Often, readers' comments at Arab News are even more interesting than the articles themselves. As we found out last fall, silly kuffar, self-control is for girls. Today is International Women's Day, and so the site has posted a number of articles on women's issues in the Magic Kingdom.
First, there is a report on new proposals to curtail child marriage. Resistance to that will, of course, come from Islamic tradition, citing the example of Muhammad, and a reader makes that precise argument. The headline is a candidate for Understatement of the Week. "Child marriages, an issue still not resolved," by Fatima Sidiya for Arab News, March 8:
JEDDAH: The Human Rights Commission (HRC) is preparing to release three studies covering child marriages in the Kingdom.
It will also recommend a minimum age for marriage in Saudi Arabia as well as criminalizing the act.
A minimum age would be tremendous progress. But chances are, as long as there are authorities willing to look the other way, there are about to be a whole lot of very young looking "18-year-olds" in the kingdom.
The three studies, explained HRC media relations head Mohammad Al-Ma’addi, will address the religious, health and social issues associated with child marriages. “The studies will discuss the negative effects of minor marriages on child wives, their babies, and society in general,” he said,
“After the studies are completed, we will present them in a seminar and discuss our recommendations, most importantly to set a law that criminalizes the act and set a specific minimum legal age for marriage in the Kingdom.”
A recent poll conducted by the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) revealed over two thirds of those surveyed were against marriages involving girls under the age of 18.
Some critics oppose issuing rules that prohibit something legitimized by Islamic teachings. The majority of them call for stricter regulation of child marriages where would-be husbands are banned from exercising complete freedom in the marriage contract. [...]
Though there has been no exact figure of child marriages, some studies published in the media suggested that no less than 3,000 girls in the Kingdom were under 13 when they got married, while their husbands were at least 25 years their senior.
Minister of Justice Mohammad Al-Eissa said in April 2009 that the ministry would regulate child marriages soon.
He added that they would do this to “protect rights and prevent any vice and to prevent the negative trend of minor marriages.” [...]
Suhaila added that a new civil status law to be implemented jointly in the GCC countries would cause further problems, as it allows the judge to approve the marriage of any 15-year-old child, even if the parents or guardians do not approve.
“The judge according to this law will be able to OK these marriages. If we approve this law, we are basically undermining the importance of marriage contracts and being casual about the security of our families.”
She said that there is no data available on child marriages.
“The Ministry of Justice should provide us with that data, but unfortunately we don’t have any. The Ministry of Justice has recently included a clause in the marriage contract document forcing the couple to state their age. What is the use of that clause if we are not going to curb these marriages? More importantly, how can we make sure the ages we record are accurate?”
Quoth a reader: "As regards marriages, the Quran and Sunnah is clear. We have to go by the Islamic interpretation as to who a child is. When there are clear texts, there is no room for anyone's opinion. As Muslims we cannot allow anyone to mess around with what Allah has permitted and prohibited. Giving in to these commissions is like opening "PANDORAS BOX."
There's your problem. More sentiments on this Women's Day (there are minority voices of sanity interspersed at the link):
From "Mukhtar": "Are we born free? It is a big question mark what we call as freedom. If we believe that we are from Allah and we have to return to Him. In this case we are bounded by the laws of Allah. So we are not free."
From "SRKJED": "Dear Women of Saudi Arabia, I do understand that you face a lot of trouble in daily lives, due to your dependency on your Meh'ram. But I would suggest that you stay away from the mainstream, since most men in this country are so ill-mannered and mishbehaved that they can even frustrate menfolk. "
From "Umar": "womens are given high position in Islam i think it is enough for them. Y these women looking for pleasures in this world just imagine the gifts and pleasure in Jannath."
From "Muslim": "Saudi Women should be given the rights, but not like western countries. See the result, women leaves the home even in mid night without anybody's permission."
From "N.A. Mohamed": "Be careful. Some restrictions are ordained by the All Mighty one, Allah. Be proud of your religion. In islam everyday is womens day. Don't listen to slogans of enemies of islam such as "women's freedom", "women's day" etc.. The enemies want to destroy muslim ummah, especially Muslim women & girls."
From "Sultan": "No, No. No need to change anything. Present Saudi law is the best law it provides full protection , safety and dignity to women. They should always be controlled, dont let them to go out of control. Women should always be obedient to their parents and husbands, they are certainly their well wishers, guardians and protectors. Any sensible and wise lady will not ask for such "FREEDOM" May Allah protect our ladies (sisters and mothers) from all bad deeds and evil thoughts."
And from "A Reader": "I fail to understand why media is publishing such things. The atmosphere in the Kingdom is very peaceful and I dont think there is any problem for women. Newspapers should refrain from publishing such naive demands which are attempts to change the decent atmosphere and create disturbances in Saudi Arabia.The so called women's day and women's rights is nothing but to destroy and damage the dignity of women and just to uncover them in the name of freedom which is very bad and shameful."
Are we born free? It is a big question mark what we call as freedom. If we believe that we are from Allah and we have to return to Him. In this case we are bounded by the laws of Allah. So we are not free.
There. Now that this central question is answered, would you all please go home to the hell-holes from which you came to us? You ain't born to be free therefore you ain't qualified to live here in Dar al-Harb.
*** 2:216 ***
Whoops, in my enthusiasm at the big news in my haste I forgot about the Cause. Don't ever forget about the Cause (as Allah liked to call it).
No wonder Osama and the little Imaminijihad of Iran want to wipe the Kingdom off the map. How DARE they to even mention the prospect of it all.
Arab News is an interesting publication. It is very open to posting comments - much more than, say, the NY Times.
As to the topic here, it is amazing how closed people are to discussing this. When I try to discuss with people I know, they immediately get very angry with me and say I am an Islamophobe and that this does not represent Islam, only a small part of an otherwise enlightened and mellow group of people. It's sad that they aren't even willing to discuss it or look at facts, not opinion...
http://whyyouexist.blogspot.com
Arab News is an interesting publication. It is very open to posting comments - much more than, say, the NY Times.
As I recall, Peas, a few yrs ago a couple of ranking Western intellectuals attempted to organize a nationwide network of seminars to examine Women in Islam during a specified week at many American college campuses.
*** 33:21 ***
How'd that go? It didn't. But it sure was one helluva an ingenious test.
I didn't know it was Women's Day today.In Russia it is a BIG DAY,when millions or tens of millions of men buy flowers to give to their mother,sister,girfriend,female friend,aunt,wife.The flower shops have a harvest.
To convince non-Muslims that the media is full of evasion one has to know good arguments.
One should check out:
"Sir WInston Churchill's Speech on Islam":
http://pyemministry.blogspot.com/2011/03/sir-winston-churchills-speech-on-islam.html#more
"Doubts about Allah in the Koran being the Best of Planners and his Idea that Tricking People is Good":
http://www.antisharia.com/2011/03/08/doubts-about-allah-in-the-koran-being-the-best-of-planners-and-that-his-idea-of-tricking-people-is-good/
"A Short History of how Westerners (Christian and Non-Christian) Ended Slavery"
http://www.antisharia.com/2011/03/07/a-short-history-of-how-westernerschristian-and-non-christianended-slavery/
Also read:
antisharia.com and:
1.avraidire.com (in French and English),you can translate the French by copying and pasting with Google Translate:
http://translate.google.com/#
2.answeringmuslims.com
3.answering-islam.org
4.thereligionofconquest.com
4.See the videos (click on "online videos") of abnsat.com(like "Jihad Exposed","Debate","Jesus or Muhammad").
The videos are also on youtube,write "abnsat".
5.Also PYEM Ministry:
http://pyemministry.blogspot.com/
(very critical of Islam)
6.The blog "Debunking Quranic Science":
http://debunkingquranicscience.blogspot.com/
7.WIKISLAM(with 1,400 articles):
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Main_Page
Ive been very tired of, and now beginning to get very angry at, my state of the art wide screen HDTV for an unending stream of talking heads ALWAYS saying, with nodding condisention, "well, of course, its a veeeery, veeeeeery small minority of Islam." Bunkam and bull, off with their heads!! (oh no, Im in danger of becoming just like them)
I love Arab News.
I love it when another square or public abattoir is opened and there's a royal to name it after. There is NO end of Prince whatsit this and Prince whatsit that.
I love it when a Royal - who obviously is ripping the society off - graciously presents himself to the public and the comments immediately go "ameen, more! more! bless be" in abject humiliation.
I love it when the Royals take the credit for everything and the gratitude is without end.
I love it when some Saudi criminals are brought home from some foreign land, and we see them thank the responsible Royal for having interfered.
I love it when I see photographs of foreigners being presented to some Royal, and he is looking cool, superior and relaxed while they are sitting on the edge of their (smaller) chairs anxiously clamoring for his gracious attention.
I love it when there's (another) article on the possibility of women maybe and eventually one day driving their own cars, and a commenter protests against such madness : "If you read the history, you will find that Islam is the only religion who gives the women full rights, security and uplift the status of women." and another : "Islam has given women more rights than any other religion.People advocating rights are actually corrupt souls who want to see women out on the streets so that their corrupt desires will get fullfilled.For such dubious people Allah has ordained HELL"
I love Arab News. Sometimes it is the nearest thing to an alien planet.
Evidentally, Islamic hackers took down the International Women's Day website according to an article at Jawa.
"Suhaila added that a new civil status law to be implemented jointly in the GCC countries would cause further problems, as it allows the judge to approve the marriage of any 15-year-old child, even if the parents or guardians do not approve."
GCC=Gulf COoperation Countries(I think)has judges who apparently feel that neither the child nor the parents have any rights...
I nearly posted this on another post but it has universal relevance.
A "minority"? Hmmm. Muslims apparently number 1.6bn worldwide, rising exponentially by the minute. By far the majority of those are uneducated and illiterate.
They may be able to recite the Koran, in Arabic, but likely have no understanding of Arabic so don't actually know what they are saying. Indeed most of the educated and literate Muslims don't speak, write, or understand Arabic.
My Dad had this problem with Latin when that was the only language spoken in Catholic Churches. I happen to understand Latin although I'm not a Catholic. My Dad rejected Catholicism when he saw that Almighty God inflicted a painful death on his Mother. He hardly understood what the priests were telling him IN LATIN.
The Muslims pretty well ALL are dependent on what their equally ignorant, often self appointed, "imams" tell them of the "beautiful religion". Hence the joy in Gaza and elsewhere on 9/11.
The Muslims may well be a small minority still in the West but are a significant minority worldwide and also a significant minority in the West.
The western muslims nonetheless make demand after demand long before they have any strength. They , and their uneducated and illiterate worldwide brethren believe the superstitious and tribal nonsense of the Koran - or at least the bits released to them by their trusted imams.
I'm a nominal Christian perhaps bordering on agnostic in much the same way as my Dad became fiercely atheist. Would any "forgiving God , he or she, really mandate mass killing? Not a God I would respect
The Jehovah's Witnesses (or is it Plymouth Brethren) state categorically that 144,000 only will reach the Kingdom of Heaven.
I seem to recall that Muslims also have a figure, perhaps different, which says something similar.
Given the massive number of Martyrs with their right to give the honour to 70 relatives then I rather think the number has already been exceeded. Hell I'm thinking with logic. That won't do.
Americans perhaps don't get too many "asylum seekers". We in Europe do. Once established, and perhaps after being stupidly granted citizenship, these same asylum seekers often manage to visit the country from which they fled "in fear".
Are we stupid? You bet.
From "N.A. Mohamed": "Be careful. Some restrictions are ordained by the All Mighty one, Allah. Be proud of your religion. In islam everyday is womens day.
That's not accurate at all. For women in mahoundianism, everyday is a little something else.
By the way, some of the images on the video in my previous comment are just plain crap, but it's the title of the song which is relevant.
After I read this article I can safely say as ex muslim woman that my hate of Islam/Allah/Quran/Muhammad , just increased 10 fold's . Muslim,Omar,Sultan, N Muhammad, can take there views of women dos and do nots and shoves them
"Sultan:" They should always be controlled, don't let them to go out of control.
This is precisely the attitude of Greco-Roman culture toward women that the apostle Paul wrote against. In the prevailing culture's view, women were subliminal sex-maniacs that needed constant watching and restraint.
(http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Among-People-Reinterpreted-Reimagined/dp/0375425012)
Amazing how some ideas haven't changed in 2,000 years.
@Bewick114
"My Dad rejected Catholicism when he saw that Almighty God inflicted a painful death on his Mother."
Which AG was that and what was this so painful death ??!!!