Reza Aslan recently claimed that women enjoy complete equality in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Turkey. I responded here. Feminists, however, remained silent, as is generally the case whenever they have an opportunity to stand against the oppression of women in Muslim countries.
But now Aki Muthali, a feminist writer, has taken this barely literate charlatan who routinely makes astonishingly clumsy errors of fact brilliantly to task in, of all places, The Nation.
The Nation standing up for women’s rights against an Islamic supremacist? This is extremely strange, as generally the Left surrenders all of its stated principles for the sake of its alliance with jihadis and jihad enablers — as Bill Maher is discovering. Could this herald cracks in the edifice? Probably not, but it still heartening to see.
“A unicorn’s legacy,” by Aki Muthali, The Nation, December 7, 2014 (all bracketed material is Muthali’s):
Reza Aslan has taken over the West like a storm. Media brass quiver in their boots and advise TV hosts to “really know” their topic before debating with this unicorn. Having thoroughly studied religious text and having had education and/or residency in any religious nation [to have firsthand knowledge of the laws and culture] isn’t adequate for Western [pseudo] liberals. They want someone who can cleverly seduce the audience in a smoke of cognitive dissonance while simultaneously suggesting any criticism of the depth of irrational drivel being presented as “evidence” and “fact” is an act of oppression and racism [to completely blackout criticism which are deemed offensive in almost all context].
Many people use denialism [of actual facts] as a sensible defense mechanism against criticism and accountability. Aslan isn’t alone in this. They inevitably contribute to a hostile society.
Aslan decided that his status as a religious scholar gives him the platform to manipulate the audience—hoping the audience will take his word like divine truth and fail to screen for authenticity of facts supporting his statements.
He was on CNN this past summer [debating human rights abuses occurring in the Islamic world] where he had described Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as an “African problem”—insinuating FGM has nothing to do with the Islamic culture. He then went on to claim FGM isn’t even “an issue” in other Muslim-majority places.
He continued, stating that women and girls are treated equally and fairly in Islamic nations like Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Turkey. His head proceeded to bobble from side to side and his eyes almost jumped in and out of their socket with every contemptuous word [he] spat out against the hosts.
Moving on, he states “…in Indonesia, women are absolutely, 100 percent equal to men!”—and that right there is where I could have sworn I felt my brain short-circuit.
He continued his rant about how wrong it is to make “stupid” comparisons of barbaric practices [like stoning and FGM] from one Muslim country to another and claim it’s all the same in every Muslim-majority nation [even though that was never the argument] yet rewind back a bit and he used the same logic by claiming all religions are the same and that all worshippers are the same and their extremism is instigated by extremist views and has nothing to do with religious dictates.
On November 18, 2014, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported concerns over the state sanctioned “virginity testing” enforced on female police officers [in Indonesia] to “ensure” morality. According to Aslan’s logic—in Indonesia, this is “absolutely, 100 percent equal to men”—because men are dehumanized and violated in the same nature, right? HRW described the virginity testing as a form of gender-based violence—which I am compelled to greatly agree with—but to Reza Aslan, it’s all about equality.
He’s a scholar after all and in no way can a scholar be so daft to have been unaware of this abuse in a country he defended [on national television] as “100 percent equal”. This ultimately proves Aslan intentionally misled the audience or that he genuinely does not perceive this act of abuse against women and girls as “abuse” at all which would make Aslan an apologist of human rights abuses [the female population face in Indonesia].
Nothing speaks “equality” more than mandating a practice where someone inspects a woman’s body to “verify” her “morality”.
HRW made a second report regarding these dehumanizing acts against women in Indonesia. The report conveyed Indonesia’s effortless compromise on women’s rights to appease Islamists who in turn will provide political support. Shocker!
Within the same week of HRW’s reports concerning Indonesia’s systematic abuse on women—Turkey’s president Erdogan declared “women are not equal to men” and any criticism of inequality is an attack on “motherhood”. Wait—what?! But Aslan’s eyes won’t be bulging out at these disturbing details lacing a knot around women’s rights in Turkey—he’s a scholar after all and knows where and when women are subjected to abuse under the influence of religion.…
Don McKellar says
Feminists have proven themselves to be the most ill-informed, cowardly, and hypocritical bunch around — they should all be worked into a fury every single time Islam is even mentioned, as it is absolutely the OPPOSITE of everything they believe and stand for and is all about keeping them down. So to see this story comes as a complete shock. Congratulations, Aki Muthali, you are now the new official voice of feminism, taking a throne which was abandoned long, long ago.
mortimer says
Feminists are fellow travelers with CULTURAL MARXISTS so they excuse ALL Muslim misogyny. They support the ‘designated official victimhood’ of Muslims. The Muslim ‘noble savages’ have a license to ignore all the traits of modernity because ‘who are we to judge their primitive culture’ and ‘we are just as bad’.
Aki Muthali has broken ranks with the ‘official guardians of Marxist orthodoxy’ and will be declared a heretic and punished.
mortimer says
Cultural Marxists don’t use valid fact-based, logical arguments…they use raw emotion, cursing and ad hominems, just like Aslan! They don’t believe in books, because books are written by ‘elitists’ (unlike their Marxist elitists!). Aslan is an officially designated ‘expert’ the Left uses to ‘prove’ Muslims do not believe in jihad. But Aslan is a pseudo-expert. His facts are disinformation.
But Cultural Marxists don’t care if Aslan pulls his facts right out of his keister. Cultural Marxists don’t look facts up in books (as Stephen Colbert correctly sees)…they simply look things up IN THEIR GUT! Truth is what ‘feels like’ truth to them.
Cultural Marxists don’t just invent their own facts…they have no interest in truth per se…
RonaldB says
“Cultural Marxists don’t use valid fact-based, logical arguments…they use raw emotion, cursing and ad hominems, just like Aslan! ”
You hit the jackpot, Mortimer. In fact, the piece by Aki Muthali is just as much an emotion-driven, fact-starving, logic-missing rant as anything Raza has written. She has two actual facts: Women police in Indonesia are subject to a humiliating exam unique to women, and the President of Turkey has stated women are not equal to men. She builds a barely-coherent diatribe based on these two admittedly-important facts.
But, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. One hopes that as a cultural Marxist leaves the reservation, she begins to see the need for actual arguments, as she finds herself speaking, for the first time, to people who do not share her predigested view of the world.
I don’t mean Aki Muthali is beyond hope. Quite the opposite. But, truth compels us to be honest in our critiques, and the truth is, she has a long way to go in learning how to actually marshal and present facts in a convincing manner. I wish her the best of luck on her long and hazardous journey.
mortimer says
There you go again, Mr. Aslan! Making up your own facts…very naughty, but we caught you. Your students can now have some merry fun with you.
I have a quiz for your students to ask you! What are the rankings of the countries you called ‘equal’???
Answers: Iran 128 out of 134; Malaysia 101/134; Bangla Desh 94/134;Turkey 129/134.
The ten most unfair countries for women are all Islamic (1. is the worst grade): 1.Yemen 1.Pakistan 1.Chad 1.Syria 1.Mauritania 1.Ivory Coast 1.Iran 1.Morocco 1.Mali 1.Saudi Arabia
The Tier 3 Nations on Human Trafficking also in the bottom of the Global Gender Gap Index include the Islamic countries:
– Saudi Arabia — GGG rank 130 out of 134
– Iran — GGG rank 128 out of 134
– Syria — GGG rank 121 out of 134
– Malaysia — GGG rank 101 out of 134
– Mauritania — GGG rank 119 out of 134
Tier 2 Watch List Nations on Human Trafficking also in the bottom of the Global Gender Gap Index include:
– Pakistan — GGG rank 132 out of 134
– Algeria — GGG rank 117 out of 134
– Yemen — GGG rank 134 out of 134
– United Arab Emirates — GGG rank 112 out of 134
– Egypt — GGG rank 126 out of 134
Tier 2 Nations on Human Trafficking also in the bottom of the Global Gender Gap Index include:
– Jordan — GGG rank 115 out of 134
– Turkey — GGG rank 129 out of 134
Source: Global Gender Gap Index
Zebo says
Not only feminist.
All wanna-be-surpressed minority (or good doer) groups have been conditioned to behave that way.
It does not matter wether those groups are feminist/homosexual/black rights activists/ or evironmental groups.
As long as they claim to be tolerant and liberal they stick their head deeo inside islams Ass.
Sometimes they don’t just ignore but they attack/defame you(like gay fashion designers did with Oriana Fellaci)
When Gays have been protesting forvmore rights in Berlin this year they marched to the Russian embassy,(while avoiding to walk through muslim controlled territories because they knew the muslims would beat the shit out of them)
They didn’t protest against one of those 70(almost all muslim) countries where homosexuality is forbidden or against those 6 muslim countries where homosexuality= death penalty.
They protested against Russia where homosexuality is not forbidden(though western Media tells otherwise knowing that most people won”t research it)
mortimer says
If they are ‘equal’ why are Muslim women FORCED to wear full-body covering that conceals their identity? Is it ILLEGAL to be recognizable if one is female?
Recently, Turkey’s President Erdogan declared “women are not equal to men”. So who is correct on this? Reza Aslan, the genius or the President of Turkey?
Zebo says
Simple math about gender-equality in islam:
inheritage: female muslim gets 50% of a male muslim.Quote 2:1 pro male
marriage:male muslim can marry 4 women,woman can marry 1 man:Quote 4:1 pro male
Paradise:male martyr muslim gets 72 huri women,woman gets 0 new man ,only her old husband back.Quote 72:1 = 100%:1.43%
woman is even losing her status.
While being a second class human on earth,she is only a 3rd class human in paradise as huri-women are considered superior to average women.
Slavery:Men can have as many female slaves and rape the whenever he wants.
Woman is not allowed to have sex with her slaves.
quote:1: infinity pro man
In front of sharia court 2 female testimonies are needed to equal one single testimony(=rape made easy,as in most cases women are not raped in front of other women)
Time Marriage(muta):(typical standard muslim hippocrisy.Time marriage=legalised prostitution.
A muslim male can have an unlimited number of time marriages
while a muslim wife is not allowed to have sex with male prostitutes:
Quote:Infinity:0 pro male
Divorce:
A muslim male can divorce whenever he wants to by simply saying :talak,talak,talak.
A muslim female cannot divorce if the husband does not let her.
Heaven:
A muslim man is judged by god wether he shall be allowed to enter paradise
A muslim woman is judged by her husband.
Saying that muslim women are equal to men is as cynical assaying
that the citizens of Hiroshimo and Nagasaki had a fair chance to fight the drop of the A Bombs and were qually equipped as the enola gay.
pumbar says
“So who is correct on this? Reza Aslan, the genius or the President of Turkey?”
It’s difficult to determine; one’s a cock and the other’s the President of Turkey…
Champ says
Brava, Aki! …you’ve exposed this liar and charlatan ‘reza aslan’ nicely.
mariam rove says
Aslan is a Charlatan like Al Sharton is. M
Rob Porter says
Mariam, Aslan is such a disgusting liar and fraud, and so deceitfully and stupidly makes up ‘facts’ as he goes along, it takes a really ignorant and stupid audience to be taken in by his pathetic drivel. One small example of his ‘facts’ was his nonsense about Eritrea being a Christian dominant country and his allusion to Christian there following this Muslim practice of FGM. Eritrea has a slightly larger Muslim population and we can bet who is doing the female genital mutilation, but for heaven’s sake don’t let us confuse this lying bit of human excrement, Reza Aslan, with the facts. Hopefully Bill Maher will again invite this disgusting boy/man onto his show and knock the stuffing out of his nonsense.
ECAW says
Yes, where have all the feminists been? Here’s one who tells the truth:
http://www.annemariewaters.org/sharia-law-and-middle-class-feminism/
cs says
I have seen her on TV, I think it was channel 4, but they did not let her speak. Unfortunately.
cs says
I mean, they did not her develop her points.
Sam says
Islam is the biggest lie probably in the history of human kind probably followed by Darwinism which hints that we came from Apes. Members of both hold on to their belief with almost infinite information to the contrary right in their face.
Wellington says
Huh, Sam, lumping Islam with Darwin’s evolutionary principles is rather like lumping Adolf HItler with George Washington. Islam is awful (so was Adolf Hitler). Darwinism is sound science (and George Washington was truly great, though, as with Darwinism, not perfect).
Sam, we have over 80,000 Neanderthal skeletons alone. We have (and can accurately date) at least six species of Australopithecus, which existed from about five million to one million years ago. We have, as well, numerous remains of Homo habilis (dateable from around two and a quarter million years ago to about one and half million years ago) and Homo erectus (1.8 million to perhaps as late as 300,000 years ago if the dwarf species of Homo recently found in Indonesia is indeed an example of Homo erectus). We know it was Homo erectus who was the first hominid to leave Africa and the first hominid to use fire to cook his food (among other high culinary cuisines Homo erectus prepared were various species of Australopithecus, which may help to explain in part why this genus died out——yes, you may die out if you’re regularly dined upon). We have even earlier examples of hominids like Ardipithecus ramidus (4.2 million years ago), Orrorin tugenensis (6 million years ago) and Sahelanthropus tchadensis (7 million years ago). Also, we can chart the growth of the cranium in hominids over millions of years, from Australopithecines being possessed of craniums in the 500-600 cc range, Homo habils in the 750 cc range, Homo erectus at around 1000cc, and us, Homo sapiens, at about 1350 cc. We also now know that man became bipedal before his brain grew (this one was a puzzle for a while).
The earliest Homo sapiens appeared perhaps as far back as 400,000 years ago, but they certainly were around by 200,000 years ago. Again, the evidence for all this is MASSIVE. Also, the vast majority of Christian sects have no problem with the evolution of man. Only a relatively small amount of Christians do. Sadly, these Christians might as well deny the earth revolves around the sun as deny the evolution of man. Besides, if God exists, then the evolution of man over millions of years is just one more testimony to the extraordinary subtlety and complexity of such a deity. Finally, I would mention here what a great Christian thinker, Thomas Aquinas, said some seven hundred years ago and that is that the Bible should not be treated as a scientific treatise. Reconsider, Sam. Big time. For God’s sake, to lump Darwinian theory with the Islamic theological blueprint as being both wrong and both malevolent is ridiculous. If you want to be taken seriously and if you do not want to harm the anti-jihad cause, desist from doing this in the future. Learn.
Oh yes, almost forgot, your statement that Darwinism asserts (hints?) that we came from Apes is completely flawed. What is correct to say, according to Darwinian evolutionary theory, is that the four pongids (gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans and gibbons) and hominids (“man” in its most expansive meaning) are descended from the same common stock, which, though not found yet, had to exist more than 7 million years ago (yes, this is indeed the “missing link”). Not all the pieces of the evolutionary puzzle have been found but then not all the pieces of many scientific puzzles have been found but this shouldn’t mean that one can therefore deny the legitimacy and essential accuracy of the puzzle. Again, reconsider. Again, learn before you write or speak.
eduardo odraude says
I accept evolution, but Darwinian evolution solves only a part of the puzzle. Problem is, Darwinism is an entirely materialistic explanation. But the world is not just matter. Neither is anything else just matter. Natural selection working on random mutations is only a part, I would say at most half of what has made evolutionary history. Homo sapiens is about last in the rock record, but in a different sense was also first in evolution. Every other biological form is specialized. Only the human being is on the whole an unspecialized biological being. But the very beginning “germ” of evolution must also have been unspecialized, otherwise it could not have evolved much further. Thus the alpha and current omega of evolution are joined. All other biological beings are in some sense ejected from the main course of evolution. The human being was in some germinal sense there at the beginning, and the other creatures in some sense were ejected from the ongoing course of human evolution. At any rate, so it seems to me.
eduardo odraude says
I’ll add that biological specialization has to do with a premature descent into material form. The earth itself is coagulated spirit, the residue of an eons-long process..
Wellington says
Why do you contend, eduardo, that Homo sapiens is not specialized? I would argue that this species is highly specialized, with one such specialization, as my orthopedic surgeon said to me, being able to outwalk any animial on earth. Also, though some species of the animal kingdom live longer than our species (e.g., turtles), the vast majority do not. This in and of itself, i.e., longevity, is a specialization. Finally, there is present among the Homo sapiens species arguably the greatest specialization of all———-extraordinary intelligence, the likes of which can’t be found anywhere else in the animal kingdom.
As for your contention that “The human being was in some germinal sense there at the beginning….”, forgive me, but I consider this nonsense talk, but do enlighten me if you think me wrong and correct my ignorance here. Please, though, nothing poetic. Stick strictly to science. Nothing gooey. Hard facts only.
Bezelel says
Genesis says that we were created in God’s image and likeness, He created them male and female. God is Spirit so if we reflect his image and likeness then we do it in Spirit. The Christian Science book Science and Health with Keys to the Scriptures poses has a chapter titled The Statement Of Being which says that man is not material, that man is Spiritual. A Kabalist Rabbi said that in order for matter to exist that God had to contract a part of himself and that particles of the divine are lodged in all matter.
http://thegodguy.wordpress.com/ This guy is a student of Swedenborg and he specializes in science proving God. Then Isaac Newton wrote more books on the subject than he did on calculus. I wont argue with Darwin BUT the facts are not all in.
eduardo odraude says
Hi Wellington,
My argument that the human being was there at the beginning in some sense, is based on the conclusion that the human is on the whole unspecialized. If you don’t agree with that, then you won’t see any special kinship between the unspecialized beginning and the human being today.
I won’t say the human being has no unspecialized features at all, but the intelligence of human beings is not a form of specialization properly so-called. It is the opposite. The intelligence of human beings is a capacity for the universal and the general. That universal capacity of intelligence is also one of the better proofs that the anatomy of human beings is universal and unspecialized. After all, we know that mind and body are not linked in some random or accidental way. If the mind is universal, then the body must in some sense also be universal. It is precisely the unspecialized nature of the mind, the fact that it can make itself formless and plastic so as to recognize new forms, that permits the mind to evolve new ideas. The mind can form itself ever anew to the world. Thus scientists continually learn. New paradigms continually form. Animals, because they are specialized, stay the same for millions of years, stuck in roughly the same niche.
As for being able to outwalk any animal on earth, perhaps your orthopedist was merely making conversation and hyperbole or humor? I’m pretty sure many animals are on their feet more hours a day and traveling farther distances than human beings.
I could explain more about the unspecialized character of human beings — how long they take to grow up and mature, how long they remain malleable and formless, how much weaker reflex and automatism are in the human body than in animal bodies.
Arthur says
Wellington, you clearly know your anthropology. As a scientist myself, it would be fun to meet and chat with you someday! I’ve worked in nonhuman primate pathology for years.
I think we should not let ourselves get distracted or divided with issues of lesser importance than our survival as a culture.
BUT, being both Christian and a scientist (but not a Christian Scientist) I would simply add one point. The theory of “intelligent design” or whatever term you wish to use, is simply not useful from a scientific perspective. By contrast, the theory of evolution is useful for science and medicine. For example, evolution gives a rational explanation for gene duplication, retrotransposons, alterations in brain development, etc. and gives scientists insight into looking for functional connections between genetic differences across species and the protein functional bases for the differences. The theory of evolution suggests testable hypotheses and guides further investigation in biology and medicine. I don’t get such guidance from intelligent design. In science, the best theory is the one that best predicts future observations.
Wellington says
Thanks for your reply, Arthur. What is called “intelligent design” is really just the old teleological argument for the existence of God. It’s a logical argument to be sure, but, as you indicated, it doesn’t belong in a science class. Its proper domain is in philosophy or religion classes.
Though I myself am not religious, neither am I anti-religious (except for Islam). I see no reason why someone cannot be both a scientist and a Christian, as you are. One thing that theology, philosophy and science have in common is that all three disciplines use reason. Theology uses reason plus faith. Philosophy uses reason alone. And science uses reason plus tested observational methods. Three different ways of looking at existence but with reason a common denominator.
Your work in nonhuman primate pathology sounds fascinating. Very hands on and all that. And yes, it would be good to have a chat with you someday. Take care.
Don McKellar says
Thank goodness you got this post up in time! Otherwise we couldn’t have it entered in the Dumbest Post Award for 2014! You’ve got my vote.
Allan Mandrowski says
Wow. The part about Darwinism makes no sense whatsoever. Glad Wellington took the time to clarify that.
Please, limit yourself to criticising Islam and leave subjects you know little about alone.
gravenimage says
Sam wrote:
Islam is the biggest lie probably in the history of human kind probably followed by Darwinism which hints that we came from Apes. Members of both hold on to their belief with almost infinite information to the contrary right in their face.
……………………………..
Not only do I disagree with you that there is no scientific evidence for evolution, Sam—which, incidentally, most devout Christians agree with, as well—there is another more salient point on which this is false moral equivalence.
That is, of course, that Darwinists are *not* oppressing or brutalizing Christians or anyone else who may not agree with their findings—would that this were true of pious Muslims.
jewdog says
So who’s this Aki Muthali? I’ve never heard of her. Now, if Kim Kardashian or Whoopi Goldberg had something to say I would listen.
cs says
Now, this Kim was a beauty b4 performing the plastic surgery, still good, but less good.
Rob says
Western feminism has stalled in the workplace.
No end of comments about glass ceilings and unequal pay, but show them acid attacks, forced abductions and conversions and FGM and they look away.
SallyA says
The complex politics, alliances and backlash around feminism really are not the point here, but the gratuitous bashing of feminists by commenting males nonetheless suggests that women still have a long way to go for real freedom from male derision (if not worse) anywhere on this planet. The caveat: Islamic nations and cultures obviously are the worst places for girls and older females to be abused & oppressed by men. We could look to how others have developed courage against oppression. Some of my favorite brave freedomists include Harriet Tubman, “Ain’t I a woman” Sojourner Truth, Phyllis Chesler, Patrick Henry, my Dad, Susan B. Anthony, Golda Meir, & Winston Churchill. Let’s consider staying in the solution, shall we?
cs says
I read Julia Kristeva, and a bunch of feminists, post feminists, and they don’t say Sh*t about Islam, because it does not sound good, poor oppressed people you know? Does not sound right, and also, we have to apply relativism. So when they torture, rape, and murder, poor guys, we have to understand their cultures, besides: WE PROVOKED THEM.
That’s the bottom line, I say this by own experience.
Other day a young lady was defending that boy who said that he did not know that was not ok to rape.
Nathan says
Why do liberals love Islam? simple: it’s Destructive.
http://capitalismmagazine.com/2013/05/why-liberals-love-islam/
Darren says
I have noticed many liberals are full of self hatred and self loathing for some reason. I wonder if they project their own self hatred and loathing on an external source, that being western civilization and conservatives in general. I’m no expert, but I’d love for an expert to chime in.
jay says
Not an expert, but as someone who is somewhat on the left I can tell you what I have observed from the more entrenched brethren I converse with: White guilt. Liberalism or progressiveism is now intrinsically linked with the notion that anyone successful is responsible for the unsuccessful and their failures regardless of detail. That the only reason one becomes a success, whether it’s personal or as a broader collective (such as Israel vs other MENA nations) is because exploitation, abuse and oppression awarded them such. White countries (which Israel falls into in the left’s eyes) are only successful because of the brown people that were there originally or ones that may or may not have been forcefully brought in (no non-white person ever moved voluntarily). Liberalism is now almost solely about race warring, and more accurately, white versus everyone else. Every failure of a culture, race or country to succeed is because of their white ‘betters’ (I do not believe this, but they do, failing to see the white supremacism that projects with their love of arab supremacism, they ironically tie together even though their antithetical to one another. they see whites as better and muslims as the ones to overthrow them and put white people in a subservient position). Black guy can’t get a job? It’s because white people who moved into the neighborhood. Or because the hiring manager was white and all whites are racist and will always pick white people over anyone else. Palestinians are oppressed? It’s because the white (and evil Jewish of course, but the fact there are white Jews gives the Left’s ‘anti-racism’ people fuel to be even more antisemitic) Israeli’s stole their land.
Anyone who fails is to be pitied and coddled, even if their failure is because of violent, religious, cultural backwardism. The details are meaningless. They clump real victims in with fake politicized propaganda victims, gravitating towards the fake ones because those are the most attractive (they’re made to be that way by people who excel in marketing and running shiny well funded left blogs that stir the hatred and segregation). Every white person should feel guilty because anything they have is the result of slave labor, rape, colonization and racism. This is the true belief of a lot of the left, especially the younger crowd. It’s really no wonder why the left sides with the violent murderers of jihad, they’re doing what they feel is right, destroying the white/jewish powers that have kept all the brown people down. The fact the jihadis hate them too is secondary and even irrelevant, because the left is safe at home from any chance of being a victim of them, it’s something that can be ignored. It’s far away detached not real life TV entertainment and excitement of watching the villain get his due from the noble rebels of freedom.
Dave J says
Western feminists in general do not stand up to Muslims because they are too busy dhimmi-ing their own men.
Also they are somewhat impressed by the sword, the minaret and the scruffy beard (so cute), although they won’t admit it..
Scott Stolnitz says
Congrats to Ms. Muthali!
Resa Aslan is the “fad of the year” in the apologist for Jihadist values crowd.
He makes it up as he goes along.
Hopefully a few years from now the rest of the world will shun and laugh at him as we do.
In the meanwhile, he gives useful idiot an entirely new meaning. Frankly, I find the fact that anyone takes him seriously quite frightening.
St. Croix says
Anyone who can knock that slimeball down a notch is on the right path. I could see in a panel discussion on youtube (CNN) he was scared when having to confront Robert Spencer; I could tell by his change in demeanour. He still spewed out his garbage in extremely rude and ignorant fashion; however Reza did lose a bit of his confidence when he was going against someone well-armed with facts. He is a fraud and he knew that RS knew–it was written all over his greasy face.
Salah says
“Reza Aslan recently claimed that women enjoy complete equality in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Turkey.”
I’m afraid he’s right on this one. The famous muslim scholar Al-Qurtubi wrote:
“A woman may be likened to a sheep (even) a cow or a camel for all are ridden.”
Tafsir al-Qurtubi, 172/15 تفسير القرطبى
Equality par excellence!!!
Ayattollahowmany says
THIS sort of “equality”, Asslan??
[img]http://www.barenakedislam.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/image6.jpg[/img]
Crixus says
My experience of Western Feminists, especially those who are former Muslims who have direct experience of dealing with the consequences of the ‘moon death cult’ is that they are far from enamored with Islam and, in many circumstances are the best attack against the liberal establishment as they cannot be silenced with accusations of racism or ‘Islamaphobia’.
More of this please!
Bezelel says
There are articles on JW that tell us that Egypt has a very high FGM rate and that even the Copts are known to practice it. Does Egypt count as a mainstream ME country?
voegelinian says
I was wondering who this author, Aki Muthali, is. I think her Islamic-seeming name actually derives from non-Islamic Indian culture, but I’m not sure. I did find another encouraging comment she posted on a FB article whose headline was:
“Uthman Badar – God and Prophets should be protected from insults”
Muthali then wrote:
“Wow. So God and Prophets are all victims of cruelty, evil, oppression and segregation, right? Ask them to come and file a complaint then. 😉
“It’s funny Islam has the Sharia to murder people in the name of ‘honour’, violating other people’s Human Rights, Apostasy is met with murder, etc., but it’s delusional beings that need protection…? Go fight for all the slaughtered women in the graveyard of ‘honour’. Then I’ll take your stance on ‘morals’ seriously, until then, Religion is just a vile tool to keep violating Humans all in the name of some delusional creature that created women from men and deems women inferior to men, and men can have 4 wives and the most important thing in a woman is her Hymen…? LOL bloody hilarious. Patriarchy isn’t God that needs to be worshipped, nor it’s preachers. ”
Given this and the fine piece slamming Reza, inquiring minds still want to know why she retains that Islamic name of hers.
voegelinian says
Woops — scratch that last line I wrote. I don’t think her name is Islamic after all.
jay says
An actual REAL feminist? Wow, don’t see those too often. Western trendy feminists are under the wonderful illusion that all muslim women have an actual choice whether to conform to their brutal cultures or not. Because if a brain washed victim defends their abusers, you obviously don’t challenge the abuser and allow it to go on and defend him. That would be the toxic notion that all non-white/non-western cultures and religions are somehow deeper and more sacred and anyone outside has no right to suggest otherwise, even as they cut off little girl’s clitoris or force women to dress in glad bags in the 120 degree desert.
#1 Infidel says
He is a looser like members of C A RE organization in united state .
Bruce says
I am a generally liberal, atheist, Darwinist, and feminist man (yes, men can be feminists) – nonetheless, rather than talk about all of that, I’ll stick to the subject of the original article, and point out why Reza Aslan has his head up his ass. He keeps citing the “good” Muslim countries, where women are equal. Let’s look at the barbarous custom of female genital mutilation:
Indonesia: “Two Indonesian nationwide studies in 2003 and 2010 found over 80% of Muslim girls are subjected to cutting, typically newborns through the age of 9. More than 90% of adults claimed they wanted the practice to continue. Historical records suggest female circumcision in Indonesia started and became prevalent with the arrival of Islam in the 13th century as part of its drive to convert people to Islam. In islands of Indonesia, where partial populations converted to Islam in the 17th century, FGM has been prevalent in Muslim females only.”
Malaysia: “FGM Prevalence rates have been estimated between 62% to 90% in Muslim Malay communities. Malaysian women claim religious obligation (82%) as the primary reason for female circumcision…Malaysia is a multicultural society, FGM is prevalent in Muslim community, and not observed in its minority Buddhist and Hindu communities. Malaysia has no laws in reference to FGM. The Malaysian government sponsored 86th conference of Malaysia’s Fatwa Committee National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs held in April 2009 decided that female circumcision is part of Islamic teachings and it should be observed by Muslims, with the majority of the jurists in the Committee concluding that female circumcision is obligatory (wajib). However, the fatwa noted harmful circumcision methods are to be avoided. In 2012, Malaysian government health ministry proposed guidelines to reclassify and allow female circumcision as a medical practice.”
Most unfortunately, the Kurds practice it (they would seem to be the least likely Muslims to practice it – let’s hope they’ll be the first to stop), so it is prevalent in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Aslan’s favorite “moderate” state, Turkey.
The Turks may be the best example of what is really wrong with Aslan’s position: Turkey is going backward to the seventh century, as fast as it can, and not just in its treatment of women. No time to write it in detail here, but Erdogan is playing a game with us almost as double-dealing as Pakistan’s.
It also has to be said that anyone who hasn’t been in a coma for the last three decades knows why this issue has become heavily publicized in recent years. Muslims, and Muslims alone, have been bringing this vile, primitive atrocity into Western Europe, Australia, and North America.
If it were Ben Affleck saying that Islam treats women with complete equality, I would shrug it off by saying that he is what my step-father used to call an “infantile leftist,” saying whatever he thinks sounds politically correct. But Aslan is trying to pass himself off as an “expert” – he knows that he’s lying. All anyone has to do to see it is to Google “prevalence of female genital mutilation by country.”
voegelinian says
We must reasonably suppose — not only through the mountain of circumstantial evidence indicating Aslan is a smarmy hack, but also through a) the fact that Islam is, culturally and essentially misogynistic in the extreme, and through b) our rational prejudice against all Muslims — that Aslan is lying. (Remember that, pace sloppy Internet-speak, “lying” means necessarily willful.)
Unfortunately, most in the Counter-Jihad (it seems) have not graduated along the Learning Curve to the holistic position that attains that above-mentioned rational prejudice; and so at every juncture they must scramble around to look for other reasons (or, more often, incoherently pretend they don’t need other reasons).
ECAW says
It is never rational to prejudge anything therefore “rational prejudice” is a contradiction in terms. How about we start using the perfectly good (and already existing) word “postjudice”. It accurately describes the attitude of most of us here to Islam.
gravenimage says
Feminist blisters Reza Aslan for claiming women have equality in many Muslim countries
Reza Aslan recently claimed that women enjoy complete equality in Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Turkey…
……………………………..
As Bruce, above, notes, even these “moderate” Muslim countries have shockingly high levels of FGM.
And Bangladesh is odd for even a Taqiyya artist to cite—recently they flogged a little 14-year-old victim of incestuous rape to death, which should not exactly smack of “equality” even to the willfully ignorant.
Many kudos to Aki Muthali for calling Reza Aslan on his bullsh*t Muslim apologia.