"Take the verse in the Qur'an that says beat your wife", Ayaan Hirsi Ali, says matter of factly. It is an accusation against the Qur'an and it is an accusation against the One who revealed the scripture. But let's leave this for a moment, and examine what else this ex-Muslim preaches about divine truth.
First, on the subject of women, she believes that the Islamic clothing "supports gradations of mental slavery". She says that girls should not be allowed to wear hiijab in schools, but outside of schools it would be alright. If it is a sign of slavery, why does she then say, permit girls to wear it outside of school?
Next, she speaks about the clothing as a "deterrent" (to mens' "groping" and "raping" women); which she believes is the reason the Qur'an (which she believes was written with a male bias, therefore, not from God) wants women to be covered. She forgets the fact, as many non-Muslims do, that Islam has a dresscode for everybody. Muslim men should cover, at least from the navel to the knees, and actually should wear clothing as a sign of Allah's blessings. It is better to wear beautiful clothing and scent for men, than to walk bare chested in the downtown and so on. In the prayers, one should at least cover his shoulders with some cloth or a whatever he has available. The hadith which mentions this act for men during salaat (prayer) is saheeh. There were poor Muslims during the era of the Prophet Muhammad, and this is one reason why this was taught. Even children learn from an early age (at 5, they must cover their navel to the knees, or girls should cover from the torso to below the knees.) to wear proper clothing and not to remove clothing in public. Swimsuits that are small and do not properly cover childrens private areas as per the demands of the religion, are not permissible summer attire. One can really swim in anything, and this is just capitulation to the culture and values of the non-Muslims.
She imagines that Muslims do not think critically but only submit. Where have we heard that before? It is not so, however. Muslims often debate, discuss and argue points of the religion. But they do this with respect for the Quran and other religious scriptures. Of course Islam today also has its share of extremists and ignorants, on both sides of the spectrum. But this doesn't excuse anyone stating quite dishonestly or with out proofs what she says about the Qur'an; it is written by men, to meet the needs of men, to guarantee the status quo for men, or similar things.
All people have equal opportunity to examine the scripture, there is no excuse for someone who can read Arabic to completely misunderstand and misinterpret the verses, or give meanings to the scriptures, either Qur'an or also the Saheeh hadiths (sayings of Muhammad, pbuh) which are not the most commonly understood or even reasonable interpretations. Being way out in left field isn't okay in religion or baseball.
"If what I'm promoting... is critical thinking... then things will look different."
- Hirsi Ali
No comments:
Post a Comment