Nabî Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam would often say: “Fatima is of my flesh, he who angers her, angers me” (Bukhari & Muslim) Honor killings are an example of a practice that is commonly associated with Islam. It has broader root and has been incorporated into Islamic rules and Islamic law; Shari’a. It is based in medieval tribal culture, in which a family’s authority and ultimately its survival is tightly linked to its honor. Muslim perpetrators repeatedly justify their crime by referring to the Koran that states harsh punishments for adultery. Happy now the believers, humble is their prayers, shunning vain conversation, paying the poor -due, and who restrain their appetites except with their wives or the slaves whom their right hands possess: for in that case they shall be free from blame.”

As for those who lead a righteous life, male or female. While believing, they enter paradise; without the slightest injustice” 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)” The most despicable expression one can ever come across is that according to Hadith, women of heaven will be created in such a way that after each sexual intercourse, they will become virgin again. What a wild and naked misogyny! What an insult to women and to humans! But you didn’t want that to do that – you didn’t want to be a soft-line Muslim. You felt you had to reject it completely and became an atheist.

In opposition to above four so-called neutral verses, there are hundreds of versed that deliberately defame and dehumanize women: They will recline (with ease) on thrones arranged in ranks. And We shall marry them to Huris with wide lovely eye. There they shall pass from hand to hand a cup of wine.”

Women living under Islamic Law cannot travel, work, study, and leave their houses without their fathers or husbands’ permission. They do not have the right to choose the place of their residence. Under the terms of Koranic law, any judge fulfilling the seven requirements (that he have reached puberty, be a believer, know the Koranic laws perfectly, be just, and not be affected by amnesia, or not born illegitimate, or be of the female sex), is qualified to dispense justice in any type of cases. According to Islamic Law, woman cannot choose her mate and is not permitted to divorce him. Her husband can divorce without her knowledge, and according to Shari’a, he is required to support her for only 100 days. Polygamy Thou mayest decline for the present whom thou wilt of them, and thou mayest take to thy bed her whom thou wilt, and whomsoever thou shalt long for those thou shalt have before neglected, and this shall not be a crime in thee.” Honour Killing I love being in the United States. I should have come here to start off with. Elsewhere people talk about freedom; here you actually live it. And I love the American think-tank world – you don’t have to quote old books, you can experiment with your own thoughts. You don’t have to be a great scholar – the point is to show that you are grappling with problems and finding answers. At the American Enterprise Insititute, I can write anything – almost nothing is off-limits. Some people think my book Nomad is outrageous, but I’m just looking for answers. In the pre-Islamic era, men used to look down on women right from birth, so much that they buried their girl daughters alive out of shame for having a girl in society. When Islam came, a lot of misconceptions were straightened out. The punishment in life and the hereafter for such acts like these that scream misogyny are brutal. Women are to be honored and respected. It is not lawful for thee (to marry more) women after this, nor to change them for (other) wives, even though their beauty attract thee, except any thy right hand should possess (as handmaidens): and Allah doth watch over all things.”Here, I quote Koranic verses about Huris, virgins and the sexist nature of Islam. These are few among many in the Koran: O prophet! We allow thee they wives whom thou hast dowered, and the slaves whom thy right hand possesseth out of the booty which God hath granted thee, and the daughters of thy uncles, thy paternal and maternal aunts who fled with thee to Medina, and any believing woman who hath given herself up to the Prophet, if the prophet desired to wed her – a privilege for thee above the rest of the Faithful. We well know what we have settled for them, in regard to their wives and to the slaves¦; that there may be no fault on thy part ¦

Lamrabet, Asma. “What kind of liberation are we talking about? From the Introduction of ‘Women in the Qurʼan : An Emancipatory reading’.” (2015) As al-Hibri points out, Muslims women tend to be religious, and would not react well to a western feminist perspective that is imposed upon them, therefore secular approaches to women’s rights are not likely to ‘liberate’ Muslim women because people of faith will continue to want to follow their perception of the Divine Will. 12 In addition, many scholars argue that there is no universal model of gender quality (‘one size fits all’), and the West should not keep a monopoly on the topographies of modernity and truth. 13 The Huris are ever – young women who have wide eyes, flexing glances and swelling breasts.” Divorce An-Nisa 4: 34 “As to those women On whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next) refuse to share beds, (and Last) That’s what government should be doing. In this case, its role should be to compel my grandmother to give this tradition up on threat of punishment, to make it unlawful. Just as child labour was made unlawful and so on. All forms of coercion were, in Western society, slowly made unlawful. So this is a step the government has to do where they have to intervene between a child and his parents or grandparents. That’s what Western governments have been doing – but now they are confronted with this new problem of immigrants from Muslim countries, where, within the intimate circle, things are really different because they haven’t been educated in Western society. So in these cases the government is being negligent.Fatimah Radhi-Allâhu ‘anhu was the youngest child of Nabî Sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam and the only child who survived him. Hers was a life of extreme poverty and struggle. She constantly saw her father being mistreated, insulted and humiliated by the disbelievers. One day, when she was barely ten years old, she accompanied her father to the Masjid al-Haram. He stood in the place known as al-Hijr facing the Kabah and began to pray. Fatimah stood at his side. A group of Quraysh gathered around him. They included Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, the Prophet’s uncle, Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and Shaybah and Utbah. Abu Jahl, the ringleader, asked: “Which of you can bring the entrails of a slaughtered animal and throw it on Muhammad?” Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, one of the vilest of the lot, volunteered and hurried off. He returned with the obnoxious filth and threw it on the shoulders of the Prophet while he was still prostrating. Imagine the feelings of Fatimah as she saw her father being humiliated in this manner. She went up to her father and removed the filth and then stood firmly and angrily before the group of Quraish thugs and lashed out against them. Such scenes of vicious opposition and harassment against her father and the early Muslims were witnessed by the young Fatimah almost everyday. She did not meekly stand aside but joined in the struggle in defence of her father and his noble mission. Asiyah wife of Fir’aun For example, surat al-Baqara 282, is another of the commonly cited verses to claim male superiority in Islam. The verse, revealed in a business context, states that “when you enter a transaction involving a debt for a fixed period reduce it to writing and let a scribe write it down between you in fairness … and bring two witnesses from among your men. Should there not be two men, then a man and two women of the women you choose to be witnesses.” If taken out of context, this verse could be interpreted to suggest that a woman’s testimony is not equal to that of a man’s. However, considering the specific situation of a business transaction and the larger context in which women at the time were not involved or experts in business affairs, this verse should not be taken as evidence that women are not equal to men in Islam. In fact, in another instance, the second successor to the Prophet, Umar ibin Khattab, appointed a woman to manage the affairs of a market in Medina. 8

According to Dr. al-Hibri, the Islamic philosophy of change embraces gradual change, and is linked to the principle of shura where societal affairs are conducted in consultation. The Islamic philosophy of change is also linked to the important Qur’anic principle of no compulsion in the matters of faith. Gradualism, shura, and aversion to coercion are important Islamic principles that are most appropriate to advance the rights of Muslim women. Gradual stable change to the status and rights of Muslim women is therefore achievable through Islam. Two of the agreed upon principles of Islamic law: rationality (‘ illah; when a reason for a law disappears, so must the law) and public interest ( maslahah; Islamic laws must serve the public interests, including those of women) are important foundations for revising patriarchal laws and re-engaging in ijtihad. 11 As such, Muslim women’s rights can be attained through these Islamic jurisprudential principles and requirements.And there will be Huris with wide, lovely eyes as wives for the pious.” 56: 35-36 “Verily, We have created them (maidens) of special creation. And made them virgins.” As many Islamic scholars point out, the Qur’an clearly instates the principle of equality among all humans. In the Qur’an ( Qur’an 49:13, among other verses), God created humans from male and female, and despite the empirical differences among humans (based on race, gender, etc.), the Qur’an regards them as equals and only ranks humans based on their moral choices and piety. God created men and women from the same soul, as guardians of each other in a relationship of cooperation not domination. 4 E-books may weaken your eyesight due to the glare of the screen. Support the book publisher by purchasing his original paper book. If you can access it and get it, do not hesitate to buy it. What does the Koran say about women? If women are treated badly, isn’t that only because the Koran has been misinterpreted? Veil (hijab) is imposed on women in many countries under the influence of Islam, either legally or under cultural and social pressure.