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An alternative to Islamaphobia

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ruby27 | 18:13 Sat 03rd May 2008 | Religion & Spirituality
25 Answers
Recently there have been a spate of posts that have attacked Islam using some barbaric cultural behaviours (honour sic, killings), to try and evidence the belief that Islam supports violence towards women . The (debate or diatribe) has seemed a bit one sided.

So this may be of interest

"Burkas. Veils. Stoning. Powerlessness. Weeping mothers of children killed in sectarian violence. These are the images prominent in the U.S. media and that of other Western nations when it comes to Muslim women in the Arab region. In an eight-part series of stories about women and Islam, correspondents in the United States and in the broader Muslim world will report on the strategies adopted by Muslim women to respect their faith and culture, while insisting on the right to participate fully in their societies, to be heard not as Western-style feminists but as women of faith who are equal"

I am still not convinced about the value of any religion, but many of those I love and respect do, but then some of them also think football is important.
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http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=341 2

meant to post the link. Found this through my reading on a well respected British feminist site, so suspect that the site is legit news site rather than some secret extremist site masquerading
I read the links and kept reading and reading with a mixture of interest, hopelessness and relief . (That I was born here!!)
It would seem that the women of Saudi are making snail like progress but definitely progress in trying to bring about changes in the regime but it will take a long, long time. I am now going to watch Dr Who (recorded) and then reflect on the plight of these women and the horror of it all.
What's the question?
ruby (but then some of them also think football is important. ) stick with the football ones unless they are man city fans as sven's going
Whats the point?
A phobia is an irrational fear. The fear of Islam is not irrational. Sick faith, sick culture.
Beso "Solomon was an idiot" it was Solomon's ability to give succinct answers without polarising the litigators that made him a man of history and that's why we are just passing through.
I dislike the veil etc. but people forget a little over 60 years ago the "enlightened West" was at war , murdering homosexuals, the handicapped, and people of faith (not just Jews)etc. none of them were Muslims. And with the tiny exception of Yugoslavia Muslims did'nt participate. People forget that a little over 40 years ago black people could'nt vote in America, or rent a room in Lewisham. People forget women were very poorly treated here a little over 100 years ago, some of the "scientists" (and they were recognised as such) of the day suggested that women should never be equal as their brains are smaller. To obtain universal suffrage people went on hunger strike, were harrassed at meetings, had stones thrown at them (I think they were even burnt out of a hall once). People forget that a woman had to throw herself under a horse to demonstrate the injustice of our land.
Freedom is'nt a gift given cheaply by the powerful it has to be demanded by the oppressed, it takes time....
it takes time.... when was the last time everton won the premier league..mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Or Liverpool for that matter, next season we'll be challenging you for fourth place (again) you can't stem the blue tide of Everton we're gaining on you and gaining fast
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I failed to ask a question. Pretty basic error given this is is a Q and A site! So I apologise.

The point being I came across a site where Muslim women demonstrate that their faith has aspects to it that rarely seem to get coverage in the western press and certainly not on AB. I thought, maybe mistakenly that some other ABer's who are interested in issues of R and S may want a more rounded debate rather than just vitriol.

What to do when the friend is both a Man city supporter and a Catholic!

What to do when

Ruby who are you apologising to?
It's a great post nicely worded and with a dash humour, I say that as a man of faith and who also thinks football is important.
If you look at AnswerBank's heading it says "post questions and answers, and discuss topics of interest" this is most definitely a discussion piece with a "topic of interest" (4 answers in a little over 2 hours on a Saturday) it is entirely valid on AB and on R&S in particular.



Consider yourself told off and welcome to R&S, come back again soon we may often disagree but that's what it's here for.
P.S.
If you're reading this Octavius (as I think you're a man with Arsenal tendencies) I hope they get trounced today (Please God!!!) or at least a draw, although I'm not overly confident. Fingers crossed...
And yes the west was driven by religious belief. Among other beliefs, the superiority of the male appears repeatedly in the writings of those (men) who identify themselves as having been bestowed with superior knowledge through a direct connection with the ultimate truth, normally projected as the wisdom of a God.

Invariably they have been shown by rational thought to be wrong. Invariably, having built a power base though convincing the gullible they resort to coersion and violence as a means to enforce their "ultimate truth".

The designate their battle as a holy confilct and "with the aid of their God" they prevail and write in their history of the glory of their God. The vanquished are wiped out.

We have much to fear of religion. Right now we have most to fear of the Muslims because they have installed totalitarian cultures based on their religion and seek to dominate the planet with their "truth". Their religion teaches that their religious laws should define the lives of all.

Over history we have seen Christianity in the same mould and fought for the separation of the church and state. Now we see this also attacked by the religious right with men like George W Bush questioning the separation.

And why are these supposedly conflicting faiths so similar? Because they like their mother faith' Judeaism are based on the same philosophy of totalitarian control of thought conceived by an evil schitzophrenic called Abraham.
Like I said without polarising the litigants...
Plenty of room for consensus there, eh!?
In your brave new world.
beso
Sun 04/05/08
09:26 A phobia is an irrational fear. The fear of Islam is not irrational. Sick faith, sick culture.

Can't fault this. Well said Beso.
If you fear Islam, then the extremists have won.

Losers.
beso (the superiority of the male appears repeatedly in the writings of those (men) who identify themselves as having been bestowed with superior knowledge )
man city and everton fans have very little knowledge and small trophy rooms
That hurt that Octavius, et tu Brute'
Aw 123, you've still got 5th spot.
Almost but not quite yet.
Hello Ruby It seems to me that treatment of women in Islam differs from country to country, and from culture to culture. For example, my friend comes from Kuala Lumpar. Although she follows her religion and doesn't drink alcohol, she's a sophisticated and well-educated lady who dresses in the most wonderfully stylish western clothes. To my great chagrin, even though she holds a responsible professional position, and works hard, she looks after her husband to the 'nth' degree - and although I continually rib her about it, and we laugh a lot, in truth I attribute it to the culture in which she was raised - and so does she. She can't help herself - she's been 'programmed' that way. I have travelled fairly widely and, in my experience, women in some Muslim countries are repressed - and often dreadfully so - so we cannot regard all Islamic countries in the same way - or in some cases, consider them even vaguely similar.

Incidentally, have you read 'Brick Lane', or 'The Bookseller of Kabul'? Both well worth a look.

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