OT-- <<Why do Muslims insist on inflicting tyranny on themselves?>>
In 1999 U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote "I hope that in the next century we will come to terms with our abysmal ignorance of the Muslim world. Muslims...are decent, brilliant, talented people with a great civilization and traditions of their own...Americans know nothing about them. That's a great challenge for the next century."
The following paragraphs are my opinion, derived primarily from reading the book mentioned below and a number of articles.
In most Muslim countries, few people have any rights, men or women. But that is not due to the Islamic religion. The Islamic civilization was virtually wiped out under direct military occupation by Britain, France, Portugal, and Russia. What is left is a confused jumble of customs, religious ideas, imported governmental structures, political turmoil, and poverty. The very fact that most Muslim countries are under the sway of dictators, presidents for life, kings, and other tin-pot leaders is an indication of just how serious the problem is. Islam is the solution for these countries, not the problem. Western colonialism was often the problem.
The perception in the world today is that Muslim women have the fewest rights and liberties of all. This view is strengthened by decrees from some Islamic groups and Muslim governments that forbid women to work, go to school, or even drive a car. But these restrictions are rooted in long-held local customs that predate Islam. In fact, the real story of women in Islam is one of progressive liberation and elevation of status. It was for this reason that women were the staunchest supporters of Muhammad's mission. If women today are not enjoying the full rights bestowed upon them by Islam, it is not the fault of the religion, but of chauvinistic men who use religion selectively to maintain their dominance. Muslim women are given higher status in the Qur'an than Christian women in the Bible.
It is discouraging to see the Islamic religion perverted by some (bin Laden, Hamas) to justify atrocities. If anybody is interested I can highly recommend a book called The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam. It was published in 2002.
Best regards,
Tom |
