an insult to most human beings. The Black, Brown,
women of all varieties and backgrounds must be respected.
5. Consumeristic advertising which encourages people to buy mass
produced goods must not be allowed into the Muslim world. Instead indigenous
products must be encouraged.
6. If women and the family are the issue, the US. UK, France etc
must apologize to the Muslim world for their support of Salman Rushdie and
his SATANIC VERSES. That was an attack on the Muslim woman and the Muslim
world. There is no point in talking about women's rights, if the West does not
recognize that 'Ayesha, Fatima, Umm Ammara and hundreds of other
revolutionary female companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him)
are more precious for us than our own selves. (Without that apology, it's
all hypocrisy.)
7. Western media must stop attacking the "veil". The Hijab is the
Muslim woman's declaration of war against western consumerism, against the
objectification and exploitation of women. When the media here attack
the Hijab, they are actually attacking Islam without saying so. I am
referring to the Hijab worn deliberately by Muslim women out of love for Allah's WAY
(not the degrading burqa forced by men on women). My reference is to the
veil worn by Egyptian university women to say NO to Mubarak's western linkage,
the dress worn by the Turkish woman leader elected to Parliament (whose
citizenship was then taken away by America's friends), the "veil" worn
by Iranian revolutionary women following Imam Khomeini who turned the tide
of the Shah's tyranny at Zhaleh Square, the dress head-to-toe covering
worn by MUSLIM WOMEN IN PHILADELPHIA, DETROIT, NEW YORK etc, who say NO to
exploitation and objectification.
8. If the media are interested in Muslim women's rights, let
them given HUMAN FACE stories about the mujahideen women tortured by the
Hindus in Kashmir, the Muslimas raped by the Serbs, the Palestinian women in
their thousands whose homes, lives, dear ones have been ravaged by the Jews
of Israel, the Islamic women violated by Egyptian tyrant Mubarak's U.S.
trained, funded and supported intelligence services.
If those steps were taken, only then the UN/US concern for Muslim
women would make sense.
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Now a word to the male-chauvinists in the Muslim world: (I'll let you
look up the verses of the Qur'an and Hadith on these subjects. Only if
you deny that these are from our basic texts, will I reply with references.)
1. TAQWA or God-conscious conduct is the only standard of "who is
better" in Islam. Gender, race and tribe are excluded from such sense of
worthiness.
2. All matters concerning people must include such people in a process
of consultation-consent-consensus called SHOORA in the Qur'an. All Muslims
(50% or more of them women) must be included in this process.
3. All decisions which affect women (directly, or indirectly such as
budget allocations) are Islamically null and void if women were not included
in the process of decision making.
4. Women and Men are EACH OTHERS' Awliyya (protecting friends and
guardians). (Sura Tauba) Verse 4:34 is only about husband-wife relationships, not about society
at large. The husband-wife relationship is one of mutuality, not of
dominance by the male over the female.
5. If a woman knows the Qur'an and the Hadith, she is as much a source
of guidance for society as a man. No man has the right to say that he will
not listen to Qur'anic or Hadithic guidance taught by a woman.
6. There is no place for "Honor Killings" in Islam. Men who commit such
atrocities must be executed in public. The Prophet (pbuh) has given
graphic examples to show that the man has no "right" or excuse to harm his wife
or any other female on the basis of her sexual misbehavior even if she is
"caught in the act." (The husband is allowed a "symbolic" "hitting"
with a miswak if the Muslim community is new and she becomes involved in
NUSHUZ or sexual misconduct.)
7. Men who commit other atrocities against women, such as cases of
throwing acid or disfiguring etc, are subject to the LAW OF RETALIATION or Qasas
by the woman. The state is the guardian of oppressed women and under the
state's protection, such QASAS must be carried out against the husband or any
other male.
8. In cases of rape, once proven (which is now easier owing to DNA
testing), the rapist must be excuted in public and made an example of.
9. Just because a woman does not "cover" properly is not a reason for
accusations of misconduct. Anyone who brings such accusations against a
woman ("she is adulterous, prostitute, etc., look at her dress"), must bring
FOUR WITNESSES or otherwise such accusations will result in severe public
whipping plus denial of legal worthiness in court.
10. The State must ensure that property is being actually transferred
to women after someone dies. In Islam, the woman's property is only hers
and cannot be appropriated by the husband or his or her family.
11. A woman's consent is essential in marriage. Without her full,
uncoerced consent, the marriage can be abrogated. Sometimes a father, near death
might "marry" a female child to someone, to ensure her welfare after his
death, but as soon as she is an adult, she has the right to get her marriage
annulled under the protection of the State.
12. The Islamic State must ensure the woman's right to KHULA or
cancellation of marriage on basis of her claim of incompatibility (after thorough
investigation).
13. Every Muslim woman is the daughter-sister-mother of the entire
community. If any wrong is done to her, the community must be Islamically aware
enough to help her.
14. Islam does not assign roles to men and women. These are societally
agreed upon and should not be "blamed" on Islam. There are Islamic role models
for women homemakers as well as for women warriors, women who wanted to
have babies and those who did not (as well as those who wanted babies but
wanted "child care".) (Fosterage is very important in Islam.)
15. The Islamic State must train all its women (as well men) to be
fighters. We must not have women who will be scared of men. The world is at war
against us. We must train for Jihad at all levels. (Many women in Pakistan are
in Jihad camps: Also look at Iranian and Palestinian women.)
16. The Pleasure Principle in sex is recognized by Islam equally for
men and women. In this context of equality, the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Women are
the twins of men." (Hadith in Sunan of Abu Dawud.) As such fgm is evil and
unacceptable in Islam.
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TO BE CONTINUED
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Our web site: www.NewTrendMag.org
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Visit our 3rd International symposium, organized by Jamaat al-Muslimeen,
sponsored by Family Extended Educational Tide (FEET). June 24, all day
at Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland
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To help oppressed women, donate to: Jamaat al-Muslimeen, P.O. Box
10881, Baltimore, MD 21234.
To communicate with revolutionary Islamic women, email: Sis. Ashira:
ash era22@aol.com
Sis. Hadayai: Haleem1 Sis. Nadrat: siddiqun@wam.umd.edu
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2000-06-15 Thu 19:58ct