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Falsehood of Islam By: Bijla Singh Point 2 - Women’s Rights in Islam
Muslims have tried their best to pick and choose some verses from Quran that justify their beliefs of equality which is far from the actual truth. In this section we look at women’s rights and the treatment they deserve according to Quran. One thing we want to make clear is that although men and women have physical differences and may have different duties in daily life but this in no way should prevent women from taking part in religious activities and enjoy all the rights that are given to men. A) Impurity Muslims have greatly failed in addressing the impurity of women. Their justification is not only absurd but contrary to Quranic teaching. The quote from Quran is as follows: They ask thee concerning women's courses. Say: They are a hurt and a pollution: So keep away from women in their courses, and do not approach them until they are clean. But when they have purified themselves, ye may approach them in any manner, time, or place ordained for you by Allah. Surely Allah loves those who turn much (to Him), and He loves those who purify themselves. (2:222) Although the translation above is according to Islamic scholars but some Muslims, however, tend to go with a different interpretation. Even if for the sake of argument we take their version the question remains unanswered. According to them:
It is Blood itself in Islam is considered impure, and it is not explicit to Women’s Menses. So if the blood is impure then how can a woman purify herself since the same blood flows through her body? In the last line of the quote it is written “He loves those who purify themselves”. So how can any human being let alone a woman purify themselves if the very element that ensures our existence is impure? On the other hand, Sikhi considers women to be as pure as men. The Gurus teachings say that one cannot be pure by washing the body but purity of mind is the real pureness. They are not called pure, who sit down after merely washing their bodies. Only they are pure, O Nanak, within whose minds the Lord abides. ||2|| (Ang 472)
B) Prayer and Attire Muslims claim that Muslim women are allowed to go to Mosques to pray but this is not an entire truth. In Mosques women have to stay in secluded rooms to pray and cannot join men in the same area. This does not represent equality. Click here to read an article related to this. A woman is closest to God’s face, if she is found in the core of her house. And the prayer of the woman in the house is better than her prayer in the mosque’ (Ihy'a 'Uloum ed-Din by Ghazali, Dar al-Kotob al-'Elmeyah, Beirut, Vol II, Kitab Adab al-Nikah, p. 65. Reported by Tirmizi as a true and good Ahadith) On the other hand, Sikh women are not forced to pray in secluded rooms and have full right to sit in the same room as men. Safiyya Aslan realizing the equality given to Sikh women in Sikhi stated in “Women’s Space in the Mosque: Sikhs Might Have a Solution” that “The Sikh approach toward gender participation in their houses of worship could be used as a spatial and ethical model for designing and implementing new policies in mosques. It would be wise for mosque authorities to reconsider the division of space in mosques and readjust it to satisfy the needs of modern Muslims.” Originally, veil was introduced in Islam to distinguish free women from slave women. This only suggests that instead of doing something for the betterment of womanhood (slaves in this case) Mohammad further solidified the slavery because to him women were nothing more than property of men. Although these days women are not categorized as “free” or “slave” but nonetheless Muslim women are required to wear veils to cover their “beauty” to save themselves from molestation. “O; Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go outside). That will be better, that so they may be recognized and not molested”. (33:59)
Does this not imply that men are naturally lustful beasts and have no control over their lustful needs? Why should women suffer just because men cannot show bit decency to womanhood? If Islam was all about equality then why aren’t men required to wear veil and cover themselves up? Is it because Quran assumes that women have no lustful thinking and are just robots wondering about in the world?
On the other hand, the Gurus gave Sikh men and women the same dress. Five symbols Kes (hair covered with turban), Kara (an iron bracelet), Kirpan (sword), Kangha (wooden comb) and Kacherra (an under short) are give to both men and women. Both are required to say the same prayers, live same way of life and wear the same dress. Everything is exactly the same. Sikh women are also not required or forced to wear a veil. "Stay, stay, O daughter-in-law - do not cover your face with a veil. In the end, this shall not bring you even half a shell." (Ang 484)
C) Testimony – Lack of Common Sense According to Mohammad, women lack common sense because their minds are deficient which is why Quran considers testimony of two women equivalent to a man. When questioned about this claim, his response was: And get two witnesses of your own men, and if there are not two men then a man and two women such as you choose for witnesses - so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her... (2:182) [Mohammad said]: O womenfolk, you should give charity and ask much forgiveness for I saw you in bulk amongst the dwellers of Hell. A wise lady among them said: Why is it, Messenger of Allah, that our folk is in bulk in Hell? Upon this the Holy Prophet observed: You curse too much and are ungrateful to your spouses. I have seen none lacking in common sense and failing in religion but (at the same time) robbing the wisdom of the wise, besides you. Upon this the woman remarked: What is wrong with our common sense and with religion? He (the Holy Prophet) observed: Your lack of common sense (can be well judged from the fact) that the evidence of two women is equal to one man, that is a proof of the lack of common sense. (Sahih Muslim, Abdul Hamid Siddiqi, tr., Number 142) The Prophet (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Isn’t the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?" The women said: "Yes." He said: "This is because of the deficiency of her mind." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Dr. Muhammad Matraji, Number 2658) In order to justify the above verses, Muslims have resorted to making excuses and presenting absurd claims. In “Why two women Witnesses” Shamshad. M. Khan claims that due to menstruation “women can experience extraordinary psychological strains giving rise to depression, lack of concentration, slow-mindedness and short term memory loss.” This is a complete blasphemy and an insult to a woman. The verses clearly state that “women have deficient mind”. In other words, the verses apply to all women and not just to those in their menstrual cycle. The verses make no exceptions for those who are not having menstruation or have reached menopause. Thus, it is clear that women in general are believed to be inferior and unintelligent in Islam. If two women witnesses are equal to one man then are four women witnesses equal to two men? This should completely eliminate the need for a male witness. But in Islam, male witness is required. If a male was to enter women’s dormitory and rape a woman he will not be charged of anything and will be safe since there would be no male witness present there. Thus, this shows inequality and injustice of Islam.
D) Wives and Slaves Although this point was clearly presented in the original article (Sikhism and Islam), we present more evidence to prove that keeping sex slaves and beating wives is permissible in Islam. i) Owning and Raping Slave Women Buying and selling of women as sex slaves is fully permitted in Islam. It is a perfectly a legitimate way to acquire as many sex-slaves as possible. Sky is not the limit, though. The only limitation is the affordability. One may say that this type of flesh trading is no more practiced today. This is true. However, nothing can prevent the Islamists from re-introducing the slave markets as per Qur’an and Sunnah when their ‘Jihad’ against the infidels is successful. Sexual slavery is absolutely legitimate in Islam. If Islam conquered the world, slavery could have never been eradicated, because Islamic laws are written on granite stone and are absolutely unchangeable. The Believers must (Eventually) win through—Those who humble themselves In their prayers; Who avoid vain talk; Who are active in deeds Of charity; Who abstain from sex, Except with those joined To them in the marriage bond, Or (the captives) whom Their right hands possess—For (in their case) they are Free from blame. (23:1-6) O Prophet! We have made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers; and those whom thy right hand possesses out of prisoners of war whom God has assigned to thee; (33:50) You can have sexual intercourse with two slave girls at a time without ghusl (bath) but can’t do like this with free women…(Malik’s Muwatta 2.23.90) Terms “right hand possesses” refer to captives in Jihad. Thus it is established that in Islam it is not only permissible to have slave girls but also use them for sexual intercourse. Can Muslims on any moral ground defend this barbaric and old age thinking? Furthermore, Mohammad also encouraged the rape of captured women in front of their husbands: “Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) sent a military expedition to Awtas on the occasion of the battle of Hunain. They met their enemy and fought with them. They defeated them and took them captives. Some of the Companions of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) were reluctant to have intercourse with the female captives in the presence of their husbands who were unbelievers. So Allah, the Exalted, send down the Qur'anic verse: "And all married women (are forbidden) unto you save those (captives) whom your right hand possess." (4:24) Mohammad himself had a Coptic slave that was presented to him by the ruler of Alexandria in Egypt. When the delegate from Mohammad visited this Coptic head of Egypt (Muaqaqis) with an invitation for him to convert to Islam he politely refused to do so, but knowing the taste of Mohammad, he presented Mohammad with two beautiful slave-girls who were sisters. Mohammad took for himself Mariya, the most beautiful one and gave her sister, Sirin, to his poet friend, Hassan ibn Thabit for him to enjoy her. Please note that neither Mohammad nor Hasan b. Thabit married these slave-girls. Mariya gave birth to Ibrahim, Mohammad’s last child who died in infancy. Sirin bore a son named Abdul Rahman to Hassan, the poet (ref. 10, p. 498-499). All these historical records are absolute proof that enjoying a female slave is totally ‘halal’ in Islam. You can read more about immoral sex and sexuality in Islam on http://www.islamreview.com/articles/sexinislam.shtml and http://www.answering-islam.de/Main///Silas/mo_sex.htm It is foolish to still follow Mohammad for whom captive women were a mere property that could be used in any way possible. This is a stark contrast to Satguru Nanak’s example. When the King of Sangladeep sent dancing girls to entertain and seduce Guru Nanak, Guru Sahib said, O princess, my daughter, run away from this place! Chant the True Name, and embellish your days. Serve your Beloved Lord God, and lean on the Support of His Love. Through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, abandon your thirst for corruption and poison. ||7|| The concept of slavery or sexual relations outside of marriage is absolutely forbidden in Sikhism, unlike in Islam. ii) Treatment of Wife The Quran not only considers women to be pollution and impure but allows men to beat their wives into subservience. If a wife doesn’t listen to her husband, the husband should admonish her. If that doesn’t work, he is to make her sleep in a separate bed. If the wife still doesn’t respect her husband’s authority, even after she has been banished to another bed, the husband is told to physically punish her. Consider three translations of the following verse: Men are the protectors And maintainers of women, Because Allah has given The one more (strength) Than the other, and because They support them From their means. Therefore the righteous women Are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband’s) absence What Allah would have them guard. As to those women On whose part ye fear Disloyalty and ill-conduct, Admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); But if they return to obedience, Seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, Great (above you all). (4:34) Muslim translators have struggled with this passage and have sought ways to water down its clear meaning by adding words like “if necessary” and "lightly", which do not occur in the original Arabic. Even after the addition of such word, the verse still allows husbands to beat their wives. This is fully supported by Muslim scholars. "God established the superiority of men over women by the above verse (the Qur'an 4:34) which prevents the equating of men and women. For here man is above the woman due to his intellectual superiority and his ability to administer and spend on the woman." (Tuffaha, Ahmad Zaky, Al-Mar'ah wal- Islam, Dar al-Kitab al-Lubnani, Beirut, first edition, 1985, p.36) Women are considered a sex toy in Islam. "Your wives are as a tilth (a field to be ploughed) unto you, so approach your tilth when or how ye will." (2:223) Umar [one of the Caliphs] was once talking when his wife interjected, so he said to her: 'You are a toy; if you are needed we will call you.' (Al-Musanaf Vol. 1 Part 2, p. 263) Thus it leaves no doubt that Islamic teachings are all about men’s sex satisfaction and women presenting themselves to fulfill the desires of their husbands to avoid the cursing of the angels. Another contemporary scholar wrote: "The marriage contract is designed by the legislator so that the husband may benefit from the sexual organ of the woman and the rest of her body for the purpose of pleasure. As such the husband owns by the marriage contract, this exclusive benefit." ('Abd ar-Rahman al-Gaziri, al-Fiqh 'ala al-Mazahib al-Arba'a, Dar al-Kutub al- 'Elmeyah, 1990, vol. 4, p. 7) Any rational person can see how Islam degrades women and equates them to nothing more than a sexual object. On the other hand, Gurmat principles are far more superior and perfectly fit in the modern society. Women are given utmost respect and equal rights by Guru Sahib. "We are born of woman, we are conceived in the womb of woman, and we are engaged and married to woman. We make friendship with woman and the lineage continued because of woman. When one woman dies, we take another one, we are bound with the world through woman. Why should we talk ill of her, who gives birth to kings? The woman is born from woman; there is none without her. Only the One True Lord is without woman" (Ang 473) Guru Sahib put a high importance in marriage which is not merely a physical and legal contract but a holy union between two souls where physically they appear as two individual bodies but in fact are united as one. Guru Sahib taught that our married life should also be molded on the ideal laid down for our union with Waheguru. The bride and bridegroom then share their life, happiness and sorrow; from two individuals they become 'Ek Jot Doe Murti' meaning one spirit in two bodies. They are not said to be husband and wife, who merely sit together. They alone are called husband and wife, who have one light in two bodies. ||3|| (Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 788) All the religious rights bestowed upon men are also given to women equally. "Woman is one half the complete personality of man, and is entitled to share secular and spiritual knowledge equally." (Bhai Gurdas Ji, Var 5, Pauri 16:59)
E) Afterlife – Paradise or Hell In Islam, Muslim men are offered great rewards such as 72 virgins, rivers of wine and milk and sex slaves in paradise. However, such rewards do not exist for women. On the contrary, majority of the women are in hell due to their “lack of sense” and “unintelligence”. The Prophet (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "I saw paradise and stretched my hands towards a bunch (of its fruits) and had I taken it, you would have eaten from it as long as the world remains. I also saw the Hell-fire and I had never seen such a horrible sight. I saw that most of the inhabitants were women." The people asked: "O Allah’s Apostle! Why is it so?" The Prophet (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Because of their ungratefulness." It was asked whether they are ungrateful to Allah. The Prophet (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "They are ungrateful to their companions of life (husbands) and ungrateful to good deeds." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Dr. Muhammad Matraji, Number 1052) [Mohammad said], "O women! Give to charity, for I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-Fire were women." The women asked, "O Allah’s Apostle! What is the reason for it?" He said: "O women! You curse frequently, and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. O women, some of you can lead a cautious man astray." (Ibid, Number 1462) Even if women were to stop cursing, start thanking their husbands and being obedient, their prospects for the afterlife would still leave much to be desired. According to Mohammad, Muslim women can look forward to an eternity of standing in corners, waiting for men to come and have sex with them: Allah’s Apostle (The blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "In Paradise there is a pavilion made of a single hollow pearl sixty miles wide, in each corner of which there are wives who will not see those in the other corners; and the believers will visit and enjoy them.” (Ibid, Number 4879) This proves that the only reward for an obedient woman who is loyal to her husband in paradise is to have the opportunity to continue their sexual service to their husbands in "Paradise." If Islam was a religion of equality then why don’t the women have the same reward? Why don’t they get 72 virgin men and rivers of wine? Why don’t they get sex slaves as promised to Muslim men? F) Unjust Punishments A case of an 11 year old girl was presented in the original article which Muslims claimed to be a fabrication. We present some more cases which show how young innocent girls fall victim of Islamic law. Although no country follows Islamic law 100% but most of the laws adopted in most of the Islamic countries are rooted in Islam. Case 1 – An 11 year old girl was abducted, raped and then sold. Case 2 – 12 year old Rahima was abducted and raped but the authorities served no justice. Case 3 - Atefah Sahaaleh, a 16 year old in Iran was charged with “crimes against chastity” and hanged in public. The authorities reported her to be 22 years old. From the evidence it was clear that she was victim of rape and torture. Documentary on her case can be seen here. Many more cases can be presented but do Muslims have answers to these cases? If this is against Islam then why aren’t the perpetrators being punished in Islamic countries? In Saudi Arabia, women cannot even drive cars. Women have to cover themselves up from head to toe. Women cannot go out without asking their husbands and when they do, they have to be accompanied by someone else (a male). In other words, women cannot walk freely outside their house. Is this not inequality being practiced in the birth place of Islam? There are many Islamic countries in the world and if Islamic law is revealed by God then why haven’t Muslims themselves adopted this law in their own countries? The answer is very simple, because it only leads a country to become a third world, corrupted and land of injustice. Adopting man-made laws have proved to be much better than that of Quran’s. Thus it is crystal clear that Islam is no way a religion of equality. Islam considers women to be property that lacks common sense, intelligence and serves as booty in paradise. On the contrary, Sikhi makes no distinction between men and women. Both have equal rights when it comes to religious practices and reward in afterlife. This leaves no doubt that only Sikhi is a religion of modern age and light years ahead of Islam. The only way for Muslim women to get equal rights and enjoy freedom is by renouncing an old aged religion Islam and adopting Sikh way of life.
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