Today's musings

Like I said yesterday, I'm reading The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) by Robert Spencer. It's an excellent book. One of the myths (and there are many) is that women have more rights in Islam than in Christianity. But you know what?

• The Qur'an and Islamic law treat women as nothing more than possessions of men.

• The Qur'an sanctions wife-beating.

• Islam also allows for child marriage, the virtual imprisonment of women in their homes, "temporary marriage" (i.e. prostitution - but only for Shi'ites), among other things. ( I remember hearing years ago about militants in Algeria forcing girls into *marriage* and then divorcing them a few days later. Supposedly this was more *respectful* than raping her...not to mention wouldn't get the man in trouble...not that he would have for rape anyway.)
  

A horrible example of Islam's respect for women occurred in Saudi Arabia in 2002 when 15 girls were killed in a fire at their school. The police and firemen were prevented from opening the doors to let the girls out by the muttawa, or religious police that really control the country. Why did they do that? Because since the school was for girls and only women were in the school, the girls weren't wearing their abayas and hijabs. The muttawa preferred that the girls die instead of risk being seen without their required coverings. Never mind that they were all fully dressed!

In order for a woman to accuse a man of rape, she must have 4 male witness to the crime. If she can't produce them, then she has just confessed to adultery and usually finds herself sentenced to death. We've heard in recent years of women being sentenced to stoning for supposedly committing adultery and only international pressure might spare her. Mr. Spencer, in each chapter, compares Mohammad to Jesus, by quoting their teachings on the subject at hand. Let's see how the religion that brings such great respect for women measures up, shall we?

"Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?' They said this to test Him, so that they could have some charge to bring against Him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger. But when they continued asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, 'Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.' AgainHe bent down and wrote on the ground. And inresponce, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So He was left alone with the woman before Him. then Jesus straightened up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She replied, 'No one, sir.' Then Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.' " John 7:53-8:11

"There came to him (the Holy Prophet) a woman from Ghamid and said: allah's Messenger, I have committed adultery, so purify me. He (the Holy Prophet) turned her away. On the following day she said: Allah's Messenger, Why do you turn me away?...By Allah, I have become pregnant. He said: Well, if you insist upon it, then go away until you give birth to the child. When she was delivered she came with the child wrapped in a rag and said: Here is the child whom I have given birth to. He said: Go away and suckle him until you wean him. When she had weaned him, she came to him...She said, Allah's Apostle, here is he as I have weaned him and he eats food. He (the Holy Prophet) entrusted the child to one of the Muslims and then pronounced punishment. Andshe was put in a ditch up to her chest and he commanded people and they stoned her. Khalid bin Walid came forward with a stone which he flung at her head and there spurted blood on the face of Khalid and so he abused her. Allah's Apostle heard his (Khalid's) curse that he had hurled upon her. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Khalid, be gentle. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, she has made such a repentance that even if a wrongful tax-collector were to repent, he would have been forgiven. Then giving command regarding her, he prayed over her and she was buried."

The above is from pg. 75 of Spencer's book.

As I've said on my blog before, while I have no love or respect at all for Islam, I do have a great deal of respect for those Muslims who have touched my life in such a positive way. I've been blessed to know some wonderful Muslim women who've been such an influence on my own spiritual life by the example they set. However, I will not be blinded to the violence and hatred taught by Mohammad and his Qur'an. I also will only read books and articles, etc. from those who study Islam carefully and get their information straight from Islamic sources and approved translations of the Qur'an and Hadith. There's enough misinformation on both sides without contributing to it.