Wife Abuse in the Muslim Community

Wife Abuse in the Muslim Community by Kamran Memon

Wife abuse has hurt many Muslim women, destroyed many Muslim families, and weakened the entire Muslim community. How much longer can Muslims afford to look the other way?

"And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and he has put love and mercy between your (hearts)..." Qu'ran 30:21

"I recommend that you treat women with goodness. The best of you are those who treat their wives the best." Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him)

While North American Muslims loudly protest the widely-documented Serbian abuse of Muslim women in Bosnia, the abuse of many Muslim women at the hands of their own husbands in North America is hidden and ignored by the community.

Domestic violence is the single major cause of injury to women in America. "Nearly one quarter of women in the United States - more than 12 million- will be abused by a current or former partner some time during their lives," according to the American Medical Association; and, despite Islamic teachings of justice and compassion, many Muslim women in the United States and Canada are no exception.

Based on information from Muslim leaders, social workers, and activists in North America, the North American Council for Muslim Women says that approximately 10 percent of Muslim women are abused emotionally, physically, and sexually by their Muslim husbands. (There are no hard numbers, because community leaders haven't taken the well-known problem seriously enough to research.)

Wife-abuse, which stretches across all ethnic, racial, educational, and socio-economic lines in the Muslim community, results in severe emotional and physical pain for many Muslim women, a stacking up of sins for many Muslim men, and many weak, unhappy Muslim families that fail to contribute adequately to the development of the Muslim community and the rest of North American society.

Despite the severity of the problem, the Muslim community has largely closed its eyes and devoted very few resources to helping the victims and stopping the abusers.

This is doubly unfortunate because family violence is one of America's most critical health problems (according to the American Medical Association and the U.S. Surgeon General), and Islamic leadership is needed to deal with this crisis; but Muslims are clearly in no moral position to lead society because they commit and tolerate abuse within their own community.

FORMS OF ABUSE OF MUSLIM WOMEN
"Domestic violence is an ongoing, debilitating experience of physical, psychological, and/or sexual abuse in the home," says the American Medical Association.

Although Islam promises women protection from such problems, the reality in many Muslim homes is different.

The most common form of abuse is emotional and mental abuse. In Muslim homes, this includes verbal threats to divorce the wife, to remarry, or to take the kids away if she does not do exactly as she is told; intimidation and threats of harm; degradation, humiliation, insults, ridicule, name-calling, and criticism; false accusations and blaming her for everything; ignoring, dismissing, or ridiculing her needs; neglect and the silent treatment; spying on her; telling her she is a failure and will go to hell; twisting Islamic teachings to make her feel worthless because she is a woman; restricting her access to transportation, health care, food, clothing, money, friends, or social services; physical and social isolation; extreme jealousy and possessiveness; lying, breaking promises, destroying trust; etc. Emotional abuse can take place in public or at home.

Although it's completely contrary to the example of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, the Muslim community nonetheless tends to dismiss the seriousness of mental abuse, rationalizing it as a petty argument between husband and wife, and saying it's not serious unless he hits her. In reality, mental abuse does severe psychological harm to many Muslim women. It destroys their self-esteem and makes them question their self-worth; some have mental breakdowns and go insane.

Furthermore, psychological abuse can lead to physical abuse.

Physical abuse includes pushing, shoving, choking, slapping, punching, kicking, and beating; assault with a weapon; tying up; refusing to help her when she is sick or injured; physically throwing her out of the house; etc. Physical abuse escalates in frequency and severity.

The third form of abuse is sexual abuse, involving forced, violent sex. For example, a wife may not want to have sex for health reasons, but the husband may force her anyway.

These three forms of abuse are usually related and occur of a long period of time. Muslim men, just like non-Muslims, often start with mental abuse and work their way up. Muslim women need to recognize the signs of escalating abuse.

WHY DO SOME MUSLIM MEN ABUSE THEIR WIVES?
There are a number of factors that make many Muslim men abusive.

Abusers are often part of a cycle, picking up the habit after watching their own fathers abuse their mothers in North America or in Muslim countries. And their own children learn this abusive behavior and abuse their wives. (This is an important point because the longer the Muslim community tolerates abuse, the longer it will be passed on from father to son, from generation to generation.)

For cultural reasons, some Muslim men accept the idea that it's normal for a man to hit his wife and that she is no more than a piece of his property.

Some Muslim husbands abuse their wives as a result of frustration resulting from economic hardship, political oppression experienced outside the U.S., problems with the children, or an inferiority complex.

Some abuse their wives because they want them to be more "modern" and less Islamic by removing their hijab (Islamic dress), while others are abusive because they want the opposite.

Some Muslims with superficial ties to Islam don't know that abuse is unacceptable due to their weak faith, poor Islamic knowledge, and lack of interaction with the Muslim community.

Tragically, some Muslim men actually use Islam to "justify" their abusive behavior. Focusing on rituals, considering themselves to be Islamically knowledgeable, and disregarding the spirit of Islam, they wrongly use the Qur'anic verse that says men are the protectors and maintainers of women to go on power trips, demand total obedience, and order their wives around. They disregard the Islamic requirement for the head of the household to consult with other members of the family when making decisions.

Then, if their wives dare to speak up or question their orders, these men misinterpret a Qur'anic verse that talks about how to treat a disobedient wife and use it as a license for abuse.

In reality, the Qur'an and Sunnah provide clear instructions on what procedures a husband must use in conflict situations where the husband is innocent and the wife is rebellious and at fault. The first step is a peaceful discussion between the two of them about the problem and solutions. This is intended to soften hearts and eliminate misunderstandings. If this doesn't work, the next step is for the husband to tell his wife his expectations in a firm, decisive manner. If the rebelliousness and disobedience continues, the husband is supposed to leave the bed, which is really a punishment for both of them for not being able to resolve their differences. If that fails to solve the problem, representatives of both sides meet to try and arbitrate. As a last resort, if he thinks it will prevent divorce by letting the wife know how serious he is, the husband can use a light slap on the hand or shoulder but not on any other part of the body, and it shouldn't leave a mark or scar. Anything beyond this is Islamically prohibited.

This procedure is to be followed _only_ when the wife is the cause of a serious problem and the husband is innocent, compassionate, and well-behaved. If the husband is the cause of the problem, he has _no right_ to do any of this.

Unfortunately, Muslim wives often accept un-Islamic treatment from their husbands because they don't know their Islamic rights, and they don't realize their husbands are crossing the Islamic line.

Abusive men are completely disregarding the Islamic teachings of kindness, mercy, gentleness, and forgiveness, just as they are disregarding the example of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, who never hit a woman and was extremely gentle and compassionate with his family.

WHY IS HELP SO SCARCE?
One problem is that many Muslims don't want to get involved in the "private" family affairs of other Muslims. Rather than enjoining good and forbidding evil, rather than trying to stop abuse in a friend's or neighbor's family by offering to mediate between the husband and wife or by encouraging them to speak to Muslim counsellors, many irresponsible Muslims close their eyes and pretend they don't know there's a problem. So the abuse goes on.

Another reason why abuse isn't stopped is that many abused Muslim women simply don't seek out help. They're afraid that if their situation becomes public they will lose their privacy because Muslims gossip so much, and they fear the abusers will become more hostile when the negative publicity gets back to them. Furthermore, many abused Muslim women remain silent because they lack confidence in themselves and believe that they somehow deserve the abuse. Abused Muslim women also keep quiet out of a feeling of hopelessness and a belief that no one will help them, out of financial dependence on their husbands, out of a desire to keep homes together for the children's sake, or out of love for the abusive husbands. Other Muslim women accept the abuse as a fact of life and learn to live with it.

Of those who reach a breaking point and seek help, many Muslim women turn to imams but often find them unhelpful. Imams often tell these women to be patient and pray for the abuse to end. Some imams make the abused Muslim women feel guilty, telling them they have brought the abuse upon themselves and instructing them to go home and please their husbands. Other imams, who are sincerely but mistakenly misinterpreting Islam by putting the importance of family privacy above any harm that might come to the individual woman, tell the women it is wrong for them to discuss their problems with anyone other than their husbands. The imams's reactions stem from ignorance, cowardice, or friend-ship or blood relationship with the abusive husbands. Relatively few imams have had the wisdom and courage to tackle the problem head-on. As a result of this, many abused women don't bother turning to imams for help.

Looking for other sources of help, many abused Muslim women have turned to relatives only to be told to accept the abuse because making a big deal out of it could hurt the relatives' family honor and reputation.

Finding many imams and relatives to be more cruel than Islamic, abused Muslim women often turn to Muslim female activists and Muslim women's organizations for help. While these activists are often untrained in crisis intervention, they are getting the abused women out of their houses and hiding them until Muslim men can be sent to try to reason with the husbands. They often collect money from other women to give to the abused women until it's safe for them to go back home. When continued attempts to salvage the marriages have proven futile, these activists counsel the abused women on how to get out of their marriages.

As for national Islamic organizations, most have largely ignored the issue of wife abuse, neglecting to highlight the problem and solutions during national conferences or to devote resources to helping abused Muslim women.

Overall, the services provided by the Muslim community for abused Muslim women take care of one-quarter of the need, according to Muslim activists.

Because the Muslim community often leaves them to suffer, many abused Muslim women turn to shelters run by non-Muslims for help. (Seeing abused Muslim women at shelters leaves non-Muslim social workers with an ugly picture of Islam. As far as many of them are concerned, Islam is no more just and compassionate than Christianity or Judaism because the Muslim community tolerates wife abuse too. Going to a non-Muslim shelter can result social workers taking children away from troubled Muslim homes if they think it is better for them to be in a more stable environment, which often ends up being a non-Muslim home.)

Many women go even further, leaving Islam altogether because the Muslim community fails to live up to the Islamic promise of protection, brotherhood, and sisterhood.

THE COMMUNITY'S ROLE
The Muslim community has clearly failed in its obligations to protect many Muslim women and to bring many cruel Muslim men to justice. The community needs to deal much more effectively with wife abuse in order to stop the immediate suffering of people in abusive situations and to help build healthy Muslim families.

First, the community must accept the fact that there is a problem and that it doesn't know how to deal with it.

Then a core group of trusted, active Muslim men and women in each North American city, who are committed to ending wife abuse in the Muslim community and to strengthening Muslim families, must become knowledgeable about Islamic guidelines on the family and be trained in crisis intervention and counseling. (Unfortunately, some community "leaders" will be too ignorant or arrogant to seek such training; but they must not be allowed to get in the way.)

Since there aren't yet many Muslims qualified to teach crisis intervention and counseling, several Muslim women throughout North America have started learning these techniques from non-Muslim social service agencies (listed in the phone book under wife abuse, domestic violence, or crisis intervention). Other Muslim women and men need to follow suit. Whatever they learn from these agencies should be cast in the light of their Islamic knowledge of properly functioning Muslim families.

Once they know what they're doing, members of core groups across the continent should recruit and train others in their communities in crisis intervention and the Islamic perspective on the family. There should be a network of at least 100 trained counselors in every major North American city.

A list of trained Muslims and their phone numbers (or one Muslim hotline number) should be circulated throughout the community in each city so that abused women know whom they can turn to for meaningful help.

(Most of women approaching the network initially will be physically abused Muslims. Victims of mental abuse will less likely to reach out at first because many have become accustomed to the abuse and accept it as a way of life. But educational programs at community gatherings -- explaining what Islamic family life should be like and explaining that there is help available for abused women -- will let emotionally abused Muslim women know they have a way to stop the pain.)

These trained Muslims should give abused women shelter (at people's homes or at community facilities, such as a rented apartment) for periods ranging from several days to several months depending on the extent of the abuse, while counseling them.

(Beyond this, taking into account the fact that many Muslim women will still turn to non-Muslim shelters because they don't want to deal with the Muslim community or because the community program is not big enough to help them, the Muslim community should sensitize people running non-Muslim shelters to the particular needs of Muslim women; and trained Muslims should visit the shelters regularly and constantly remind shelter operators that they are available to help whenever a Muslim woman comes in.)

While caring for the abused women, the trained Muslims should counsel the abusers separately, making them aware of the reasons they abuse, of the fact that their actions are truly harming their wives, that such behavior is completely un-Islamic, and that God will hold them accountable.

After separate counselling, the next step would be joint counselling for the husband and wife, and then counselling for the entire family. The objective should be to heal the family, but divorce may be necessary.

Another option, that some Muslims in New York have tried, is to punish Muslim men for their abusive actions. A "security force" warns, and then beats up, if necessary, Muslim men who continue beating their wives. Usually the abusers get the message; this is the only language many of them understand. Some men have to be beaten before they wake up and are ready to listen to rational, Islamic arguments.

Police and psychiatrists may have to be involved in severe cases of chronic abuse.

Community education is an indispensable factor on top of all this. Starting today, throughout the process outlined above, community leaders and other concerned Muslims need to educate people -- about the problem and about efforts to help victims and prevent future abuse -- through Friday khutbahs (sermons), educational seminars, and workshops. These educational programs can themselves reduce abuse by letting people know the community isn't going to tolerate it anymore. the community isn't going to tolerate if anymore.

Furthermore, the community needs to establish classes to teach Muslim men, young and old, how to be proper husbands and fathers and to teach Muslim women, young and old, how to be proper wives and mothers. Many Muslims don't know their rights and obligations in these roles.

In addition, in order to prevent future family problems, parents and community leaders must teach children and young adults to be compassionate, to value the family, and to resolve problems in an Islamic, non-violent manner.

It's also important for Muslims to go into field like psychiatry, women's issues law, social work, and counselling.

No Muslim community in any North American city has taken all these steps. Unfortunately, the entire plan could take years to implement. (Of course, that makes it all the more necessary to start immediately.) But when theses steps are taken, abuse should decrease if not stop in the Muslim community, according to Muslim social workers and activists.

If, once all these steps are taken, there are more abused Muslim women in specific communities than these networks can adequately help, then Muslims should establish good quality, properly staffed, and well funded Muslim shelters. Many communities may not need to go this far, but some may.

DO YOU REALLY CARE?
It sounds like a lot of work, but the problem is serious enough to warrant a lot of work. The Muslim community has shamefully tolerated abuse for a long time. How much longer will Muslim families (and therefore the Muslim community) be weakened by abuse? How much longer will abusers be allowed to run free and unpunished in the community? How much more abuse will Muslim women have to endure before the community decides that enough is enough?

Banansa

This is interesting. After Reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas . Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression : According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS : Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure : This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure.So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke Brain Power : 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation : High in fibre, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers : One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn : Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness : Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.Mosquito bites : Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves : Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady

Ulcers : The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal = Affective Disorder (SAD) : Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6,B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.Stress : Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be balanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.Strokes : According to research in "The New England Journal of medicine, "eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

A CRITICAL LOOK AT QURA'NIC VERSES ON WAR AND VIOLENCE

Certain verses of Qur'an are repeatedly quoted by the critics and enemies of Islam to show how Islam is intolerant of its opponents and wants them to be eliminated. Also since the days of crusade the West has projected image of Islam as 'sword in one hand, and Qur'an, in the other'. This image has stuck in the minds of thousands of non-Muslims throughout the world. It got fresh lease of life after 9/11 and spurt of news reports and articles in media and TV news channels on terrorism and Islam. It is, therefore, necessary to have a critical look at these verses.

Before we deal with these verses we wish to make two comments which are very necessary. Firstly, the critics and opponents of Islam deliberately ignoring hundreds of other verses which are on tolerance, forgiveness, humane treatment of enemies and so on. Besides that in the Prophet's (PBUH) life too there are several events which could be model for anyone to imitate. However, critics and opponents of Islam are deliberately quite selective in picking up certain verses out of context and quote them to show intolerance of Islam towards its enemies. In some cases it is deliberate, in others, perhaps out of ignorance. But more likely it is deliberate.

Secondly, the Muslim theologians and jurists also must share the blame. They still continue to imitate the medieval jurists (fuqaha') in giving doctrinal status to war and violence. It was understandable in medieval times when wars were considered quite legitimate and were resorted to by all sides Christians and all others. Even then as we will see further, Islam had permitted violence with certain reservations and conditions. Thus violence or war never had doctrinal status in Islam. It was permitted only for defence, never for aggression. The Qur'anic position is clearly stated in 2:190. This verse has doctrinal status.

According to this verse two conditions are required to be fulfilled for war: firstly it should be in the way of Allah, not for any personal ambition, revenge or territorial grab. Two, it should be strictly in defense, not by way of aggression as Allah does not love aggression and aggressors. I do not think any other religion or ideological system before Islam had laid down any such conditions restricting wars. Sword was considered decisive especially while dealing with opponents.

Islam, the critics should note, did not appear in vacuum; no religion does. Each religion carries birthmark of its concrete historical and social conditions. Islam appeared in Arabia of 6th and 7th centuries and ferocious tribal wars were order of the day in those days. The main pre-occupation and challenge before the Prophet of Islam was how to restore peace in the society wherein violence was a norm, not an exception.

Prophet's hands were forced by the circumstances. He also had limited choices. When he and his followers were severely persecuted and faced with violence, they had to resort to violence as no other alternatives were available. Thus in one of the verses Qur'an says, "And what reason have you not to fight in the way of Allah, and` of the weak among the men and the women and the children, who say: Our Lord, take us out of this town, whose people are oppressors, and grant us from Thee a friend, and grant us from Thee a helper."

The words of these verses show how helpless Muslims had become in view of oppression by enemies of Islam. Islam was, let us remember, a religion which not only confine itself to moral exhortations but also, in view of the given circumstances, a social revolution. There were powerful vested interests who had accumulated great deal of wealth and their greed drove them to accumulate more and more totally neglecting the poor and other weaker sections of society. Accumulate, accumulate and accumulate as Marx says in Das Capital) was their religion.

The Prophet (PBUH), a great lover of justice from pre-Islamic days (he had formed hilf al-fudul - to help the victims of injustices much before he was appointed a prophet) was deeply concerned with social justice as most of the Meccan surahs clearly point out. And when some one challenged these vested interests and that too, from their own class, they spare no efforts to wipe out that person, especially, if they fail to co-opt or buy off that person, or silence him in any other peaceful manner.

Islamic historians tell us that the rich merchants of Meccans offered the Prophet (PBUH) enough for him and his coming generations to live on but the Prophet replied if you put sun on my one hand and moon on the other, even then I am not going to give up what I am preaching. Thus the Meccan merchants, failed to co-opt or buy off him and then they declared an all out war against him and his movement.

Even then he advised his followers to remain peaceful and bear hardships and persecution but not to yield. His followers did and put up with severe persecution. Muhammad (PBUH), who was against idol worship as the very basis of his religion was tawheed (oneness of God) he declared that non-believers can continue to worship as they worship and for them is their faith and for me mine (chapter 109).

But real opposition was not, as far as the rich merchants were concerned, to way of worship as attack on their greed and accumulation of wealth in the face of great misery and poverty of people at lower rungs. They did not stand any check on accumulation of their wealth and they did not want to undertake any measures for poverty alleviation. The only method they knew was to co-opt or wipe out the opponents of their greed.

The verse 4:75 quoted above shows desperation of the situation. Persecution went beyond all limits of human tolerance and no other alternative was available. There was no democracy that one could sit on dharna or organize demonstration to get the grievances redressed. And we know even in democracy how police fires on demonstrators and kills several people or baton charges them brutally and severely injures demonstrators.

The Prophet even then chose another alternative i.e. to migrate to other place which was more hospitable like Ethiopia first and then to Medina. However, the vested interests in Mecca knew that Muhammad (PBUH), with his powerful appeal to the weaker sections of society, would be a great danger for them and their trade caravans could come under attack. Thus they decided not to leave him in peace in Madina. His migration was not a good riddance for them. It was a different challenge, perhaps more difficult challenge now than before.

The Prophet (PBUH), on the other hand, in pursuance of justice and peace, entered into a covenant with Jews and pagans of Mecca and gave them equal rights and freedom to pursue their respective faiths. Not only this he called all those who were signatory to this covenant as one people (umma wahidah) with an obligation to defend Madina, if attacked by outsiders, especially Meccans. This umma wahidah comes very close to modern day concept of a nation bound by obligations of a constitution. This covenant was the constitution of Madina.

But what was feared did happen. Madina was attacked by powerful merchants of Mecca and the Prophet was forced to go for defense. However, it must be noted that there was no regular army and it was voluntary to participate in the battle. In the absence of any state structure neither Meccans nor Medinese had any regular army. Both ways participation was voluntary. But there was one vital difference.

The Meccan merchants were not only united but also had all the resources material as well as human. Also, they were defending their wealth and 'right' to accumulate without any social intervention. The Muslims in Madina, on the other hand, had severe problems. The Jewish tribes, though signatory to the covenant of Madina, were not only unwilling to fight but also willing to collaborate with the merchants of Mecca. They were resentful of intrusion of Mohammad (PBUH) and his followers in Madina. They had lost their privileged position as leaders due to intrusion of Muslims into that city.


Second great difficult situation for Muslims was lack of resources both material as well as human. Thus we find several verses in the Qur'an imploring Muslims to donate generously and that Allah will reward them seven folds if they did. Yet another difficulty was that Muslims in Madina had either migrated from Mecca and left everything behind or belonged to poorer sections of society and had very little to donate. The Ansars of Madina (those who had embraced Islam from Madina) too were not well off and had little to spare. These were formidable challenges for Muslims.

But, as pointed out before, Muslims had little choice but to fight and in the battle of Badr they were hopelessly outnumbered also. There were only 313 Muslims as against thousand Meccans without proper weapons and line of supply. Still it was their faith and strong commitment (they had little to loose but their slavery, poverty and injustices) which ensured victory to them. They fought with great determination and strong resolve.

But this is not to glorify war and violence. It was forced on Muslims and they bravely faced it. Had Meccans not attacked them they would not have gone to Mecca to fight against them as it was clearly against the Qur'anic injunction. Even today when we talk of democracy nations fight not only when attacked but even in anticipation of any such attack, or even forging false grounds. America attacked Afghanistan and Iraq, not because it was attacked by these two weaklings but by falsely forging documents that Iraq possessed 'weapons of mass destruction.'

Thus Qur'an neither glorifies violence nor makes it essential for a believer to resort to it as a religious duty. At best permits it as a necessary evil in case of defending oneself against aggression. It should not be and cannot be elevated to the status of doctrine. I do not want to discuss here the question of jihad as much has already been written on it and suffice it may to say that jihad in all 41 verses of Qur'an that this word has been used, it no where means war.

THE WHAT ABOUT THESE VERSES?
But then critics quote some verses from the Qur'an to prove that it believes in violence against kafirs and requires believers to kill them wherever found. One of these verses is, "They long that you should disbelieve so that you might be on the same level; so take not from among them friends until they flee (their homes) in Allah's way. Then if they turn back (to hostility), sieze them and kill them wherever you find them, and take no friend nor helper from among them. (4:89)

To many the words "sieze them and kill them wherever you find them" may appear very disturbing and they may argue that these words clearly establish that kafirs should be killed wherever they are found and also this established the fact that Muslims went out with sword in one hand and Qur'an, in the other. However, this interpretation of the verse ignores the fact that it does not describe normal situation but situation of active hostility. The following verse also makes it clear.

The verse which follows the above verse says, "Except those who join a people between whom and you there is an alliance, or who come to you, their hearts shrinking from fighting you or fighting their own people. And if Allah had pleased, he would have given them power over you, so that they would have fought you. So if they withdraw from you and fight you not and offer you peace, then Allah allows you no way against them." (4:90).

This verse needs hardly any explanation that it clearly indicates war situation and situation of active hostility. It is also said in this verse that if they join those unbelievers with whom you have an alliance or they sue for peace then do not fight them. These verses do not apply to times of peace. Even in modern times the nations at war treat each other as enemies and armies kill soldiers of enemy nation wherever found. There is nothing odd about it.

According to the second verse even waverers are not to be fought or killed. if they refrained from fighting. Any civilized nation would approve of this and even applaud it. Unfortunately those hostile to Islam refuse to see even such obvious rules and attack Qur'an and accuse it of teaching intolerance against all non-believers.

It is also important to note that we should read one particular verse in conjunction with all other verses on the subject if we want to understand actual intention of the Qur'an. Qur'an nowhere teaches to go war with those simply because they refuse to believe. Qur'an allows freedom of religion or freedom of conscience (2:256) and also emphasizes justice to the extent that justice must be done even if it goes in favor of the enemy. The verse reads as follows: "O you who believe, be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice; and let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably. Be just; that is nearer to observance of duty." (5:8).

Another verse is 4:35 which also exhorts believers to be just even if it goes against themselves or parents or near ones. Thus how Qur'an can incite Muslims to kill any unbeliever simply because he/she is unbeliever. Also, there are other verses which clearly contradict such position. In this connection the verse 8 of chapter 60 is also very important.

This verse tells Muslims that "Allah forbids you not respecting those who fight you not for religion, nor drive you forth from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with them justly. Surely Allah loves the doers of justice." (60:8) Does any further explanation needed? Those unbelievers who do not fight Muslims and do not drive them away from their homes Muslims should behave with kindness and justice towards them.

Here again I would like to submit that we must distinguish between Islam as a religion, a belief system and Islam as a social movement which was challenging powerful vested interests in Mecca and allies of powerful merchants of Mecca. Islam as a religion is spiritual and moral movement which exhorts Muslims to follow moral and spiritual teachings but as social movement pitted against powerful vested interests and enemies it allows them to meet the situation as in times of hostilities and wars.

The verse 60:8 is a moral and spiritual teaching but what we find in verses like 4:89 and 4:90 is war like situation and one cannot teach in such situation in a violence infested region like Arabia to surrender to the enemy at ones own peril. It would have been unacceptable. In Bible too one finds such contradicting verses. While as a moral teaching it talks of love and presenting another cheek if slapped on one cheek but also that one should sell ones coat to buy a sword.

Qur'an while requiring believers to fight if fought against also exhorts them to be just and kind and not to abuse others gods lest they should abuse Allah (6:109). The moral and spiritual teachings are eternal and teachings and exhortations about war or situation of hostilities contextual and will apply only in a particular context. To quote those verses as if they are eternally applicable is not correct. Or deliberate distortion of the Qur'anic teachings.

The concept of dhimmi (one whose responsibility to protect is on Muslims) is both moral as well as political. It is binding on Muslims to protect the dhimmis as if they would protect Muslims and to ensure complete freedom of faith and protections to their places of worship. The Qur'an itself guarantees protection to all places of worship whichever religion they belong to see verse 22:40 and it also says Allah has created a law and a way for every nation (5:48) and every one is free to follow ones own law and the way. There is no compulsion to follow anyone only.

Also, each one has ones own direction to pray and one should not quarrel over it but excel each other in good deeds (2:148). The Prophet himself was a role model in this respect. When a delegation of Christians of Najran visited the Prophet (PBUH) he made them stay in his mosque and allowed them to pray therein. They used to pray in one side of the mosque and the Prophet and Muslims on the other side. What better example of respect for others faith?

When Tartars arrested Muslims, Jews and Christians and were willing to free only Muslims, Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, a great scholar of Islam told the leader of the Tartars that we will not accept freedom without Jews and Christians also being freed as it is our responsibility to protect them (ahl al-dhimma). What an example of fulfilling ones responsibility towards the dhimmis.

This is not to say that excesses have not happened in the history of Muslims. Muslims have killed Muslims most brutally as when Abbasids overthrew Umayyads they even dug out the graves of Abbasids and dishonored the dead. Similarly the Kharijites (Khawarij), the extremists among Muslims considered permissible to kill all other Muslims who are not khawarij. Hajjaj bin Yusuf killed thousands of his opponents in Iraq and threw more than hundred thousand people into prison including women.

It will be knave to deny such excess in the history but responsibility for this cannot be inflicted on Islam but on those Muslims who perpetrated these crimes against humanity. It is indeed quite wrong to hold, as many scholars do, to foist its responsibility on Islam. Islam should be judged by its teachings, not by what happened in its history. Human actor is not motivated by religious teachings in his/her behavior but by his/her own vested interests and aspirations for power. It is like blaming a country's constitution for torturing of prisoners by some police officers.

Some Muslim scholars and theologians try to overlook, even ignore these facts of Muslim history. It is as wrong as holding Islam responsible for what happened in Muslim history. We should be fair and just in judging Muslims as judging non-Muslims. It is Qur'anic teaching as we have already referred to. This is also requirement of unbiased scholarship and principles of higher criticism.


by Asghar Ali Engineer

The Status of Woman in Islam

The Status of Woman in Islam from "Islam in focus" By Hammuda Abdul-Ati, PH.D.

The status of woman in Islam constitutes no problem. The attitude of the Qur'an and the early Muslims bear witness to the fact that woman is, at least, as vital to life as man himself, and that she is not inferior to him nor is she one of the lower species. Had it not been for the impact of foreign cultures and alien influences, this question would have never arisen among the Muslims. The status of woman was taken for granted to be equal to that of man. It was a matter of course, a matter of fact, and no one, then, considered it as a problem at all.

In order to understand what Islam has established for woman, there is no need to deplore her plight in the pre-Islamic era or in the modern world of today. Islam has given woman rights and privileges which she has never enjoyed under other religious or constitutional systems. This can be understood when the matter is studied as a whole in a comparative manner, rather than partially. The rights and responsibilities of a woman are equal to those of a man but they are not necessarily identical with them. Equality and sameness are two quite different things. This difference is understandable because man and woman are not identical but they are created equals. With this distinction in mind, There is no problem. It is almost impossible to find even two identical men or women.

This distinction between equality and sameness is of paramount importance. Equality is desirable, just, fair; but sameness is not. People are not created identical but they are created equals. With this distinction in mind, there is no room to imagine that woman is inferior to man. There is no ground to assume that she is less important than he just because her rights are not identically the same as his. Had her status been identical with his, she would have been simply a duplicate of him, which she is not. The fact that Islam gives her equal rights - but not identical - shows that it takes her into due consideration, acknowledges her, and recognizes her independent personality.

It is not the tone of Islam that brands woman as the product of the devil or the seed of evil. Nor does the Qur'an place man as the dominant lord of woman who has no choice but to surrender to his dominance. Nor was it Islam that introduced the question of whether or not woman has any soul in her. Never in the history of Islam has any Muslim doubted the human status of woman or her possession of soul and other fine spiritual qualities. Unlike other popular beliefs, Islam does not blame Eve alone for the First Sin. The Qur'an makes it very clear that both Adam and Eve were tempted; that they both sinned; that God's pardon was granted to both after their repentance; and that God addressed them jointly. (2:35-36); 7:19, 27; 20:117-123). In fact the Qur'an gives the impression that Adam was more to blame for that First Sin from which emerged prejudice against woman and suspicion of her deeds. But Islam does not justify such prejudice or suspicion because both Adam and Eve were equally in error, and if we are to blame Eve we should blame Adam as much or even more.

The status of woman in Islam is something unique, something novel, something that has no similarity in any other system. If we look to the Eastern Communist world or to the democratic nations, we find that woman is not really in a happy position. Her status is not enviable. She has to work so hard to live, and sometimes she may be doing the same job that a man does but her wage is less than his. She enjoys a kind of liberty which in some cases amounts to libertinism. To get to where she is nowadays, woman struggled hard for decades and centuries. To gain the right of learning and the freedom of work and earning, she had to offer painful sacrifices and give up many of her natural rights. To establish her status as a human being possessing a soul, she paid heavily. Yet in spite of all these costly sacrificeqs and painful struggles, she has not acquired what Islam has established by a Divine decree for the Muslim woman.

The rights of woman of modern times were not granted voluntarily or out of kindness to the female. Modern woman reached her present position by force, and not through natural processes or mutual consent or Divine teachings. She had to force her way, and various circumstances came to her aid. Shortage of manpower during wars, pressure of economic needs and requirements of industrial developments forced woman to get out of her home - to work, to learn, to struggle for her livelihood, to appear as an equal to man, to run her race in the course of life side by side with him. She was forced by circumstances and in turn she forced herself through and acquired her new status. Whether all women were pleased with these circumstances being on their side, and whether they are happy and satisfied with the results of this course is a different matter. But the fact remains that whatever rights modern woman enjoys fall short of those of her Muslim counterpart. What Islam has established for woman is that which suits her nature, gives her full security and protects her against disgraceful circumstances and uncertain channels of life. We do not need here to elaborate on the status of modern woman and the risks she runs to make her living or establish herself. We do not even need to explore the miseries and setbacks that encircle her as a result of the so-called rights of woman. Nor do we intend to manipulate the situation of many unhappy homes which break because of the very "freedom" and "rights" of which modern woman is proud. Most women today exercise the right of freedom to go out independently, to work and earn, to pretend to be equal to man, but this, sadly enough, is at the expense of their families. This all known and obvious. What is not known is the status of woman in Islam. An attempt will be made in the following passages to sum up the attitude of Islam with regard to woman.


1. Woman is recognized by Islam as a full and equal partner of man in the procreation of humankind. He is the father; she is the mother, and both are essential for life. Her role is not less vital than his. By this partnership she has an equal share in every aspect; she is entitled to equal rights; she undertakes equal responsibilities, and in her there are as many qualities and as much humanity as there are in her partner. To this equal partner- ship in the reproduction of human kind God says:
2.
O mankind! Verily We have created your from a single (pair) of a male and a female,m and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other... (Qur'an, 49:13; cf. 4:1).

3. She is equal to man in bearing personal and common responsibilities and in receiving rewards for her deeds. She is acknowledged as an independent personality, in possession of human qualities and worthy of spiritual aspirations. Her human nature is neither inferior to nor deviant from that of man. Both are members of one another. God says:
And their Lord has accepted (their prayers) and answered them (saying): 'Never will I cause to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female; you are members, one of another... (3:195; cf 9:71;33:35-36;66:19-21).

4. She is equal to man in the pursuit of education and knowledge. When Islam enjoins the seeking of knowledge upon Muslims, it makes no distinction between man and woman. Almost fourteen centuries ago, Muhammad declared that the pursuit of knowledge is incumbent on every Muslim male and female. This declaration was very clear and was implemented by Muslims throughout history.

5. She is entitled to freedom of expression as much as man is. Her sound opinions are taken into consideration and cannot be disregarded just because she happen to belong to the female sex. It is reported in the Qur'an and history that woman not only expressed her opinion freely but also argued and participated in serious discussions with the Prophet himself as well as with other Muslim leaders (Qur'an, 58:1-4; 60:10-12). Besides there were occasions when Muslim women expressed their views on legislative matters of public interest, and stood in opposition to the Caliphs, who then accepted the sound arguments of these women. A specific example took place during the Califate of Umar Ibn al-Khattab.

6. Historical records show that women participated in public life with the early Muslims, especially in times of emergencies. Women used to accompany the Muslim armies engaged in battles to nurse the wounded, prepare supplies, serve the warriors, and so on. They were not shut behind iron bars or considered worthless creatures and deprived of souls.


7. Islam grants woman equal rights to contract, to enterprise, to earn and possess independently. Her life, her property, her honor are as sacred as those of man. If she commits any offense, her penalty is no less or more than of man's in a similar case. If she is wronged or harmed, she gets due compensations equal to what a man in her position would get (2:178;4:45, 92-93).

8. Islam does not state these rights in a statistical form and then relax. It has taken all measures to safeguard them and put them into practice as integral articles of Faith. It never tolerates those who are inclined to prejudice against woman or discrimination between man and woman. Time and again, the Qur'an reproaches those who used to believe woman to be inferior to man (16:57-59, 62; 42:47-59; 43:15-19; 53:21-23).


9. Apart from recognition of woman as an independent human being acknowledged as equally essential for the survival of humanity, Islam has given her a share of inheritance. Before Islam, she was not only deprived of that share but was herself considered as property to be inherited by man. Out of that transferable property Islam made an heir, acknowledging the inherent human qualifies in woman. Whether she is a wife or mother, a sister or daughter, she receives a certain share of the deceased kin's property, a share which depends on her degree of relationship to the deceased and the number of heirs. This share is hers, and no one can take it away or disinherit her. Even if the deceased wishes to deprive her by making a will to other relations or in favor of any other cause, the Law will not allow him to do so. Any proprietor is permitted to make his will within the limit of one-third of his property, so he may not affect the rights of his heirs, men and women. In the case of inheritance, the question of quality and sameness is fully applicable. In principle, both man and woman are equally entitled to inherit the property of the deceased relations but the portions they get may vary. In some instances man receives two shares whereas woman gets one only. This no sign of giving preference or supremacy to man over woman.The reasons why man gets more in these particular instances may be classified as follows:

First man, is the person solely responsible for the complete maintenance of his wife, his family and any other needy relations. It is his duty by Law to assume all financial responsibilities and maintain his dependents adequately. It is also his duty to contribute financially to all good causes in his society. All financial burdens are borne by him alone.

Secondly, in contrast, woman has no financial responsibilities whatsoever except very little of her personal expenses, the high luxurious things that she likes to have. She is financially secure and provided for. If she is a wife, her husband is the provider; if she is a mother, it is the son; if she is a daughter, it is the father; if she is a sister; it is the brother, and so on. If she has no relations on whom she can depend, then there is no question of inheritance because there is nothing to inherit and there is no one to bequeath anything to her. However, she will not be left to starve, maintenance of such a woman is the responsibility of the society as a whole, the state. She may be given aid or a job to earn her living, and whatever money she makes will be hers. She is not responsible for the maintenance of anybody else besides herself. If there is a man in her position, he would still be responsible for his family and possibly any of his relations who need his help. So, in the hardest situation her financial responsibility is limited, while his is unlimited.

Thirdly, when a woman gets less than a man does, she is not actually deprived of anything that she has worked for. The property inherited is not the result of her earning or her endeavors. It is something coming to them from a neutral source, something additional or extra. It is something that neither man or woman struggled for. It is a sort of aid, and any aid has to be distributed according to the urgent needs and responsibilities especially when the distribution is regulated by the Law of God.

Now, we have a male heir, on one side, burdened with all kinds of financial responsibilities and liabilities. We have, on the other side, a female heir with no financial responsibilities at all or at most with very little of it. In between we have some property and aid to redistribute by way of inheritance. If we deprive the female completely, it would be unjust to her because she is related to the deceased. Likewise, if we always give her a share equal to the man's, it would be unjust to him. So, instead of doing injustice to either side, Islam gives the man a larger portion of the inherited property to help him to meet his family needs and social responsibilities. At the same time, Islam has not forgotten her altogether, but has given her a portion to satisfy her very personal needs. In fact, Islam in this respect is being more kind to her than to him. Here we can say that when taken as a whole the rights of woman are equal to those of man although not necessarily identical (see Qur'an, 4:11-14, 176).

10. In some instances of bearing witness to certain civil contracts, two men are required or one man and two women. Again, this is no indication of the woman being inferior to man. It is a measure of securing the rights of the contracting parties, because woman as a rule, is not so experienced in practical life as man. This lack of experience may cause a loss to any party in a given contract. So the Law requires that at least two women should bear witness with one man. if a woman of the witness forgets something, the other one would remind her. Or if she makes an error, due to lack of experience, the other would help to correct her. This is a precautionary measure to guarantee honest transactions and proper dealings between people. In fact, it gives woman a role to play in civil life and helps to establish justice. At any rate, lack of experience in civil life does not necessarily mean that women is inferior to man in her status. Every human being lacks one thing or another, yet no one questions their human status (2:282).

11. Woman enjoys certain privileges of which man is deprived. She is exempt from some religious duties, i.e., prayers and fasting, in her regular periods and at times of confinement. She is exempt from all financial liabilities. As a mother, she enjoys more recognition and higher honor in the sight of God (31:14-15;46:15). The Prophet acknowledged this honor when he declared that Paradise is under the feet of the mothers. She is entitled to three-fourths of the son's love and kindness with one-fourth left for their father. As a wife she is entitled to demand of her prospective husband a suitable dowry that will be her own. She is entitled to complete provision and total maintenance by the husband. She does not have to work or share with her husband the family expenses. She is free to retain, after marriage, whatever she possessed before it, and the husband has no right whatsoever to any of her belongings. As a daughter or sister she is entitled to security and provision by the father and brother respectively. That is her privilege. If she wishes to work or be self-supporting and participate in handling the family responsibilities, she is quite free to do so, provided her integrity and honor are safeguarded.

12. The standing of woman in prayers behind man does not indicate in any sense that she is inferior to him. Woman, as already mentioned, is exempt from attending congregational prayers which are obligatory on man. But if she does attend she stands in separate lines made up of women exclusively . This is a regulation of discipline in prayers, and not a classification of importance. In men's rows the head of state stands shoulder to shoulder to the pauper. Men of the highest ranks in society stand in prayer side by side with other men of the lowest ranks. The order of lines in prayers is introduced to help every one to concentrate in his meditation. It is very important because Muslim prayers are not simply chanting or the sing-a-song type. They involve actions, motions, standing, bowing, prostration, etc. So if men mix with women in the same lines, it is possible that something disturbing or distracting may happen. The mind will become occupied by something alien to prayer and derailed from the clear path of mediation. The result will be a loss of the purpose of prayers, besides an offense of adultery committed by the eye, because the eye-by looking at forbidden things - can be guilty of adultery as much as the heart itself. Moreover, no Muslim man or woman is allowed during prayers to touch the body of another person of the opposite sex. If men and women stand side by side in prayer they cannot avoid touching each other. Furthermore, when a woman is praying in front of a man or beside him, it is very likely that any part of her dressed body may become uncovered after a certain motion of bowing or prostrating. The man's eye may happen to be looking at the uncovered part, with the result that she will be embarrassed and he will be exposed to distraction or possibly evil thoughts. So, to avoid any embarrassment and distraction to help concentrate on mediation and pure thoughts, to maintain harmony and order among worshippers, to fulfill the true purposes of prayers, Islam has ordained the organization of rows, whereby men stand in front lines, and women behind the children.Anyone with some knowledge of the nature and purpose of Muslim prayerscan readily understand the wisdom of organizing the lines of worshippers in this manner.

13. The Muslim woman is always associated with an old tradition known as the "veil". It is Islamic that the woman should beautify herself with the veil of honor, dignity, chastity, purity and integrity. She should refrain from all deeds and gestures that might stir the passions of people other than her legitimate husband or cause evil suspicion of her morality. She is warned not to display her charms or expose her physical attractions before strangers. The veil which she must put on is one that can save her soul from weakness, her mind from indulgence, her eyes from lustful looks, and her personality from demoralization. Islam is most concerned with the integrity of woman, with the safeguarding of her morals and morale and with the protection of her character and personality (cf. Qur'an, 24:30-31).


14. By now it is clear that the status of woman in Islam is unprecedentedly high and realistically suitable to her nature. Her rights and duties are equal to those of man but not necessarily or absolutely identical with them. If she is deprived of one thing in some aspect, she is fully compensated for it with more things in many other aspects. The fact that she belongs to the female sex has no bearing on her human status or independent personality, and it is no basis for justification of prejudice against her or injustice to her person. Islam gives her as much as is required of her. Her rights match beautifully with her duties. The balance between rights and duties is maintained, and no side overweighs the other. The whole status of woman is given clearly in the Qur'anic verse which may be translated as follows:

And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable; but man have a degree (of advantage as in some cases of inheritance) over them (2:228).

This degree is not a title of supremacy or an authorization of dominance over her. It is to correspond with the extra responsibilities of man and give him some compensation for his unlimited liabilities. The above mentioned verse is always interpreted in the light of another (4:34).

It is these extra responsibilities that give man a degree over woman in some economic aspects. It is not a higher degree in humanity or in character. Nor is it a dominance of one over the other or suppression of one by the other. It is a distribution of God's abundance according to the needs of the nature of which God is the Maker. And He knows best what is good for woman and what is good for man. God is absolutely true when He declares:

O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, Who created you
from a single person, and created of like nature his mate,
and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men
and women (4:1).

Taken from - http://www.jannah.org/sisters/statuswomen.html

British Women and alcohol

In countries where drinking alcohol in the norm, such as ours, the men drank far more than the Women and hence men encounter more alcohol related problems.
Sadly in the last 20 or so years, the difference has narrowed considerably and the women have caught up.

Women are now drinking far more then ever before and this has also led to all other alcohol related difficulties faced by them.

A marked increase has been noted in teenagers, and especially in girls. Our Girls have become heavy drinkers and they do this particularly at weekends.
A woman drinking is fashionable and is seen as bringing out the independence in her.

The Number of women arrested for drink related offences has increased by nearly 60% and this also included serious crimes.

It is worth noting that this includes well educated young professional women who work in competition with men, particularly in all levels of management. They tend to be career women who have given up their traditional role as house wives and mothers.

It is interesting to note that traditionally it was the working class men who drank large amounts but today it is more educated women and this also includes women higher up the social ladder.

The reason why women may be doing this can be seen in the changing role of our women in society and their attitude and behaviour towards alcohol.

The changing of roles has brought new opportunities to drink than before and unlike before, women seen drinking openly has become socially acceptable but may be frowned up if they now do not conform.

We have seen incomes go up and generally this can bee seen in the increase of cars per household. The amount of money available has led to greater financial independence with not many on whom this can be spent, no family responsibilities.

All this mixed with the huge number of different variations in the different form of alcohol particularly aimed at the women has made it all too easy and enticing to try all the new varieties.

There is a big increase in women treated younger then ever before with a variety of alcohol related illnesses effecting women only.

Full report can be read - http://www.ias.org.uk/resources/factsheets/women.pdf

Our British Faith

There is a notable change to the thought direction of the people in West which began over 40 years ago. We have been in pursuit of a permissive society, there has been a steady erosion of authority and it is clear we have now taken on our own brand of morality.

We lock up and punish those who steal or murder and rightly so these people are considered criminals by our society.

You may recall from our country’s main religious book, the Bible “Thou shalt not commit adultery” was the law of our God handed down for all time? This now is missing from our social values.
Shameful is the fact that those who become heads of our state whilst carrying their religion on their sleeve and force feed us about their faith do not want to change the mind set of our people on this point.

It is very clear from those who run our affairs, they wish this commandment was missing and wish it gone from the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written.
It is Worthing noting that all three monotheistic religions have the Ten Commandments in their scriptures.

If people can not see the error of their error
and the blind continuously lead the blind,
When man can judge who enter heaven
and condemns his fellow man to hell,
When man take on divine power to punish
and power to forgive,
What need be for God when man becomes God.
But ask man not to breathe and to stop his heart beat
then soon his mortality soon comes back to him,
Ask him to keep his life when he is at his death
or to bring the dead back to life
Then for man is a need for God
for man can not do become God.

Ever generation goes through its own unique challenges and our fathers were no different although they and their fathers fought two world wars, yet both kept some perspective on right and wrong, including premarital sex which was regarded as adultery but now it is the norm. Today parents can not wait for their children to go out with the opposite sex but with a warning, “protect your self from disease” but not “make sure you do nothing to let us down”.

Not too long ago marriage, especially in a church was something we looked forward to for our children but today this is history, as married couples in our country are a dying breed.
We have left our biblical foundation of marriage and the acceptance of God’s law behind us and this has resulted in deep damage to our western society.

If you were to read any recent study on attitude to marriage, you will read the percentages of marriages are on the down because marriage as an institution is in terminal decline.

There can be no doubt; the breakdown of family life has had catastrophic results on society. Today, our politicians realise this and some have tried to address this subject.
We often hear them declares that we must respond to the challenge of social breakdown by actively supporting marriage through the tax and benefits system.

Awful doctrine and dreadful principles will result in appalling life. So much has changed since the West moved away from a Christian foundation which though nominal still served to give a sense of stability and direction.

For our father’s generation, the religious books and the Ten Commandments were the benchmark and a reference point. There was discipline in the home and in the classroom. The parent supported the teacher and our bobby on the beat was a valued and admired member of our community.
Common decency prevailed in the country and there was respect for authority in the home and in society.

The extended family was a protection against crime. Divorce was rare and having a child out of wedlock was unheard off. Homosexuality was not so much as named among us. The press and the broadcasting authorities conformed to standards of morality and decency. Amazingly this also included many of our politicians to some degree.

The warning sign of a broken society are clearly visible. Our youngsters leave school without the fundamentals of an elementary education. Gun and knife crime amongst our disenchanted and feral youth has increased alarmingly.
In recent years a new trends have come to the fore, amongst these is car theft amongst pre-puberty youngsters.
Various studies show several factors were associated with the early initiation of offending (before age twelve), including social withdrawal and depression, positive attitude to problem behaviour, association with deviant peers, and family problems. In contrast, the later onset of offending (between ages thirteen and fourteen), among other factors, was associated with low school motivation and low self esteem.

Letter to Pakistan High Commission Jan 2006

Dr. Maleeha Lodhi
Pakistan High Commission,35 - 36 Lowndes Square, London SW1X 9JN.

8th January 2006
Dr. Lodhi
As salam alaykum


In light of the most recent earthquakes and the difficult conditions, we have teamed up once again as we did for the blanket appeal with BBC South (TV) and BBC Southern Counties radio & Muslim Aid.
We hope to make a short programme about the Earthquake hit regions of Asia, but especially Pakistan.

The idea is to bring to the attention of the British public the severe conditions that people are living under. To show that under almost impossible conditions the government of Pakistan with help from a number of NGO’s are working non-stop to try and improve the living conditions. How people are placing their own lives in danger to save the lives of others. To point out the problems of the inclement weather conditions and the difficulty with transport.
I am due to leave on the 17th of January and I shall return on the 28th of January.

I will be taken to the effected area where I shall be staying under the same conditions that are experience by those who are affected by the disaster.
I shall be keeping a written and video diary of my journey from start to finish.
This will be a wonderful opportunity for us as we have a free reign from the BBC and Muslim Aid. If it is possible, we would like to interview you regarding the current situation. The interview is non controversial and should not last then 15-20 minutes. We will be happy to come over to the embassy at a time that may suite you.

I am also hoping that we may be able to see President Musharraf to record a few words from him and for this I hope you may help us arrange this.

I realise you are a very busy but we hope you will be able to spare us a small amount of your time as this is a wonderful opportunity for us to raise the profile of this area and for all of us to work together but especially as this is a humanitarian cause and has affected Pakistan.

Kind regards