“If justice and equality for women is un-Islamic, I don’t know where we are going with this.” And yet where they are going with this is absolutely clear. Here is yet more indication of why we don’t see more genuine Muslim reformers. Islamic Tolerance Alert from modern, moderate Malaysia: “Sisters in Islam files for judicial review on fatwa,” by Rashvinjeet S. Bedi, The Star, October 31, 2014:
PETALING JAYA: Sisters in Islam (SIS) has filed for a judicial review on a gazetted fatwa (edict) in Selangor that declared the Muslim women’s rights group as deviating from Islam.
SIS executive director Ratna Osman said they only came across the fatwa by chance on Oct 20.
“We view with grave concern, the allegations made against us and question the basis of this fatwa,” she said during a press conference here Friday.
SIS named the Selangor Fatwa Committee, the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) and the state government as respondents in the review filed Friday at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
The fatwa titled “Pemikiran Liberalisme dan Pluralisme Agama” declared SIS Forum (Malaysia) as subscribing to liberalism and religious pluralism, and therefore deviating from the teachings of Islam.
The fatwa, which was gazetted in July, also allows for any publications deemed liberal and plural to be banned and seized.
In addition, it calls for any form of social media that promotes such content to be monitored and restricted by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commissions (MCMC).
The outspoken group has been regularly criticised by religious authorities and Islamist non-government organisations for its views on Islam.
SIS board director Marina Mahathir questioned the reasoning behind the fatwa and asked why the group was not informed about it in the first place.
She also asked the authorities to define the meaning of liberalism and pluralism and spell out what they did was against Islam.
“If justice and equality for women is un-Islamic, I don’t know where we are going with this,” she said.
Former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and co-founder of SIS Zainah Anwar are co-appellants in the review application as “concerned Muslims.”
Jaladhi says
Yeah – we have heard it from our leaders and media Malaysia is a moderate islamic country. What an oxymoron!! Malaysia is Saudi Arabia of the East!! There is nobody more fundamentalist as them.
umbra says
yep. … an islamic hole like saudi arabia.
Huck Folder says
Absolutely, one of their more venomous antisemite leaders gave out copies of The Protocols to his friends, and regularly trashed Israel while brown nosing islamists.
Kieran Pavlick says
This bullying and threats to people who recognize that refusing to “Live and let Live” when people want to practice other religions in enforced Muslim religion countries, is going to do two things. One, anger people in non-Muslim countries that allow people to practice Islam and cause an uprising to throw them out. Two, worldwide, start a new Crusade and with today’s weapons it won’t be pretty.
Jay Boo says
Carpet bomb the whole country of the Netherlands and you get rid of half of the Malaysian jihad menace instantly.
Hey! just kidding.
Back off Homeland Security. It is a joke. Go chase Muslims.
Neil Jennison says
A bloke was locked up in the UK for tweeting less than that as a joke. If memory serves he won his appeal.
Joe Murphy says
The most persecuted religion in the world is Moderate Islam. So severely persecuted by mainstream Islam that it is practically nonexistent.
duh_swami says
“If justice and equality for women is un-Islamic, I don’t know where we are going with this,” she said.
Prison most likely. It is Allah who insists you ride in the back of the bus. You are supposed to wear the ‘cloak of invisibility’, (the burqa), not to be seen and not to be heard. That is your your equality, and that is your justice. To try and rise above the station in life Allah has provided for you, is a form of blasphemy and apostasy. The response you get from the authorities may be an arrest warrant.
Salah says
“Prison most likely.”
Most probably, yes. Yet, these brave women *are* fighting back, and by doing so they are risking their lives. They know it. The good thing is: they’re not alone.
Many Muslims are starting to wake up, asking tough questions and challenging their Muslim “scholars”.
“Where they are going with this” is not the right question to ask.
“Where Islam is going with this” is the right one. The answer is: to the dustbin of history.
It won’t happen overnight, but it *is* happening, it is happening all over the Muslim world. It is happening and bearing fruit thanks to these courageous “moderate” Muslims (i.e. future ex-Muslims.)
Muslim intellectual attacking Al Azhar’s teachings:
http://crossmuslims.blogspot.ca/2014/08/cannibalism-in-islam-taught-at-al-azhar.html
mortimer says
“justice and equality for women are un-Islamic”…
…well said! That is exactly what Bill Maher and Sam Harris are saying…the same as that persecuted Muslim woman…persecuted for describing what is happening.
Dave J says
Oh just be quiet and submit – Allah.
And that goes double for you, infidels.
zimriel says
“justice and equality”
– pick one.
True, under Islam, they won’t get either. But if they’re serious, they won’t drop such lame Progressive cant phrases like this in public.