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Islam and Women: Difference between revisions
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{{Main|Women are Deficient in Intelligence}} | {{Main|Women are Deficient in Intelligence}} | ||
Muhammad's | Muhammad's disrespect for women caused him to declare that the ''majority of the inhabitants of Hell are women''.<ref>{{Bukhari|1|6|301}}</ref> When asked why he said it was because they are deficient in intelligence and religion and because they are ungrateful to their husbands. Although Muslim apologists and female Muslims use a lot of creative arguments to explain away Muhammad's declarations about women, they don't stand up to scrutiny. This article will present evidence showing Muhammad's belief that ''all'' women are less intelligent than their male counterparts, as well as examine and refute the common Muslim claims about the ahadith in question. | ||
{{ quote | {{Bukhari|1|6|301}}| | {{ quote | {{Bukhari|1|6|301}}| | ||
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{{Main|Wife Beating in Islam|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Wife Beating}} | {{Main|Wife Beating in Islam|Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Wife Beating}} | ||
Wife-beating in the Muslim world comes from the teachings of Islamic religious texts such as the Quran and the Hadiths. It has been an accepted part of Islam since its inception. Muhammad himself declared "A man | Wife-beating in the Muslim world comes from the teachings of Islamic religious texts such as the Quran and the Hadiths. It has been an accepted part of Islam since its inception. Muhammad himself declared "A man should not be asked why he beats his wife."<ref>{{Ibn Majah||3|9|1986}} (graded Hasan)</ref> and according to Aisha, "I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women. Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!"<ref>"...''so when Allah's Apostle came, 'Aisha said, "I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing women. Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!"...''" - {{Bukhari|7|72|715}}</ref> Because of this, domestic violence has been used as a tool to maintain control and dominance over Muslim women, this has created an intensely patriarchal society where men rule women and women must submit to men. In this article we will explore how wife-beating is promoted in the Qur'an and Hadiths along with commentary from Muslim scholars, statistics on wife beating in the Muslim world and common apologetic arguments made by Muslims and responses to them. | ||
====In-Depth Analysis of an Apologetic Claim==== | ====In-Depth Analysis of an Apologetic Claim==== | ||
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Honor Related Violence is physical violence that is inflicted on an individual by perpetrators who believe the victim has brought dishonor upon the family, clan, or community by engaging in any conduct that is perceived as immoral or unacceptable by religious or social/cultural standards. This violence almost always happens in Muslim families. | Honor Related Violence is physical violence that is inflicted on an individual by perpetrators who believe the victim has brought dishonor upon the family, clan, or community by engaging in any conduct that is perceived as immoral or unacceptable by religious or social/cultural standards. This violence almost always happens in Muslim families. | ||
Muslim women are killed for many "honor" related reasons, including being raped, associating with non-related males, getting pregnant outside of marriage, and for the belief they might have done something else immoral. In the eyes of their family | While not prescribed in Islam, Muslim women are killed by family members for many "honor" related reasons, including being raped, associating with non-related males, getting pregnant outside of marriage, refusing a forced marriage, and for the belief they might have done something else immoral. In the eyes of their family, only death can restore the family's honor. The entire family may all collaborate on this, and in some cases the whole community may participate and even celebrate the occasion. The generally controlling nature of Islam towards women, and the death penalty in Islam for some types of zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) are indirect reasons for such extreme negative attitudes. | ||
===Polygamy in Islam=== | ===Polygamy in Islam=== | ||
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A common Muslim explanation for 4:3 is to give a partial quote of the verse and explain that a Muslim man '''may''' marry up to four women. However, if he cannot deal justly with each of the wives then he is forbidden to marry that many; and can marry only one wife, to prevent treating women unfairly. Muslims explain that the use of the word "Justice" or "Justly" (depending on which translation is being used) refers to the man's ability to treat each of his wives exactly the same in every regard: not just materially (ie. food, clothing, shelter, time, money, etc..) but also that he must be able to love them all exactly the same. He must be able to feel the same amount of affection and love for each of his wives. If he cannot do this, then, according to the Qur'an he cannot marry more than one wife. In reality, Qur'an 4:3 has nothing to do with treating your wives equally, its about the orphan's and their Mahr. Injustice in this verse is talking about financial equality regarding bride price (for orphans) and financial viability of having that many wives, not equality between them. | A common Muslim explanation for 4:3 is to give a partial quote of the verse and explain that a Muslim man '''may''' marry up to four women. However, if he cannot deal justly with each of the wives then he is forbidden to marry that many; and can marry only one wife, to prevent treating women unfairly. Muslims explain that the use of the word "Justice" or "Justly" (depending on which translation is being used) refers to the man's ability to treat each of his wives exactly the same in every regard: not just materially (ie. food, clothing, shelter, time, money, etc..) but also that he must be able to love them all exactly the same. He must be able to feel the same amount of affection and love for each of his wives. If he cannot do this, then, according to the Qur'an he cannot marry more than one wife. In reality, Qur'an 4:3 has nothing to do with treating your wives equally, its about the orphan's and their Mahr. Injustice in this verse is talking about financial equality regarding bride price (for orphans) and financial viability of having that many wives, not equality between them. | ||
===Adultery is Permitted in Islam=== | ===Adultery (with slaves) is Permitted in Islam=== | ||
:''Main Articles: [[Zina]], [[Adultery is Permitted in Islam]] and [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Stoning|The Punishment for Zina]]'' | :''Main Articles: [[Zina]], [[Adultery is Permitted in Islam]] and [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Stoning|The Punishment for Zina]]'' | ||
Zina (Arabic: الزنا ) is the Arabic word for "unlawful sexual relations." It is used to refer to both adultery and fornication. | Zina (Arabic: الزنا ) is the Arabic word for "unlawful sexual relations." It is used to refer to both adultery and fornication. | ||
The Islamic definition of adultery differs from the modern/secular definition as well as the Biblical definition. The meaning also differs in relation to gender. Adultery is a serious offense in Islam warranting death to offenders. However, according to the most widely accepted definitions of the term, Islam in fact allows adultery. Both the Bible and modern, secular definitions of adultery condemn actions that are condoned in the Qur'an, Hadith, and Tafsir. Not only may a Muslim man have sex with a married woman, but he may also sell her as a slave to another man. | The Islamic definition of adultery differs from the modern/secular definition as well as the Biblical definition. The meaning also differs in relation to gender. Adultery is a serious offense in Islam warranting death to offenders. However, according to the most widely accepted definitions of the term, Islam in fact allows adultery. Both the Bible and modern, secular definitions of adultery condemn actions that are condoned in the Qur'an, Hadith, and Tafsir. Not only may a Muslim man have sex with a married woman who is his slave, but he may also sell her as a slave to another man. | ||
==Miscellaneous== | ==Miscellaneous== | ||
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These articles discusses what the Qur'an, hadith and Islamic scholars say about the 72 Virgins, and dispel popular misconceptions surrounding them. The Qur'anic Paradise is sensual in nature, promising Muslim men voluptuous virgins but does not specify their exact number. This cannot possibly be a mistranslation because raisins do not have large eyes or cannot be wed to men. The hadith literature compliment the Qur'anic text by specifying the exact number of virgins as 72 and providing us with detailed descriptions of their characteristics. These narrations are not weak but vary in strength from good to authentic. We are also given details on the physical attributes given to men to sustain 72 virgins, namely, ever-erect penises that never soften and the sexual strength to satisfy 100. Although it does say they will receive a "great reward" and there are also hasan (good) hadith which refer to 72 virgins as one of the "seven blessings from Allah" to the martyr, the Qur'an does not specify these virgins are a reward for jihadists/martyrs, but rather for any Muslim male who gains admittance to Paradise. | These articles discusses what the Qur'an, hadith and Islamic scholars say about the 72 Virgins, and dispel popular misconceptions surrounding them. The Qur'anic Paradise is sensual in nature, promising Muslim men voluptuous virgins but does not specify their exact number. This cannot possibly be a mistranslation because raisins do not have large eyes or cannot be wed to men. The hadith literature compliment the Qur'anic text by specifying the exact number of virgins as 72 and providing us with detailed descriptions of their characteristics. These narrations are not weak but vary in strength from good to authentic. We are also given details on the physical attributes given to men to sustain 72 virgins, namely, ever-erect penises that never soften and the sexual strength to satisfy 100. Although it does say they will receive a "great reward" and there are also hasan (good) hadith which refer to 72 virgins as one of the "seven blessings from Allah" to the martyr, the Qur'an does not specify these virgins are a reward for jihadists/martyrs, but rather for any Muslim male who gains admittance to Paradise. | ||
===Forced Marriage=== | ===Forced Marriage of young girls=== | ||
:''Main Articles: [[Forced Marriage]] and [[Contemporary Pedophilic Islamic Marriages]]'' | :''Main Articles: [[Forced Marriage]] and [[Contemporary Pedophilic Islamic Marriages]]'' | ||
Forcing a female to marry someone against her explicit wishes is forbidden in Islam. Nevertheless Shari'ah fails to protect the most vulnerable--children. This failure to protect children has two aspects: | |||
1. A father or guardian must ask the consent of his virgin daughter before offering her in marriage, based on a well known sahih hadith. However, according to that same hadith, if she remains silent when asked, offering no explicit acceptance, this counts as consent ({{Muslim|8|3303}},{{Muslim|8|3305}}). | |||
2. A girl is expected to make a life changing decision on marriage while still a child, with very limited experience and utterly dependent on her parents. Child marriages occur [[Contemporary Pedophilic Islamic Marriages|all over the world]], but especially in Muslim countries that practice Shari'a. [http://www.un.org/youthenvoy/2016/03/new-un-initiative-aims-to-protect-millions-of-girls-from-child-marriage The UN] regards child marriage as a human rights violation and aims to eradicate it by 2030. The girl is vulnerable to spousal abuse and childhood pregnancy which greatly jeopardizes her health and future. | |||
===Adult Suckling=== | ===Adult Suckling=== | ||
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:''Main Article: [[The Farewell Sermon]] See also: [[Analysis of Muhammads Farewell Sermon|Analysis of Muhammad’s Farewell Sermon]]'' | :''Main Article: [[The Farewell Sermon]] See also: [[Analysis of Muhammads Farewell Sermon|Analysis of Muhammad’s Farewell Sermon]]'' | ||
''The Farewell Sermon'' (خطبة الوداع, Khuṭbatu l-Wadā') is Muhammad's last sermon before his death in 632 CE. There | ''The Farewell Sermon'' (خطبة الوداع, Khuṭbatu l-Wadā') is Muhammad's last sermon before his death in 632 CE. There is a popular redacted and edited version of the sermon, but in the original versions found in {{Abudawud||1900|Hasan}}, al-Tabari's History, and ibn Ishaq's Sirat, Muhammed's order to beat women coincides with the Qur'anic order of wife-beating in 4:34. In al-Tabari's version, he also compares women to domestic animals, and in ibn Ishaq's version quoted below, they are compared to prisoners: | ||
{{Quote||"You have rights over your wives and they have rights over you. You have the right that they should not defile your bed and that they should not behave with open unseemliness. '''If they do, God allows you to put them in separate rooms and beat them''' but not with severity. If they refrain from these things they have the right to their food and clothing with kindness. Lay injunctions on women kindly, '''for they are prisoners with you having no control of their persons.''' You have taken them as a trust from God, and you have the enjoyment of their persons by the words of God, so understand…"<ref>Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 651</ref>}} | {{Quote||"You have rights over your wives and they have rights over you. You have the right that they should not defile your bed and that they should not behave with open unseemliness. '''If they do, God allows you to put them in separate rooms and beat them''' but not with severity. If they refrain from these things they have the right to their food and clothing with kindness. Lay injunctions on women kindly, '''for they are prisoners with you having no control of their persons.''' You have taken them as a trust from God, and you have the enjoyment of their persons by the words of God, so understand…"<ref>Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 651</ref>}} | ||