Shazzer wrote: This is a rapist's logic. What about in the Victorian era when women wore those complicated get-ups with hoops and corsets? Rape still happened then, right? If a man wants to rape you or 'tease' you, he will. It is completely the fault of the man. Completely. It goes back to the thought that a man can't control himself. I think this degrades men, and truthfully, is ridiculous. I control myself around attractive men all the time. You don't hear me blaming men for being so good-looking.
With all my due respect, I disagree. Certainly, the man has a share of responsibility in whether a rape happens or not. But, the woman who exposes her body is the major factor.
Indeed, in countries where women uncovers her body, the rape rate is the highest. Here is a link, with statistics mainly from the US Department of Justice:
American Rape Statistics
Shazzer wrote:Do you agree that women need chaperones to be moral?
No. A women (as well as a man) needs to follow the guidance of her Creator.
Allah gave to the women an intelligence so that they can reach the truth alone without the help of anyone.
Shazzer wrote:How about dating a man before marriage just to see if you get along?
The halal (Islamic lawful) dating is a practice gaining much popularity in the West Muslim community. Halal dating is the first cousin of arranged marriage, with young people finding their own mates--
within the guidelines of Islam--if their parents are unable to arrange marriages for them. Because the Holy Qur'an advocates equality between the sexes, it does not permit premarital sex--since all the negative consequences fall upon the woman, including pregnancy, the social stigma, and the raising of the child. Premarital sex is also forbidden for other reasons, including learning to discipline oneself and practice self-control. Under Islam, when a man has sex with a woman to whom he is not married, he is being disrespectful of her, whether she is consensually participating or not. So young Muslims who engage in halal dating seek a commitment first and are vigilant about staying true to their religion.
Shazzer wrote: I could concede a veil (so long as a woman chooses to wear it), but do you feel a burqa is necessary?
In fact, there is a difference among the scholars on the issue of Hijaab. Some of them say that a woman must cover all her body while the others allow her to show her face and the hands upto the wrist.
Shazzer wrote: What would you speculate, was the Taliban's scriptural justification for keeping women indoors or prohibiting them from working?
In my very limited knowledge, there's nothing which prevents women from working as long as:
- She has an urgent financial need to do that.
- This work preserves her chastity and is compatible with her physical capabilities.
Yet the main task of a woman in Islam lies inside her house. By upbringing her children, she's the most important element and the real builder of the society. I think that's the reason why our brothers in Islam, the Talibans, emphasized the vital role of women at home, which helped keep her chastity, dignity and honor.
Shazzer wrote: Would you mind telling me what you think of this excerpt in relation to women's equality:
Gladly. Before I comment, what you described as an "excerpt" is in fact a hadith, a saying of the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Shazzer wrote:"Then I saw the (Hell) Fire, and I have never before, seen such a horrible sight as that, and I saw that the majority of its dwellers were women."
Imagine a classroom with 100 students. Suppose 40 of them fail to pass a math exam. If out of those 40, 21 are girls and 19 are boys, the teacher can very well say that the majority of those who failed are females and he's saying the truth.
Shazzer wrote:The people asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What is the reason for that?" He replied, "Because of their ungratefulness." It was said. "Do they disbelieve in Allah (are they ungrateful to Allah)?" He replied, "They are not thankful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favors done to them. Even if you do good to one of them all your life, when she seems some harshness from you, she will say, "I have never seen any good from you.' "
This particular hadith describes the characteristics of some ungrateful women. But you have ignored hundreds of Ahadiths (sayings of the prophet peace and blessings be upon him) which glorify women.
Do you know that the first martyr in Islam was not a man, but a woman (Sumayyah may Allah be pleased with her)? Do you know that the first one who helped prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in his noble mission and believed in his message was not a man, but a woman (Khadijah peace be upon her)? What about Aichah (May Allah be pleased with her), who was the most knowledgeable person after the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
Shazzer wrote:Do you think this is possible to achieve in this global society peacefully?
I think so. While a part of the new generation in 'Islamic' countries is far from Islam, many youths (girls and boys) are, all Praise to Allah, following to the letter the teachings of our religion.
You can also notice, Shazzer, that Islam is growing fast in Europe and North america.
I recently came across an article from Swissinfo which shows how 30000 swiss women reverted to Islam. The article can be found here:
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=106&sid=5416761
One may ask: what makes a 'liberated' (tu use your word) woman living in a peaceful and rich country, what makes her revert to a religion which you described as having "such a poor reputation regarding its treatment of women? "
Shazzer wrote:I admit that my knowledge concerning Islam's rules is very limited.
and
Shazzer wrote: But again, since I am not fluent in the your holy works, this is speculation.
What I would advise you Shazzer, is to learn about Islam from its authentic sources and from websites and books that present Islam correctly.
And Allah knows best.
