Articles, Comments

Women's Paradise

by Abul Kasem

In recent times many Islamists in NFB extolling how good Islam  is for women have written plenty of essays. They will spare no pain to tell women how kind, just, progressive, non-discriminatory and fair Islam is towards women. They have invented these essays after they were shamed by a few essays on the pathetic treatment of women in the Quran and the Hadith. After reading these essays of the Islamists, any woman will wonder where can they find such paradises for themselves. The Islamists will never tell them where these paradises are or if any such paradise exists  at all or not. To give credibility to the messages written by these Islamists towards our mothers, sisters, and wives, we need an absolute proof of where can we find such Islamic treatment for our women. So let us have a look at the conditions of women in one of the Islamic paradises, Iran. 

In this paradise (Jannat) the women have been awarded with the following 'nek' from Allah: (please refer http://www.homa.org/wings/irisituation.html for more details) 

1. Hijab has been forced on every woman whether she likes it or not. Wearing no hijab may invite severe punishment. And what that punishment can be? Let us hear from the mouth of Prosecutor-General, Abolfazl Musavi-Tabrizi. "Any one who rejects the principle of hijab in Iran is an apostate and the punishment for an apostate under Islamic law is death" (August, 15, 1991) 

2. Women are baby-growing fields. Unbelievable isn't it. Let us hear from Ayatollah Mutahari. He said, "The specific task of women in this society is to marry and bear children".

3. Women are banned from studies such as Engineering, Agriculture, Archaeology, Restoration of historic monuments, handicrafts and many other fields.            1 

4. Provisional marriage is lawful. A man may have four "permanent wives" and as many "provisional wives" as he likes.

5. The marriage age for the girls was reduced to 13 and then further reduced to 9 years. This is in keeping with the tradition of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who at the age of 51 married a 6 years old child (Ayesha) and had sex with her when she became 9.   

6. Iranian women cannot marry foreigners without the written permission from the Ministry of Interior.

7. Divorce is an indisputable right of men and a woman can be divorced without any prior consultation. 

8. A married woman cannot travel, work, join organization, go to college or visit her friends and relatives without husband's permission.

9. Married women cannot travel overseas without a written permission from their husbands. This written permission must be presented to the authorities. The authorities are also considering banning all women from traveling overseas for higher study. 

10.  A husband can inflict any physical violence or any other form of torture on a woman. You say 'this is absolutely cruel and unacceptable in Islam'. Let us hear from an Islamic scholar on this matter. Hojatoleslam Imani, a top religious leader says, "A married woman should endure any violence or torture imposed on her by her husband for she is fully at his disposal. Without his permission she may not leave her house even for a good action (such as charitable work). Otherwise her prayers and devotions will not be accepted by God and curses of heaven and earth will fall upon her." 

11.  Women are stoned to death if their husbands charge them for adultery. A woman was stoned to death even when no man was found to have committed adultery with her. A Mullah took only sixty seconds to arrive at the decision and she was stoned the next day. Before stoning her to death the mullahs shaved her head and she was buried in mud up to her shoulder. Her husband and her two small children witnessed this 'rahmat' of Allah. 

12.  Women political prisoners are treated as war criminals. So, they are captives (right hand's possession). Therefore, their guards can do whatever they like. Their captors regularly and systematically rape them (the women prisoners). 

13.  Virgin girls who are sentenced to death are not executed till their captors had sex with them and rendered them un-virgin. Since virgin girls go to heaven when they die, the Mullahs want to make sure that these girls can never enter paradise after they are executed. It is alleged that this type of sexual intercourse with virgin girl prisoners takes place on a daily basis.

14.  A report by the Organization of Women against execution in Iran gives the following data for the period from 1981 to 1990.

1428 women executed

187 were under the age 18

9 girls under the age 13

The youngest girl executed was 10 years

The oldest woman executed was 70 years.

You say that these are not 'real Islam' and the Islamic writers at NFB are dying to assert that those actions by the Mullahs of Iran are distorted images of Islam. To find the truth we just need to look at the Holy Scriptures to see if these Mullahs in Iran are right or wrong in the interpretation of the Allah's laws.

Sura al-Baqarah 2:223 Your women are a tilth for you (to cultivate) so go to your tilth as ye will, and send (good deeds) before you for your souls, and fear Allah, and know that ye will (one day) meet Him. Give glad tidings to believers, (O Muhammad)

The translation is by Pickthall. This sura clearly says what a woman is all about. Yes, she is nothing but a paddy field to grow paddy. In case you may think that this translation is not reliable, let us look at the translation by Yusufali: 

Your wives are as a tilth unto you, so approach your tilth when or how ye will; but do some good act for your souls beforehand; and fear God. And know that ye are to meet Him (in the Hereafter), and give (these) good tidings to those who believe. 

Are the Iranian Mullahs wrong in treating women as paddy fields? I invite any Islamic writers in NFB to prove that what these people (the Iranian Mullahs) do to the women is against the Quran. 

What goes on a child's mind when he/she watches his/her beloved mother is beaten mercilessly by the child's own father? The experience is extremely disturbing. But what is more disturbing is that when he grows up and finds that what his/her father did to his/her dearest mum was really inspired by the Quran.  

Sura an-Nisa' 4:34 ...As to those women On whose part ye fear Disloyalty and ill-conduct Admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); But if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For God is Most High, Great (above you all).

In the translation of the above verse the word 'lightly' was added by the translator Yusufali. The original verse does not contain any such (lightly) word. Yusufali was so embarrassed that he added 'lightly' to make the verse more civilized.  

In the above verse Islam has sealed the fate of women. They are an object to be used as desired and if necessary should be subjected to corporal punishment if she refuses any whim and fancy of her owner. She has very little chance to escape from the tyranny of a religious bigot and a cruel person. And what happens to the tyrant and the perpetrator who inflicts physical punishment to her? The Quran is absolutely silent on this matter. I ask any Islamic writer to prove that what the Iranian Mullah said about the physical torture of women by men (in item 10) above is against Islamic rule. 

In a civilized society any physical/mental abuse of a spouse or a child is a criminal offense. The culprit is arrested by police and tried in a court of law and punished accordingly. In Australia, where I live, wife beating (rather spouse beating) and child abuses are serious criminal offenses and the Govt. Authorities waste no time in removing to a safe place the victims from the abusive spouse. The whereabouts of the victims remain a top secret till the matter is settled by the court. This is the secular law. The Quran or any other religious scripture does not inspire this law. If we go by the Quran, this law to protect women and children from abusive spouse is surely not Islamic.  

Having sexual intercourse with captives is halal. You say this is absolutely un-Islamic. Let us search the Quran. 

Sura an-Nisa 4:24 And all married women (are forbidden unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hand possess. ...(Translation by Pickthall)

Also (prohibited are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess: ....(Translation by Yusuf Ali) 

You say in modern world there are no such things as the possession of the right hands. Think again. Quran is eternal. The world may change but Quran cannot change. The Iranian Mullahs understand Quran much, much better than you and me. Is not any woman that opposes any Islamic ruling (read Allah's law) is waging a war against Allah? Are not the Mullahs fighting the enemies of Allah? So, when they defeat the enemy (captured rebel woman) she becomes the possession of the right hands (captives) of them. And Allah has permitted them to have sexual intercourse with these captive women.

Menstruation is an illness (disease) 

Sura al-Baqarah 2:222 They question thee (O Muhammad) concerning menstruation. Say it is an illness, so let women alone at such times and go not in unto them till they are cleansed. (Translation by Pickthall)

They ask thee concerning women's courses. Say: They are a hurt and a pollution: So keep away from women in their courses and do not approach them until they are clean. (Translation by Yusufali) 

This verse is not only completely unscientific; but also a gross insult to all women of the world. How do the millions of working women feel when they see this divine message! There can be no message more misogyny than this verse from the Quran. This verse literally means that all our mothers, sisters and wives suffer from permanent disease. A corollary of this verse will be that when a woman reaches menopause (that is her menstruation ceases) she becomes disease free! Since a woman reaches her menopause between 55 to 60 years of age, doesn't this mean that when a woman reaches her old age she is cured of her permanent illness that afflicted her when she reached her puberty. What a great logic!! 

We can go on citing verses after verses from the Holy Scriptures to illustrate how anti- feminine and how hostile Islam is towards all women. What we observe being done to the women of Iran and Afghanistan shocks every civilized person Muslim, non-Muslim alike. Islmists not living in these countries have very little idea of what 'real Islam' is doing to every sister, mother and wife of the men in  these paradises. Most of the Islamists living in the West have a very utopian idea of the treatment of women according to the Islamic rules. What we are witnessing in these Islamic paradises is the practical application of the Quran and Hadith. Can any western Islamist (new Mullah) prove that what their compatriots at these Islamic heavens doing are anti-Quran and anti-Hadith?  

The ominous message sent by the Mullahs of this Islamic Jannat is very plain and straight. Any woman who still thinks that Islam affords her the freedom, liberty, equality, justice, her mental and physical well being is simply fooling herself. She is simply surrendering herself to a pack of wolves and the only destination these wolves will send her is to hell. That is for sure. The sad thing is that the hell that these Mullahs will send her will be in this world. She does not have to die to go there. She has to endure the suffering of hell-fire after the Mullahs have stripped her of her human dignity and reduced her to nothing but a piece of meat then to a piece of fertile crop field and eventually to a hapless destitute. 

Even the prophet said that majority of women will be in hell.  

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: The Prophet said " I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful" (Sahih Bukhari 1:28) 

This is what is reserved for women by Allah!