So much for Muslim solidarity and equalitarianism. The word disgusting only barely covers this horror. Incidentally, Nuristan was the last part of Afghanistan to be forcibly Islamized: up until about 150 years ago, it was called Kafiristan and followed a deviant branch of Vedic Hinduism. It was described as a country of clever, strong and handsome people. Unfortunately, late in the Victorian age (I am not sure as to the exact year) jihad came to Kafiristan, renamed it Nuristan, and wiped out its ancient paganism. A Victorian traveller, George Scott Robertson, picked up as much as he could of the old memories of the region during a visit in 1889, and wrote what is described as one of the masterpieces of Victorian anthropology, THE KHAFIRS OF THE HINDU KUSH, preserving for ever the memory if not the reality of a lost culture. G.K.Chesterton: "For it is only Christian men/ Guard even heathen things." Christian culture respects the past, Islam destroys it.

Posted by: Paolo at February 27, 2005 10:15 AM

"My husband beat me and kicked me out after my sickness [TB] became serious,"

Is there anyone more callous than a Muslim who only considers a woman to be a walking vagina/janitor that must be covered from head to toe? There is nothing "holy" about these seflish cretins. A goat receives more tenderness when it's mounted ...

Posted by: Kemaste at February 27, 2005 11:04 AM

These men are probably acting according to their rights in an islamic marriage:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/women/women_in_islam5.htm

"The husband is not obliged (N: but rather is recommended) to pay for his wife's cosmetics, doctors [sic] fees, the purchase of medicine for her, and similar expenses (A: though he must pay for expenditure with childbirth)."

All he's doing is returning damaged goods to its previous owners. Who could object to that?

(Sarc/off)

Another good article on the position of women in islam:

http://debate.domini.org/newton/womeng.html

Somehow, I don't think that 'for better, for worse, in sickness and in health' applies here.

And let's not forget, that a muslim husband actually owns his wife's breastmilk. This little gem always nauseates me!

Posted by: Silvester at February 27, 2005 12:55 PM

It certainly suggests another cute little angle to the catalogue of allowed Muslim sexual perversions: paedophilia, sadism, rape... how many of us even know that addiction to breastmilk is one of the lesser sexual perversions?

Posted by: Paolo at February 27, 2005 5:20 PM

Paolo:

I merely said they own it. I did not say or imply that they partake of it.

Posted by: Silvester at February 27, 2005 7:34 PM

Where's that Julia Roach to comment on this? She's the one that Mr. Spencer and Ali Sina debated in that symposium on gender apartheid, insisting that Islam was wonderful for women.

If not Julia Roach, then whatever other rent-a-Muslim-feminist they would care to roll out to enlighten us. Of course, since she wouldn't be able to offer any valid argument or rebuttal, she'd fall back on the "you're hateful towards Muslims" pathetic excuse.

Posted by: feralee at February 27, 2005 10:29 PM

I assume that the husbands ownership of the breastmilk is meant to ensure that his permission has to be given ( and thus can be, and probably will be, refused ) before his wife can help out another woman who cannot feed her child herself. It is not unknown for English maternity wards to ask mothers with milk to spare to express some for the very sick babies with equally sick mothers in the SCBU.(Special Care Baby Unit)
Then there is the view held by, among others, Osama Bin Laden, that feeding bottles are haram. My authority for this is the book by his sister in law which was discussed in the JW archives about 3 months ago. So feeding with a bottle is unclean and breastmilk does not belong to the mother.
Add, which I only found out yesterday (in the Sunday Mirror) the view that a mother who dies in childbirth has died a death equivalent to that of a "holy warrior" and is thus assured a place in paradise.

And you can begin to understand how the infant mortality rate, and life expectation of women is so low in Islamic countries.

A fellow JWer asked me where I got my nickname from yesterday. She is a character in the Disworld series of novels. And one of the things she said, is "that evil begins when you start treating people as things".

Posted by: Granny Weatherwax at February 28, 2005 5:02 AM

Sorry, lady. We don't have enough money to fix your problems in YOUR coutry, we have to help Iraq. Look on the bright side: FREEDOM'S ON THE MARCH!!!

Posted by: kj at February 28, 2005 1:16 PM

Sorry, lady. We don't have enough money to fix your problems in YOUR coutry, we have to help Iraq. Look on the bright side: FREEDOM'S ON THE MARCH!!!

Posted by: kj at February 28, 2005 1:23 PM