Azadre's Thread on Islam (aka you have questions, I have answers)

I suggest everyone who has any questions/concerns about Islamic principles to check this resource out:

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/notislam/misconceptions.html

It has a list of ten common misconceptions about Islam. These include some of the ones asked here about such as equality of women, violence/terrorism, and tolerance of other religions.

I also urge you to view the other sections on the website, it has lots of useful information about Islam for both Muslims and Non-Muslims.

The site is run by the University of Southern California MSA.

 

i'll have to find it again.

 

thanks Azadre, there are other things though that i question. for instance i think women are not able to drive in turkey legally. i think that would make a women inferior to a man if she has to rely on a male figure to get around to work/school/doctor or anywhere else.

 

The gender differences you mention are not necessarily islamic laws. Infact petty differences like women not being allowed to drive are looked down upon as a stupid rule that is not based on much.

Women drive in many muslim majority countries including pakistan, egypt, uae, bangladesh, etc etc.

Just because a few countries dont allow it doesnt mean that it is an islamic principle.

 

Interesting, but the female stuff still disturbs me.

None of these are addressed sufficiently, IMO.

Yes a man can marry 4 wives, but he must be able to support them financially. A man's share of inheritence is bigger because they provide more financial support. Women must wear a veil but that's not as bad as societies which suffer p*rnography. It appears that no attempt was made to rationalize why men are permitted to marry non-Muslims whereas women cannot.

Essentially, seems like women are generally restricted whereas men are not. I don'tknow if it's common across all Islamic nations, but the Saudis that I came across in Houston years ago always had their families trailing several paces back because the kids had to hang w/ the moms who were not permitted to walk alongside the men.

Is this an inaccurate assessment?

 

A lot of muslims do wish to be ruled under the shariah.
There are many muslims who want to change islam and its ways, and that is whre many problems exist.

the ones who want to follow shariah do not like others changing their religion, and the ones that want to change a few rulings do not like others keeping their religion old fashioned.

 

ill try to rationalize why women can not marry non muslim men. whereas men can marry non muslim women.

in islam, a woman must listen to her husband, now if her husband, be a christian wanted her to do unislamic things, she would have to listen to him, because if she disobeys him, it is not good, and if she listens to him shes goin against her religion. also the from the islamic point, the kids would then grow upto be more than likely non muslims, and to prevent this the women are not allowed to marry non muslims,

now if a muslim man marries a nonmuslim woman, there is a higher chance that the new family will be muslim and hopefully by living with the man, the woman will eventually convert.

yes this part is inacccurate, women can travel side by side with men. but the thing is that if a group of men are walkin together, then the women who arent related to the men would feel uncomfortable with the men, and hence step back and chill with their own group, this is a very common cultural thing, I even noticed many indians doing this, the men as a group chillin up front, and the women lagging behind still window shopping at the previous shop.

i have rarely ever noticed this occurance happening when its just a husband and wife. (unless they really hate each other)

 

Prior to 9-11, the majority of muslim women that I met (mix of american born, foreign born) living here did not wear head scarves or whatever you choose to call them.

Post 9-11 and the war's in Afghanistan & Iraq, I am seeing a huge increase in muslim women here choosing to wear them

Why?

Why do they feel this renewed pride in a backwards religion known for extremism, ignorance, and terrorism? One that treats women like crap at that?

Shoving the symbols of their backwards religion in our face here in our land is just wrong.

I'm sure plenty of people will come out against this post, but I don't care one bit. It's a serious question, and if my attached personal feelings rile anyone, tough. Stop committing acts of terrorism and fighting like cowards, then your religion might gain more respect among the rest of the world's population.

 

Is Islam compatible with democracy?

 

Thanks for exposing yourself, I think your post clearly shows the type of person you are.

Duly noted for future reference...

You have the same exact mentality and approach of any radical extremist, but I commend you for saying what you said because that's exactly the problem here.

 

I believe the Islamic faith treats their women with more respect than do Western communities. If I was a women, I would rather be over protected, than to be ogled, groped, raped and philandered as women are in the Western world.

 

Locking them in a closet would work well too.

 

I think both are extremes, a middle ground somewhere would be ideal.

There's problems in every society, if you want to talk about "women rights" or the status of women in general, I think the current status of women in the world should be improved, period.

 

ill take the bait,
so you are against people flaunting religious symbols? or just muslim women? are you against crosses and yarmulkas? after 9-11 i saw many more christians go to church and wear crosses. how dare they do that in MY LAND, ITS JUST WRONG... This is my land, and my religions land as much it is yours. Lets say I argue that christianity is backwards, who the heck in their right mind would believe in holy spirits and trinities and stuff. how dare they wear crosses and nuns wear headscarves and expect that to save them. backwards religion

you see where i am coming from,..

after this latest post of yours, you have lost all respect from me.

 

it would be better than them having to sell their body for food and shelter.

 

I think the wearing of bikinis by women should be enforced.

(but I would let some slide...)

 

Ok, so women who don't completely cover themselves are prostitutes? Great logic.

 

You show your own ignorance by making such statements that are vast generalizations of a religon of over 1 billion people based upon the incorrect and unreligious crimes of a certain group of extremists.

Secondly, you ask why they chose to wear certain clothing and do certain things. My reply is, why not? Is that not what the United States was founded on? The basic fundamentals of US government are individual freedom, civil liberties, and religious freedom and those are why America is the only real superpower in the world right now.

 

Well then you're in luck! There are PLENTY of women in the good ol' USA who would happily oblige, so it's not like you're deprived or something.

Anyways, back to the point, if we're for women wearing whatever the heck they want, why not hijabs or loose-fitting cloth? I don't let women wearing next to nothing and walking down the streets of Houston annoy me, I think it's wrong but it's their choice.

In fact, I know self-professed Muslim women who are on both ends of the spectrum (either completely cover up or wear not-so-modest clothing). People just differ that way.

 

I'll take the bait too and respond to fire with fire. Unlike Aceshigh7, I think most people here view me as a semi-fair individual in my various assessments. I apologize in advance to anyone I offend.

That being said......

You seem to suggest that this is some how your land and not mine. You are the child of Mexican immigrants (as referenced in the various illegal immigration threads). If this isn't my land, then this sure as hell isn't your land either, amigo.

Here you actually raise an interesting question (something quite uncharacteristic of you). Even though we treat our women like sh*t, as you seem to think, they still seem to revert back to being insulted, lessened, and everything else. In YOUR land, they don't have to, yet they still do. This isn't Afghanistan, yet they still wear headscarves.

Why is that?

Maybe, just maybe, they see something in it that you do not. Maybe it gives them some sense of pride that you cannot understand. Or maybe these women of a backwards religion lack the ability to understand your progressive way of thinking.

Maybe they are not like you and actually take pride in who they are and where they come from and what they believe. Maybe it's because their religion mandates and they are okay with that.

Grow up and learn to appreciate people of different backgrounds. You'll get ahead in life that way and you won't look as stupid and ignorant as you do here.