C L O S E R

Protected: TweeVandaag :: het nieuws- en actualiteiten programma van de TROS en AVRO op Ned.2

Posted on July 17th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Multiculti Issues.

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Protected: Het Nieuwsblad – Jihad krijgt girlpower: Radicale moslima's tokkelen

Posted on July 11th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims, Youth culture (as a practice).

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Protected: Het Nieuwsblad – Jihad krijgt girlpower: Radicale moslima’s tokkelen

Posted on July 11th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Religious and Political Radicalization, Young Muslims, Youth culture (as a practice).

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Saudi women unveil opinions online | csmonitor.com

Posted on June 26th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

Saudi women unveil opinions online | csmonitor.com

More women are blogging in the Kingdom, getting the attention of censors and their conservative counterparts.

By Rasheed Abou-Alsamh | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – In this country where women are forced to completely cover themselves in public, are barred from driving, and need permission to travel abroad, it’s small wonder many are embracing the freedom of anonymity on the Internet.

As Internet usage continues to climb here, so do the numbers of women who have started Web logs, or blogs, to express themselves in ways they might never do in public.
“I love blogging because it helps me to express myself and I like to write in English,” says Farah Aziz, a translation student at King Saud University in Riyadh who started blogging in January 2005.

On several women Saudi bloggers:

Farah’s Sowaleef

Saudi Eve

Green Tea (Arab)

A thought in the Kingdom of Lunacy 

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Saudi women unveil opinions online | csmonitor.com

Posted on June 26th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

Saudi women unveil opinions online | csmonitor.com

More women are blogging in the Kingdom, getting the attention of censors and their conservative counterparts.

By Rasheed Abou-Alsamh | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – In this country where women are forced to completely cover themselves in public, are barred from driving, and need permission to travel abroad, it’s small wonder many are embracing the freedom of anonymity on the Internet.

As Internet usage continues to climb here, so do the numbers of women who have started Web logs, or blogs, to express themselves in ways they might never do in public.
“I love blogging because it helps me to express myself and I like to write in English,” says Farah Aziz, a translation student at King Saud University in Riyadh who started blogging in January 2005.

On several women Saudi bloggers:

Farah’s Sowaleef

Saudi Eve

Green Tea (Arab)

A thought in the Kingdom of Lunacy 

0 comments.

The Nation – The Missionary Position

Posted on June 20th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

At last, In The Nation an article by Laila Lalami: The Missionary Position; a review about the Caged Virgin by Hirsi Ali and The trouble with Islam by Manji.
My more dedicated readers will know Laila Lalami as editor of Moorish Girl.

These days, being a Muslim woman means being saddled with what can only be referred to as the “burden of pity.” The feelings of compassion that we Muslim women seem to inspire emanate from very distinct and radically opposed currents: religious extremists of our own faith, and evangelical and secular supporters of empire in the West.

Radical Islamist parties claim that the family is the cornerstone of society and that women, by virtue of their reproductive powers, are its builders. An overhaul of society must therefore begin with reforming the status of women, and in particular with distinguishing clearly their roles from those of men. Guided by their “true” interpretations of the faith, these radicals want women to resume their traditional roles of nurturers and men to be empowered to lead the family. If we protect women’s rights in Islam, they assure us, the umma, the community of believers, will be lifted from its general state of poverty and backwardness.

[…]

This context–competing yet hypocritical sympathies for Muslim women–helps to explain the strong popularity, particularly in the post-September 11 era, of Muslim women activists like Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Irshad Manji and the equally strong skepticism with which they are met within the broad Muslim community. These activists are passionate and no doubt sincere in their criticism of Islam. But are their claims unique and innovative, or are they mostly unremarkable? Are their conclusions borne out by empirical evidence, or do they fail to meet basic levels of scholarship? The casual reader would find it hard to answer these questions, because there is very little critical examination of their work. For the most part, the loudest responses have been either hagiographic profiles of these “brave” and “heroic” women, on the one hand, or absurd and completely abhorrent threats to the safety of these “apostates” and “enemies of God,” on the other.

[…]

The Caged Virgin and The Trouble With Islam Today are billed as profound meditations on faith and searing critiques of Islam’s treatment of women and minorities, but they are riddled with inaccuracies and generalizations. In their persistent conflating of religion, civilization, geographical region and very distinct cultures, these books are more likely to obfuscate than educate.

[…]

Muslim women are used as pawns by Islamist movements that make the control of women’s lives a foundation of their retrograde agenda, and by Western governments that use them as an excuse for building empire. These women have become a politicized class, prevented by edicts and bombs from taking charge of their own destinies. The time has come for the pawns to be queened.

Read more: The Missionary Position

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Boeken&cetera: 'De' Islam met cultureel antropologe Marjo Buitelaar

Posted on May 28th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Multiculti Issues.

Boeken Artikelen: ‘De’ Islam
‘De’ Islam
Boeken&cetera met Marjo Buitelaar
Publicaties

Islam en het dagelijks leven

Het zou prettig zijn als een ieder die een oordeel uit wil spreken over de Islam, eerst een inburgeringscursus Islam bij Buitelaar ondergaat.Buitelaar ging naar Marokko en deed onderzoek naar de beleving van de vastenmaand ramadan en de betekenis van de ‘hammam’, het publieke badhuis. Ook in Nederland doet ze onderzoek onder vrouwen van Marokkaanse afkomst. Daarover schreef ze een genuanceerd verslag, verschenen onder de titel: “Islam en het dagelijks leven”.

Allereerst is duidelijk, maar moet nog maar eens gezegd, dat de Koran, net als de Bijbel en de Tora, multi-interpretabele werken zijn. Buitelaar maakt in deze aflevering van Boeken&cetera duidelijk dat er steeds meer aandacht is voor de religieuze identiteit van moslims en veel minder op alle andere identiteitvormende aspecten die een cultuur, een (immigrant) groep, met zich mee brengen.

Marjo Buitelaar is antropoloog en verbonden aan de faculteit Godgeleerdheid & Godsdienstwetenschap van de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.

Voor een genuanceerd beeld met geluid kijkt u aanstaande zondag naar boeken&cetera.

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Boeken&cetera: ‘De’ Islam met cultureel antropologe Marjo Buitelaar

Posted on May 28th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Multiculti Issues.

Boeken Artikelen: ‘De’ Islam
‘De’ Islam
Boeken&cetera met Marjo Buitelaar
Publicaties

Islam en het dagelijks leven

Het zou prettig zijn als een ieder die een oordeel uit wil spreken over de Islam, eerst een inburgeringscursus Islam bij Buitelaar ondergaat.Buitelaar ging naar Marokko en deed onderzoek naar de beleving van de vastenmaand ramadan en de betekenis van de ‘hammam’, het publieke badhuis. Ook in Nederland doet ze onderzoek onder vrouwen van Marokkaanse afkomst. Daarover schreef ze een genuanceerd verslag, verschenen onder de titel: “Islam en het dagelijks leven”.

Allereerst is duidelijk, maar moet nog maar eens gezegd, dat de Koran, net als de Bijbel en de Tora, multi-interpretabele werken zijn. Buitelaar maakt in deze aflevering van Boeken&cetera duidelijk dat er steeds meer aandacht is voor de religieuze identiteit van moslims en veel minder op alle andere identiteitvormende aspecten die een cultuur, een (immigrant) groep, met zich mee brengen.

Marjo Buitelaar is antropoloog en verbonden aan de faculteit Godgeleerdheid & Godsdienstwetenschap van de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.

Voor een genuanceerd beeld met geluid kijkt u aanstaande zondag naar boeken&cetera.

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NIO – Actueel : Interview Tourabi

Posted on May 19th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Internal Debates.

NIO – Actueel : Interview Tourabi
De NIO had een interview met Hassan Tourabi: eindelijk zou ik zeggen, maar daarmee zijn ze wel de eerste. De vraag is natuurlijk hoe oprecht hij is. Toen hij aan de macht was, was hij duidelijk minder rekkelijk. Niettemin, zijn zijn uitspraken toch op z’n zachtst gezegd werkelijk opmerkelijk.

Naar aanleiding van de opvallende opvattingen van de Soedanees Hassan Tourabi met betrekking tot de hoofddoek, de sluier, het huwelijk met een niet moslim en andere zaken, is er een heftig debat uitgebroken in de islamitische wereld. Sommige geleerden beschuldigen Tourabi van afvalligheid en anderen verwachten van hem de terugtrekking van zijn uitspraken. Nioscoop sprak met Tourabi over al deze zaken. Het in het Arabisch opgenomen interview is zo secuur mogelijk vertaald.

Interview Tourabi

Hassan TourabiNaar aanleiding van de opvallende opvattingen van de Soedanees Hassan Tourabi met betrekking tot de hoofddoek, de sluier, het huwelijk met een niet moslim en andere zaken, is er een heftig debat uitgebroken in de islamitische wereld. Sommige geleerden beschuldigen Tourabi van afvalligheid en anderen verwachten van hem de terugtrekking van zijn uitspraken. Nioscoop sprak met Tourabi over al deze zaken. Het in het Arabisch opgenomen interview is zo secuur mogelijk vertaald.

• Er wordt de laatste tijd vaak gediscussieerd in de media over uw uitspraken met betrekking tot de Hijab (Hoofddoek). Kunt u meer in detail op dit vraagstuk ingaan en hoe kijkt u naar het kledingsgedrag van de moslima?
• U maakt dus onderscheid tussen het gordijn [Hijab in de Koran] en de sluier?
• Hoe kijkt u naar de sluier van de moslima?
• U zegt dat het huwelijk tussen een moslima en een niet moslim toegestaan is, maar andere geleerden zijn daartegen. Als bewijs leunt men op het vers “En huwt geen afgodendienaressen voordat zij geloven”.
• U zegt dat het huwelijk tussen een moslima en een niet moslim toegestaan is maar andere geleerden zijn daartegen. Als bewijs leunt men op het vers “En huwt geen afgodendienaressen voordat zij geloven”.
• ‘De getuigenis van twee vrouwen is gelijk aan die van één man’, is dat niet tegenstrijdig met het islamitische principe met betrekking tot de gelijkheid tussen mannen en vrouwen?
• Denkt Hassan Tourabi dat een vrouw in het gebed mag voorgaan terwijl dit door de geschiedenis heen verboden was?

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C L O S E R – Al Turabi on ‘unquestionable issues in Islam’

Posted on April 24th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Internal Debates, Public Islam, Religious and Political Radicalization.

On Freedom for Egyptians an interesting article about the quite spectacular statements of the Sudanese Muslim Leader Dr. Hassan Al Turabi, still ignored by mainstream press. Thanks to my ISIM colleague Robbert for alerting me already two weeks ago:

Freedom for Egyptians الحرية للمصريين
Sudanese Islamic Leader Dr. Hassan Al Turabi gave new statements and released some new fatwas (religious opinions/edicts) that blew up many of what is believed to be basics or unquestionable issues in Islam, many related to the usurped righted of women.

In Islam, Muslim women are not allowed but to marry a Muslim man or a man who has converted to Islam. On the other hand, Muslim men are allowed to marry any woman from any faith with no restrictions.

Dr. Al Turabi, a party leader, said that a Muslim woman is allowed to marry a Christian or a Jew and not necessarily a Muslim. He asserted that forbidding her from marrying a man from another faith is aimed at dragging women backward. He added that Islamic Shariaa (Islamic jurisdiction) does not provide any restrictions for women to marry any man from another faith. He said that it was forbidden during war when Muslims were fighting with other armies. He said that when the reason is gone, the restriction is lifted.

Dr. Al Turabi, 74, in a seminar at the headquarters of the opposition Al Umma party said that women have the right to lead prayers. Current Muslim clerics forbid women from leading the prayers. Al Turabi said, if she has more knowledge, she has the right to lead the prayers. The criterion is the knowledge and not the gender.

He said that Prophet Muhammed permitted one of his followers who was a knowledgeable Muslim woman to lead the prayers at her home that included all men. He also cited the wife of the prophet, Aisha, as a model.

Al Turabi, PhD, said in this seminar entitled “The Role of Women in Establishing Good Governance” that women’s testimony at courts is equal to men. In Islam, one man’s testimony is equal to two women. Al Turabi denied this and said this is meant to go back to the dark ages and has nothing to do with Islam. He challenged anyone who could bring evidence that this is true.

He also refuted the idea of the Hijab, headscarves. He said that the Hijab is applied against the misinterpretation of some Quran verses and cannot be generalized on all the generations. He said that headscarves were made for the wives of prophet Muhammed not for all women.

Al Turabi called upon all women to invade politics, innovative, intellectual and sports domains and get all her rights and be an active participant in drawing strategies and stipulating legislations. He also attacked the Sudanese government and said the current regime does not enjoy any governance that is based on freedom, transparency and accountability and democratic participation.

Al Turabi said we living in Sudan in an age of corruption and there is a need for family and society reform and women’s inclusion. He emphasized the need for an election law that provides the participation of women so that they can play a role in political parties, elections and leadership positions.

Al Turabi also said that alcohol is not forbidden by Islam as agreed by most of Islamic clerics. He said that alcohol is only forbidden when drinking becomes an aggression. Practicing Muslims do not drink alchohol. Al Turabi’s article in Arabic.

On Memritv.org you can read the transcript and view the interview on Al-Arabiya TV: (more…)

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C L O S E R – Al Turabi on 'unquestionable issues in Islam'

Posted on April 24th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Internal Debates, Public Islam, Religious and Political Radicalization.

On Freedom for Egyptians an interesting article about the quite spectacular statements of the Sudanese Muslim Leader Dr. Hassan Al Turabi, still ignored by mainstream press. Thanks to my ISIM colleague Robbert for alerting me already two weeks ago:

Freedom for Egyptians الحرية للمصريين
Sudanese Islamic Leader Dr. Hassan Al Turabi gave new statements and released some new fatwas (religious opinions/edicts) that blew up many of what is believed to be basics or unquestionable issues in Islam, many related to the usurped righted of women.

In Islam, Muslim women are not allowed but to marry a Muslim man or a man who has converted to Islam. On the other hand, Muslim men are allowed to marry any woman from any faith with no restrictions.

Dr. Al Turabi, a party leader, said that a Muslim woman is allowed to marry a Christian or a Jew and not necessarily a Muslim. He asserted that forbidding her from marrying a man from another faith is aimed at dragging women backward. He added that Islamic Shariaa (Islamic jurisdiction) does not provide any restrictions for women to marry any man from another faith. He said that it was forbidden during war when Muslims were fighting with other armies. He said that when the reason is gone, the restriction is lifted.

Dr. Al Turabi, 74, in a seminar at the headquarters of the opposition Al Umma party said that women have the right to lead prayers. Current Muslim clerics forbid women from leading the prayers. Al Turabi said, if she has more knowledge, she has the right to lead the prayers. The criterion is the knowledge and not the gender.

He said that Prophet Muhammed permitted one of his followers who was a knowledgeable Muslim woman to lead the prayers at her home that included all men. He also cited the wife of the prophet, Aisha, as a model.

Al Turabi, PhD, said in this seminar entitled “The Role of Women in Establishing Good Governance” that women’s testimony at courts is equal to men. In Islam, one man’s testimony is equal to two women. Al Turabi denied this and said this is meant to go back to the dark ages and has nothing to do with Islam. He challenged anyone who could bring evidence that this is true.

He also refuted the idea of the Hijab, headscarves. He said that the Hijab is applied against the misinterpretation of some Quran verses and cannot be generalized on all the generations. He said that headscarves were made for the wives of prophet Muhammed not for all women.

Al Turabi called upon all women to invade politics, innovative, intellectual and sports domains and get all her rights and be an active participant in drawing strategies and stipulating legislations. He also attacked the Sudanese government and said the current regime does not enjoy any governance that is based on freedom, transparency and accountability and democratic participation.

Al Turabi said we living in Sudan in an age of corruption and there is a need for family and society reform and women’s inclusion. He emphasized the need for an election law that provides the participation of women so that they can play a role in political parties, elections and leadership positions.

Al Turabi also said that alcohol is not forbidden by Islam as agreed by most of Islamic clerics. He said that alcohol is only forbidden when drinking becomes an aggression. Practicing Muslims do not drink alchohol. Al Turabi’s article in Arabic.

On Memritv.org you can read the transcript and view the interview on Al-Arabiya TV: (more…)

0 comments.

‘Hip’ hijab takes on Dutch prejudices | csmonitor.com

Posted on April 20th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Young Muslims.

‘Hip’ hijab takes on Dutch prejudices | csmonitor.com
‘Hip’ hijab takes on Dutch prejudices
A ban on head scarfs in school gym classes spawns the ‘capster’ and a small business.
By Leela Jacinto | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
SON EN BREUGEL, THE NETHERLANDS – In 1999, while seeking a graduate project idea at the Design Academy of Eindhoven, Cindy van den Bremen found a problem-solving opportunity.

The Dutch Commission of Equal Treatment had recently ruled that high schools could prohibit Muslim girls from wearing head coverings in gym class. Girls were advised to wear turtlenecks teamed with swim caps. But some were ignoring the sartorial advice, preferring instead to skip gym all together.
At about that time, the Dutch were beginning to become disillusioned with multiculturalism – a trend that was to intensify in the next few years with the death of maverick anti-immigrant politician Pim Fortuyn and the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by a radical Dutch Islamist.

For Ms. van den Bremen, the phys-ed class controversy offered a means to marry her political sense of injustice with her professional expertise. “I realized that if the hijabs did not look traditional, but hip and trendy, they could possibly change prejudice into some sort of admiration,” says the young Dutch designer.

Within months, the “capster” was born, and quickly blossomed into a business. In four styles designed for tennis, skating, aerobics, and outdoor sports, van den Bremen’s head coverings were sleek, safe, and – in the words of a local Islamic cleric – “Islamically correct.”
(more…)

1 comment.

'Hip' hijab takes on Dutch prejudices | csmonitor.com

Posted on April 20th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Young Muslims.

‘Hip’ hijab takes on Dutch prejudices | csmonitor.com
‘Hip’ hijab takes on Dutch prejudices
A ban on head scarfs in school gym classes spawns the ‘capster’ and a small business.
By Leela Jacinto | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
SON EN BREUGEL, THE NETHERLANDS – In 1999, while seeking a graduate project idea at the Design Academy of Eindhoven, Cindy van den Bremen found a problem-solving opportunity.

The Dutch Commission of Equal Treatment had recently ruled that high schools could prohibit Muslim girls from wearing head coverings in gym class. Girls were advised to wear turtlenecks teamed with swim caps. But some were ignoring the sartorial advice, preferring instead to skip gym all together.
At about that time, the Dutch were beginning to become disillusioned with multiculturalism – a trend that was to intensify in the next few years with the death of maverick anti-immigrant politician Pim Fortuyn and the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by a radical Dutch Islamist.

For Ms. van den Bremen, the phys-ed class controversy offered a means to marry her political sense of injustice with her professional expertise. “I realized that if the hijabs did not look traditional, but hip and trendy, they could possibly change prejudice into some sort of admiration,” says the young Dutch designer.

Within months, the “capster” was born, and quickly blossomed into a business. In four styles designed for tennis, skating, aerobics, and outdoor sports, van den Bremen’s head coverings were sleek, safe, and – in the words of a local Islamic cleric – “Islamically correct.”
(more…)

1 comment.

Gulf Times – Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper – Qatar

Posted on April 20th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

Gulf Times – Qatar’s top-selling English daily newspaper – Qatar
Fatwa ‘gives green light’ to boy-girl chat on Net
Published: Monday, 17 April, 2006, 11:39 AM Doha Time
Staff Reporter
IF the intentions are genuine and transparency is maintained in the interaction, it is permissible for a Muslim youth to chat with a girl of marriageable age on the Internet and ultimately get married with the approval and blessings of their respective guardians, says a fatwa published on the Islam Online website of the Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) and Religious Affairs.
A local Arabic daily, quoting the fatwa, says that although Internet chatting seems to be innocuous and above reproach, one cannot rule out mischief and malintentions. Hence the youth are advised not to resort to such means to select their life partners. They would be better advised to go by the age-old practice of match-making through the word of mouth, especially by elders in the family.

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Protected: de Volkskrant – Strijd over Deense omroepster met hoofddoek

Posted on April 15th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Multiculti Issues.

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C L O S E R – ‘feisty, gutsy Muslim women’

Posted on April 6th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

A lot has been said about Wafa Sultan’s (an Arab-American psychologist from Los Angeles) appearance on Al Jazeera. On MEMRI TV you can find excerpts from her clash with Ibrahim Al-Khouli:

Wafa Sultan:

The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete.

[…]

Host: I understand from your words that what is happening today is a clash between the culture of the West, and the backwardness and ignorance of the Muslims?

Wafa Sultan: Yes, that is what I mean.

[…]

Host: Who came up with the concept of a clash of civilizations? Was it not Samuel Huntington? It was not Bin Laden. I would like to discuss this issue, if you don’t mind…

Wafa Sultan: The Muslims are the ones who began using this expression. The Muslims are the ones who began the clash of civilizations. The Prophet of Islam said: “I was ordered to fight the people until they believe in Allah and His Messenger.” When the Muslims divided the people into Muslims and non-Muslims, and called to fight the others until they believe in what they themselves believe, they started this clash, and began this war. In order to stop this war, they must reexamine their Islamic books and curricula, which are full of calls for takfir and fighting the infidels.

My colleague has said that he never offends other people’s beliefs. What civilization on the face of this earth allows him to call other people by names that they did not choose for themselves? Once, he calls them Ahl Al-Dhimma, another time he calls them the “People of the Book,” and yet another time he compares them to apes and pigs, or he calls the Christians “those who incur Allah’s wrath.” Who told you that they are “People of the Book”? They are not the People of the Book, they are people of many books. All the useful scientific books that you have today are theirs, the fruit of their free and creative thinking. What gives you the right to call them “those who incur Allah’s wrath,” or “those who have gone astray,” and then come here and say that your religion commands you to refrain from offending the beliefs of others?

I am not a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being. I do not believe in the supernatural, but I respect others’ right to believe in it.

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: Are you a heretic?

Wafa Sultan: You can say whatever you like. I am a secular human being who does not believe in the supernatural…

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: If you are a heretic, there is no point in rebuking you, since you have blasphemed against Islam, the Prophet, and the Koran…

Wafa Sultan: These are personal matters that do not concern you.

[…]

Wafa Sultan: Brother, you can believe in stones, as long as you don’t throw them at me. You are free to worship whoever you want, but other people’s beliefs are not your concern, whether they believe that the Messiah is God, son of Mary, or that Satan is God, son of Mary. Let people have their beliefs.

[…]

Wafa Sultan: The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror, with their work, not their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. 15 million people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims have turned three Buddha statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a Mosque, kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them.

On the Net many people searching for ways to degrade Muslims/Islam have used it and also on islamist websites it is covered. I haven’t much to add to their arguments, but I found a particular reaction from Zuriani ‘Ani’ Zonneveld on MuslimsWakeUp! much more interesting.

When Dr. Wafa Sultan demanded respect from a Muslim cleric after being called a heretic, I cheered her on. When she criticized the Muslims who react violently in typical knee-jerk fashion, I was smiling with glee. And she nailed it when she said Muslims should learn from the example of the Jewish community who command world respect with their accomplishments despite decades of anti-Semitism and the decimation of the Holocaust. How could anyone disagree with that?

But when Dr. Sultan is quoted in a recent interview as saying Islam is beyond repair, riddled with teachings that exhort Muslims to kill non-Muslims, subjugate women, and disregard human rights; when she says “I don’t believe you can reform Islam,” and that the only reason the vast majority of the world’s Muslim population is peaceful is because they can’t read Arabic and don’t know what the Quran teaches, that’s when I stop cheering.

I’m a practicing Muslim. I’m peaceful. I don’t have any intention of killing off non-Muslims, and I don’t believe my religion asks me to.

In fact, Islam teaches me to value every life, and that murder – of Muslims or of non-Muslims – is wrong. And there are about 1.2 billion of us who agree with me.

What is it with people? Why can’t so-called intelligent people make the distinction between theology and human nature? Muslims throughout the world read the Quran and find a message of peace, of social justice, and of compassion and care for all people. They are inspired by verses regarding the equality of all human beings, and particularly the equality of men and women, to eradicate misogynist, racist, and classist discrimination. Is it Islam’s fault that human beings are cruel, sexist, or violent, or is it the fault of human beings, who all too often ignore the teachings of their religion?

Dr. Sultan says, “Islamic scriptures are riddled with violence, misogyny and other extremist ideas.” When she quotes snippets of Quranic verses dealing with warfare out of context and in isolation, then she is doing exactly what the militants who use the very same snippets to justify their actions do – distorting the message of the Quran. How is that going to reform anyone’s mind?

There are so many Muslims in America challenging unjust cultural traditions, confronting the established American Muslim institutions in religious practice, and calling for a humane implementation of Islam. The Progressive Muslim Union is one such organized entity. It is considered a pariah by some Muslim organizations because of its insistence that a woman’s spirituality is equal to that of a man, its advocacy for the human and civil rights for all, its unwavering commitment to the separation of church and state, and its promotion of freedom of conscience and religious practice.

Why are these progressive Muslims not on the front pages of American newspapers and news channels? Why aren’t non-Muslim organizations throwing money at progressive groups if change within Islam is what they claim to be advocating? What is it about Dr. Wafa Sultan that so intrigues the American media? Is it because she is an ex-Muslim “tattle-taleing” on her “people?” Is it because she has rejected a religion which many in this country have branded as “the enemy?” Or is it simply because she’s a feisty, gutsy, woman? If it’s the latter, I can introduce you to many feisty, gutsy Muslim women who believe that reform is best achieved from within. We’re not that boring you know!

Zuriani ‘Ani’ Zonneveld is Executive Director of the Progressive Muslim Union of North America (PMU).

Her last name sounds ‘Dutch’ but I do not know if that is actually the case.

1 comment.

C L O S E R – 'feisty, gutsy Muslim women'

Posted on April 6th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

A lot has been said about Wafa Sultan’s (an Arab-American psychologist from Los Angeles) appearance on Al Jazeera. On MEMRI TV you can find excerpts from her clash with Ibrahim Al-Khouli:

Wafa Sultan:

The clash we are witnessing around the world is not a clash of religions, or a clash of civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites, between two eras. It is a clash between a mentality that belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality that belongs to the 21st century. It is a clash between civilization and backwardness, between the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and oppression, between democracy and dictatorship. It is a clash between human rights, on the one hand, and the violation of these rights, on other hand. It is a clash between those who treat women like beasts, and those who treat them like human beings. What we see today is not a clash of civilizations. Civilizations do not clash, but compete.

[…]

Host: I understand from your words that what is happening today is a clash between the culture of the West, and the backwardness and ignorance of the Muslims?

Wafa Sultan: Yes, that is what I mean.

[…]

Host: Who came up with the concept of a clash of civilizations? Was it not Samuel Huntington? It was not Bin Laden. I would like to discuss this issue, if you don’t mind…

Wafa Sultan: The Muslims are the ones who began using this expression. The Muslims are the ones who began the clash of civilizations. The Prophet of Islam said: “I was ordered to fight the people until they believe in Allah and His Messenger.” When the Muslims divided the people into Muslims and non-Muslims, and called to fight the others until they believe in what they themselves believe, they started this clash, and began this war. In order to stop this war, they must reexamine their Islamic books and curricula, which are full of calls for takfir and fighting the infidels.

My colleague has said that he never offends other people’s beliefs. What civilization on the face of this earth allows him to call other people by names that they did not choose for themselves? Once, he calls them Ahl Al-Dhimma, another time he calls them the “People of the Book,” and yet another time he compares them to apes and pigs, or he calls the Christians “those who incur Allah’s wrath.” Who told you that they are “People of the Book”? They are not the People of the Book, they are people of many books. All the useful scientific books that you have today are theirs, the fruit of their free and creative thinking. What gives you the right to call them “those who incur Allah’s wrath,” or “those who have gone astray,” and then come here and say that your religion commands you to refrain from offending the beliefs of others?

I am not a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew. I am a secular human being. I do not believe in the supernatural, but I respect others’ right to believe in it.

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: Are you a heretic?

Wafa Sultan: You can say whatever you like. I am a secular human being who does not believe in the supernatural…

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khouli: If you are a heretic, there is no point in rebuking you, since you have blasphemed against Islam, the Prophet, and the Koran…

Wafa Sultan: These are personal matters that do not concern you.

[…]

Wafa Sultan: Brother, you can believe in stones, as long as you don’t throw them at me. You are free to worship whoever you want, but other people’s beliefs are not your concern, whether they believe that the Messiah is God, son of Mary, or that Satan is God, son of Mary. Let people have their beliefs.

[…]

Wafa Sultan: The Jews have come from the tragedy (of the Holocaust), and forced the world to respect them, with their knowledge, not with their terror, with their work, not their crying and yelling. Humanity owes most of the discoveries and science of the 19th and 20th centuries to Jewish scientists. 15 million people, scattered throughout the world, united and won their rights through work and knowledge. We have not seen a single Jew blow himself up in a German restaurant. We have not seen a single Jew destroy a church. We have not seen a single Jew protest by killing people. The Muslims have turned three Buddha statues into rubble. We have not seen a single Buddhist burn down a Mosque, kill a Muslim, or burn down an embassy. Only the Muslims defend their beliefs by burning down churches, killing people, and destroying embassies. This path will not yield any results. The Muslims must ask themselves what they can do for humankind, before they demand that humankind respect them.

On the Net many people searching for ways to degrade Muslims/Islam have used it and also on islamist websites it is covered. I haven’t much to add to their arguments, but I found a particular reaction from Zuriani ‘Ani’ Zonneveld on MuslimsWakeUp! much more interesting.

When Dr. Wafa Sultan demanded respect from a Muslim cleric after being called a heretic, I cheered her on. When she criticized the Muslims who react violently in typical knee-jerk fashion, I was smiling with glee. And she nailed it when she said Muslims should learn from the example of the Jewish community who command world respect with their accomplishments despite decades of anti-Semitism and the decimation of the Holocaust. How could anyone disagree with that?

But when Dr. Sultan is quoted in a recent interview as saying Islam is beyond repair, riddled with teachings that exhort Muslims to kill non-Muslims, subjugate women, and disregard human rights; when she says “I don’t believe you can reform Islam,” and that the only reason the vast majority of the world’s Muslim population is peaceful is because they can’t read Arabic and don’t know what the Quran teaches, that’s when I stop cheering.

I’m a practicing Muslim. I’m peaceful. I don’t have any intention of killing off non-Muslims, and I don’t believe my religion asks me to.

In fact, Islam teaches me to value every life, and that murder – of Muslims or of non-Muslims – is wrong. And there are about 1.2 billion of us who agree with me.

What is it with people? Why can’t so-called intelligent people make the distinction between theology and human nature? Muslims throughout the world read the Quran and find a message of peace, of social justice, and of compassion and care for all people. They are inspired by verses regarding the equality of all human beings, and particularly the equality of men and women, to eradicate misogynist, racist, and classist discrimination. Is it Islam’s fault that human beings are cruel, sexist, or violent, or is it the fault of human beings, who all too often ignore the teachings of their religion?

Dr. Sultan says, “Islamic scriptures are riddled with violence, misogyny and other extremist ideas.” When she quotes snippets of Quranic verses dealing with warfare out of context and in isolation, then she is doing exactly what the militants who use the very same snippets to justify their actions do – distorting the message of the Quran. How is that going to reform anyone’s mind?

There are so many Muslims in America challenging unjust cultural traditions, confronting the established American Muslim institutions in religious practice, and calling for a humane implementation of Islam. The Progressive Muslim Union is one such organized entity. It is considered a pariah by some Muslim organizations because of its insistence that a woman’s spirituality is equal to that of a man, its advocacy for the human and civil rights for all, its unwavering commitment to the separation of church and state, and its promotion of freedom of conscience and religious practice.

Why are these progressive Muslims not on the front pages of American newspapers and news channels? Why aren’t non-Muslim organizations throwing money at progressive groups if change within Islam is what they claim to be advocating? What is it about Dr. Wafa Sultan that so intrigues the American media? Is it because she is an ex-Muslim “tattle-taleing” on her “people?” Is it because she has rejected a religion which many in this country have branded as “the enemy?” Or is it simply because she’s a feisty, gutsy, woman? If it’s the latter, I can introduce you to many feisty, gutsy Muslim women who believe that reform is best achieved from within. We’re not that boring you know!

Zuriani ‘Ani’ Zonneveld is Executive Director of the Progressive Muslim Union of North America (PMU).

Her last name sounds ‘Dutch’ but I do not know if that is actually the case.

1 comment.

Protected: NRC – Waarom moslimmeisjes graag een man zoeken via internet (voorlopig ontoegankelijk want geen rechten om het te plaatsen)

Posted on March 25th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| overigeartikelen – Gesluierde vrouwen / Waarom Nadia de nikaab afdeed

Posted on March 18th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Young Muslims.

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Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| overigeartikelen – Gesluierde vrouwen / Waarom Nadia de nikaab afdeed

Posted on March 18th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues, Young Muslims.

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Het Amsterdams Historisch Museum – Mijn hoofddoek

Posted on February 16th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

Mijn hoofddoek

16-02-2006 tot en met 14-05-2006
16 Feb – 14 May 2006
The Amsterdam Historical Museum has collected stories, comments and a large number of headscarves, which Muslim women and girls have personally lent the museum, for the My Headscarf presentation. The presentation includes film portraits of young Muslim women, who talk about their experience of wearing a headscarf. For one headscarf is not the same as another. You can also see many different beautiful photo portraits of women wearing a headscarf, some made by the Amsterdam photographer Gon Buurman.

Muslim women in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is a city with a huge diversity of cultures. This is most apparent on the street. The headscarf increasingly features in the street scene. Women and girls wear headscarves as a symbol of their Islamic convictions. Individual Muslims experiment a lot with the headscarf, choosing all kinds of colours and shapes especially for when they’re out on the street, at work, in the sport school and so on.

Questions
What does wearing a headscarf actually mean, why does someone choose to wear a headscarf, where do you buy them, how many have you got, how do you tie a headscarf, what must you be careful about when putting on a headscarf, when did you first wear one and have you still got it, does your headscarf go with the clothes you wear? All these questions were put to Amsterdam Muslim women and girls on the street, at the university, in shops and other places. Their answers give an impression of the relationship young women in Amsterdam have with their headscarves.

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Protected: Reformatorisch Dagblad – „Hoofddoekje reden voor afwijzing baan”

Posted on January 28th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

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BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Dutch MPs to decide on burqa ban

Posted on January 16th, 2006 by .
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Dutch MPs to decide on burqa ban

By Mark Mardell

The Dutch government will announce over the next few weeks whether it will make it a crime to wear traditional Islamic dress which covers the face apart from the eyes.

The Dutch parliament has already voted in favour of a proposal to ban the burqa outside the home, and some in the government have thrown their weight behind it.

There are only about 50 women in all of the Netherlands who do cover up entirely – but soon they could be breaking the law.

Dutch MP Geert Wilders is the man who first suggested the idea of a ban.

“It’s a medieval symbol, a symbol against women,” he says.

“We don’t want women to be ashamed to show who they are. Even if you have decided yourself to do that, you should not do it in Holland, because we want you to be integrated, assimilated into Dutch society. If people cannot see who you are, or see one inch of your body or your face, I believe this is not the way to integrate into our society.”

‘Identifiable’

I interviewed Mr Wilders inside parliament after several security checks. Two tough bodyguards stood close by throughout. This country, once the epitome of easy-going liberalism, is edgier, less tolerant these days.

Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh
Theo Van Gogh was a well-known critic of fundamentalist Islam
Mr Wilders’ name was included on a list of “infidels, who deserved to be slaughtered”, which was found pinned to the body of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh.

Van Gogh was murdered two years ago for making the film about women and Islam called “Submission”. It starts with a shot of a woman’s face covered by a burqa. Slowly the camera shows that, from the neck downwards, she’s naked but for a thin veil.

Mr Wilders has explicitly linked his wish for a burqa ban with terrorism.

“We have problems with a growing minority of Muslims who tend to have sympathy with the Islamo-fascistic concept of radical Islam,” says Mr Wilders.

“That’s also a reason why everybody should be identifiable when they walk on the street or go to a pub or go into a restaurant or whatsoever.”

‘Freedom of choice’

Famala Aslam is a Muslim lawyer who has represented women who have stopped wearing the burqa while training as child-care assistants. She would not cover her face herself, but does wear a traditional dress and headscarf from eastern Turkey.

She showed me how that can be adapted.

Banning or isolating a certain group of the population is just asking for problems
Famala Aslam, Muslim lawyer
“Other women are stricter; and they hide the face – you can only see the eyes,” she says. “And other women choose to wear the niqab, and they veil the face totally.”

I asked her what she would say to people who would say: “If you want to fit into the West, live here, wear a business suit; wear jeans – don’t wear what you’re wearing. Don’t wear a niqab.”

Ms Aslam says she believes that the freedom of choice and the freedom of religion is something that people need to fight for.

In the city of Maaseik, in Belgium – which lies a few hundred yards from the Dutch border – a ban on wearing the niqab is already in place. Mayor Jan Creemers said he brought it forward because old people were afraid and children cried when women started appearing in long black robes with their faces covered.

Belgium ban

Women can now be fined 150 euros (£102) if they are found to be wearing the niqab.

“There were six ladies who wore the niqab. I think two or three weeks after the council passed this law, five have dropped it,” says Mr Creemers. “One lady is still wearing it but the last step in the procedure will be that she must go to jail.”

The husband of the woman who defies the ban is being held in connection with the Madrid bombings. But the police here are not too happy with the ban. They say it has made relations with the Moroccan community worse and gives young people a reason to resent society.

Ms Aslam says if the ban becomes law in the Netherlands, some women will adopt the veil as a political statement.

“A lot of women are not fully feeling like Muslims,” she says. “But because of the public opinion, they are feeling like: ‘I have to be a Muslim’. And banning or isolating a certain group of the population is just asking for problems.”

The Dutch government will soon decide whether to ban the burqa. Perhaps it will not become illegal in this marketplace or in the street. But they are likely to ban it in public places like stations, airports and cinemas – something many Muslims will regard as provocation in a Europe increasingly uncertain of its own identity.

My comment: They problably mean Fadime Arslan instead of Famala Aslam.

0 comments.

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Dutch MPs to decide on burqa ban

Posted on January 16th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Dutch MPs to decide on burqa ban

By Mark Mardell

The Dutch government will announce over the next few weeks whether it will make it a crime to wear traditional Islamic dress which covers the face apart from the eyes.

The Dutch parliament has already voted in favour of a proposal to ban the burqa outside the home, and some in the government have thrown their weight behind it.

There are only about 50 women in all of the Netherlands who do cover up entirely – but soon they could be breaking the law.

Dutch MP Geert Wilders is the man who first suggested the idea of a ban.

“It’s a medieval symbol, a symbol against women,” he says.

“We don’t want women to be ashamed to show who they are. Even if you have decided yourself to do that, you should not do it in Holland, because we want you to be integrated, assimilated into Dutch society. If people cannot see who you are, or see one inch of your body or your face, I believe this is not the way to integrate into our society.”

‘Identifiable’

I interviewed Mr Wilders inside parliament after several security checks. Two tough bodyguards stood close by throughout. This country, once the epitome of easy-going liberalism, is edgier, less tolerant these days.

Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh
Theo Van Gogh was a well-known critic of fundamentalist Islam
Mr Wilders’ name was included on a list of “infidels, who deserved to be slaughtered”, which was found pinned to the body of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh.

Van Gogh was murdered two years ago for making the film about women and Islam called “Submission”. It starts with a shot of a woman’s face covered by a burqa. Slowly the camera shows that, from the neck downwards, she’s naked but for a thin veil.

Mr Wilders has explicitly linked his wish for a burqa ban with terrorism.

“We have problems with a growing minority of Muslims who tend to have sympathy with the Islamo-fascistic concept of radical Islam,” says Mr Wilders.

“That’s also a reason why everybody should be identifiable when they walk on the street or go to a pub or go into a restaurant or whatsoever.”

‘Freedom of choice’

Famala Aslam is a Muslim lawyer who has represented women who have stopped wearing the burqa while training as child-care assistants. She would not cover her face herself, but does wear a traditional dress and headscarf from eastern Turkey.

She showed me how that can be adapted.

Banning or isolating a certain group of the population is just asking for problems
Famala Aslam, Muslim lawyer
“Other women are stricter; and they hide the face – you can only see the eyes,” she says. “And other women choose to wear the niqab, and they veil the face totally.”

I asked her what she would say to people who would say: “If you want to fit into the West, live here, wear a business suit; wear jeans – don’t wear what you’re wearing. Don’t wear a niqab.”

Ms Aslam says she believes that the freedom of choice and the freedom of religion is something that people need to fight for.

In the city of Maaseik, in Belgium – which lies a few hundred yards from the Dutch border – a ban on wearing the niqab is already in place. Mayor Jan Creemers said he brought it forward because old people were afraid and children cried when women started appearing in long black robes with their faces covered.

Belgium ban

Women can now be fined 150 euros (£102) if they are found to be wearing the niqab.

“There were six ladies who wore the niqab. I think two or three weeks after the council passed this law, five have dropped it,” says Mr Creemers. “One lady is still wearing it but the last step in the procedure will be that she must go to jail.”

The husband of the woman who defies the ban is being held in connection with the Madrid bombings. But the police here are not too happy with the ban. They say it has made relations with the Moroccan community worse and gives young people a reason to resent society.

Ms Aslam says if the ban becomes law in the Netherlands, some women will adopt the veil as a political statement.

“A lot of women are not fully feeling like Muslims,” she says. “But because of the public opinion, they are feeling like: ‘I have to be a Muslim’. And banning or isolating a certain group of the population is just asking for problems.”

The Dutch government will soon decide whether to ban the burqa. Perhaps it will not become illegal in this marketplace or in the street. But they are likely to ban it in public places like stations, airports and cinemas – something many Muslims will regard as provocation in a Europe increasingly uncertain of its own identity.

My comment: They problably mean Fadime Arslan instead of Famala Aslam.

0 comments.

Protected: Trouw, deVerdieping| podium – Moslimbroeder, wees goed voor uw vrouw

Posted on January 14th, 2006 by martijn.
Categories: Gender, Kinship & Marriage Issues.

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