refuting misconceptions:1-women in Islam

[Caecilian]

Actually, there are at least parts of the koran the have been dated to the late seventh century- the Sana'a_manuscripts. Unfortunately for orthodox islam, they aren't identical to the relevant passages of the accepted 'modern' version of the text. What a surprise!

Gerd Puin, a German academic who has been investigating the Sana'a manuscripts for years, has the following to say about the koran:

My idea is that the Koran is a kind of cocktail of texts that were not all understood even at the time of Muhammad. Many of them may even be a hundred years older than Islam itself. Even within the Islamic traditions there is a huge body of contradictory information, including a significant Christian substrate; one can derive a whole Islamic anti-history from them if one wants.

Source: excellent Atlantic Monthly article on the koran.

However, even if the koran was a single, unified text with a traceable history (and lets be clear: it isn't), it would still be open to multiple interpretations. Mo3 seems to think that islam and the koran can somehow be seperated out from the rest of culture; that a 'pure' interpretation of the koran is somehow possible. This is a nonsense, an illusion, self-deception. Religion is part of culture; the koran always has been, and can only be, interpreted through a cultural lens.

This leads me back to an earlier point. What really matters is what muslims do in the name of their religion. Female genital mutilation, for example, is a pre-islamic practice that is not discussed in the koran. But it has been, and sometimes still is justified in religious terms. I've posted this before, its written by the president of the International Association of Muslim Scholars:

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Wa`alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.



All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear sister, we are very pleased for the great confidence you repose in us and we really commend your apparent interest in having a better understanding of the teachings of Islam and the rulings of this great religion in all matters. In fact, Islam is a religion that encompasses all aspects of life and secures guidance and light for all mankind.

Before delving deep into the question of female circumcision, we would like to make it clear that "female circumcision" means removing the prepuce of the clitoris, not the clitoris itself.

As for the Shari`ah stance on female circumcision, it’s a controversial issue among the Muslim scholars and even doctors.

In response to the question, the eminent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states:

Actually, this is a controversial issue among jurists and even among doctors. It has sparked off fierce debate in Egypt whereby scholars and doctors are split into proponents and opponents.

However, the most moderate opinion and the most likely one to be correct is in favor of practicing circumcision in the moderate Islamic way indicated in some of the Prophet's hadiths – even though such hadiths are not confirmed to be authentic. It is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to a midwife: "Reduce the size of the clitoris but do not exceed the limit, for that is better for her health and is preferred by husbands". The hadith indicates that circumcision is better for a woman's health and it enhances her conjugal relation with her husband. It’s noteworthy that the Prophet's saying "do not exceed the limit" means do not totally remove the clitoris.

Actually, Muslim countries differ over the issue of female circumcision; some countries sanction it whereas others do not. Anyhow, it is not obligatory, whoever finds it serving the interest of his daughters should do it, and I personally support this under the current circumstances in the modern world. But whoever chooses not to do it is not considered to have committed a sin for it is mainly meant to dignify women as held by scholars.

As for male circumcision, it is one of the obligatory practices in Islam. Scholars even hold that whoever finds that some Muslims have stopped practicing male circumcision should force them to revert to this Sunnah that characterizes the Muslim nation.



Read more: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satel...z0pboBkshW

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Child marriage/ rape has a much clearer islamic connection. Iirc, mohammed married aisha when she was 6 or 7, and started raping her when she was 9 or 10. Isn't that right, mo3?