Saturday, December 15, 2007
Muslim women want to save the world
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
Bismillah hir Rahman ir Rahim -in the name of the Infinitely Compassionate and Most Merciful – is a citation of a prayer in the Qur’an that is not often heard in a synagogue, except that it was used by the Prophet Solomon, son of the Prophet David and builder of the first Temple in Jerusalem (known by Jews and Christians from the Bible as King Solomon, ruler of the United Kingdom of Israel, 970-930 BC) to address the Queen of Sheba. So says the Qu’ran (my research).
It was last heard in a temple, the Brotherhood Synagogue, on November 30, 2007, as spoken by Asma Jamil Sadiq, M. D., F.A.A.P., the Pakistan-born Director of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Beth Israel Medical Center, in an introduction to a lecture about the role of women in Islam. She sees Islam, as most Muslims do, as a merciful faith based on five pillars: the testimony of faith called shabada (“there is no God but God and Muhammad is his messenger”), daily prayers (5), charity, fasting and pilgrimage.
Muslims believe in the Oneness of God, the God of Abraham (named more times in the Qu’ran than Muhammad), of Moses (“the friend of God”), of Ishmael, Isaac, Jesus (“the spirit of God”) and the God of Muhammad (“the messenger of God”).. This according to Hadith, the words of Muhammad in a discourse between him and Archangel Gabriel. Questioned on the essentials of faith, Muhammad listed five items of belief: faith in the oneness of God, faith in all the prophets, the angels, the scriptures, and a hereafter.
The prophet Muhammad is seen as a reformer by Muslims and non-Muslim historians. He protected and raised the status of women, the right to own property, to get education, to work, to marry, to divorce, banning the infanticide of the girl child. The issue of the four wives is mentioned in the Qu’ran more as a restriction, and in a certain historic time, to protect the rights of orphans and widows. The command was to treat them all equally, and if this is hard to abide by, to marry only one. Muhammad’s first wife and employer (he was a caravan leader), Bibi Khaditija, was 15 years older, and proposed to him. Married 25 years, they were monogamous and had six children, of which four daughters survived. Upon her death, he married several wives, and his last wife, Bibi Ayesha, was the codifier and interpreter of the Hadith, and the guide in the teaching of the Sunna.
Islam spread to all ancient cultures of the East, Persia, Byzantine, India, South East Asia, and Islamic tales are full of women as Queens, Saints, Sufi Shiekas, Guides, Scholars (Muftis!!) and jurists (Judges). The wearing of Burqua/ Hijab is a part of a local tribal tradition. Women reign in Pakistan and Bangla Desh, and ride scooters and are nearly 50% of the work force in Malaysia and Indonesia. Listening to Asma projects one into the world that we would love to be in. She wants Muslim faith and the Qur’an to be read holistically, not in phrases and passages. I’m sure she is thinking of the latter chapters, when Muhammad, after many years of placid revelations, actively went to fight for his faith and converted the polytheistic Meccans, meanwhile also turning against the Christians and Jews, who resisted his conversion.
Today, though, the Muslim women are the progressive force against what Asma calls the hijacking of her faith. This is the attitude of by far the majority of Muslims, although a strong expression against the Islamic radicals is dangerous. They kill collaborators in Israel and Iraq, and the American and British moderates have been fearful to raise their voices. But the moderates are rallying, particularly women, and ASMA (2001, American Society for Advancement of Muslims) has strong advocates for education and rights of women. Dr. Masouda Jalal, physician and 6th strongest candidate among 17 men in the 2002 jirga against Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan (she refused a vice presidency) is an example; Dr. Nafis Sadiq, advisor to the Secretary general of the UN, and Baroness Uddin, first Muslim woman member of the British House of Lords (since 1998) are examples of the women who labor to move Muslim women through education back to their true religion. Since 2006 there is WISE, Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality, an even more pin-pointed organization. As to whether the prevailing opinions of moderate Muslims can redirect the schisms, one can only point to Christianity that has split in 200 directions since the first Pope – but in the last 50 years they have learned to work on common goals. It will take a long time for Muslims, the changeover must be from within, the alternative of a war is too destructive to contemplate .
Merry Christmas Season, Happy Chanukah and a glorious Kwanzaa, for everybody, from the staff of T&V!
Bismillah hir Rahman ir Rahim -in the name of the Infinitely Compassionate and Most Merciful – is a citation of a prayer in the Qur’an that is not often heard in a synagogue, except that it was used by the Prophet Solomon, son of the Prophet David and builder of the first Temple in Jerusalem (known by Jews and Christians from the Bible as King Solomon, ruler of the United Kingdom of Israel, 970-930 BC) to address the Queen of Sheba. So says the Qu’ran (my research).
It was last heard in a temple, the Brotherhood Synagogue, on November 30, 2007, as spoken by Asma Jamil Sadiq, M. D., F.A.A.P., the Pakistan-born Director of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Beth Israel Medical Center, in an introduction to a lecture about the role of women in Islam. She sees Islam, as most Muslims do, as a merciful faith based on five pillars: the testimony of faith called shabada (“there is no God but God and Muhammad is his messenger”), daily prayers (5), charity, fasting and pilgrimage.
Muslims believe in the Oneness of God, the God of Abraham (named more times in the Qu’ran than Muhammad), of Moses (“the friend of God”), of Ishmael, Isaac, Jesus (“the spirit of God”) and the God of Muhammad (“the messenger of God”).. This according to Hadith, the words of Muhammad in a discourse between him and Archangel Gabriel. Questioned on the essentials of faith, Muhammad listed five items of belief: faith in the oneness of God, faith in all the prophets, the angels, the scriptures, and a hereafter.
The prophet Muhammad is seen as a reformer by Muslims and non-Muslim historians. He protected and raised the status of women, the right to own property, to get education, to work, to marry, to divorce, banning the infanticide of the girl child. The issue of the four wives is mentioned in the Qu’ran more as a restriction, and in a certain historic time, to protect the rights of orphans and widows. The command was to treat them all equally, and if this is hard to abide by, to marry only one. Muhammad’s first wife and employer (he was a caravan leader), Bibi Khaditija, was 15 years older, and proposed to him. Married 25 years, they were monogamous and had six children, of which four daughters survived. Upon her death, he married several wives, and his last wife, Bibi Ayesha, was the codifier and interpreter of the Hadith, and the guide in the teaching of the Sunna.
Islam spread to all ancient cultures of the East, Persia, Byzantine, India, South East Asia, and Islamic tales are full of women as Queens, Saints, Sufi Shiekas, Guides, Scholars (Muftis!!) and jurists (Judges). The wearing of Burqua/ Hijab is a part of a local tribal tradition. Women reign in Pakistan and Bangla Desh, and ride scooters and are nearly 50% of the work force in Malaysia and Indonesia. Listening to Asma projects one into the world that we would love to be in. She wants Muslim faith and the Qur’an to be read holistically, not in phrases and passages. I’m sure she is thinking of the latter chapters, when Muhammad, after many years of placid revelations, actively went to fight for his faith and converted the polytheistic Meccans, meanwhile also turning against the Christians and Jews, who resisted his conversion.
Today, though, the Muslim women are the progressive force against what Asma calls the hijacking of her faith. This is the attitude of by far the majority of Muslims, although a strong expression against the Islamic radicals is dangerous. They kill collaborators in Israel and Iraq, and the American and British moderates have been fearful to raise their voices. But the moderates are rallying, particularly women, and ASMA (2001, American Society for Advancement of Muslims) has strong advocates for education and rights of women. Dr. Masouda Jalal, physician and 6th strongest candidate among 17 men in the 2002 jirga against Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan (she refused a vice presidency) is an example; Dr. Nafis Sadiq, advisor to the Secretary general of the UN, and Baroness Uddin, first Muslim woman member of the British House of Lords (since 1998) are examples of the women who labor to move Muslim women through education back to their true religion. Since 2006 there is WISE, Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality, an even more pin-pointed organization. As to whether the prevailing opinions of moderate Muslims can redirect the schisms, one can only point to Christianity that has split in 200 directions since the first Pope – but in the last 50 years they have learned to work on common goals. It will take a long time for Muslims, the changeover must be from within, the alternative of a war is too destructive to contemplate .
Merry Christmas Season, Happy Chanukah and a glorious Kwanzaa, for everybody, from the staff of T&V!
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 1:32 AM 
