Hena's story - by Farah Kabir, ActionAid Bangladesh

Islam and women rights

There has been talked a lot now days about women rights in Islam.

Many Alim e Din (muslim scholars) have now started discovering the verses of equality, dignity, and prosperity for women in Quran and Hadith. Zakir Naik has a whole series of lectures only on glorification of women in Islam.

Let us move away from the hype and go to the authentic Islamic scriptures to see how women are glorified. “Islam and Women Rights” is one topic where I completely agree with Zakir Naik that to know about Islam, do not look at Muslims, but peep into the Islamic scriptures.

So let us have a peep:

I am a non Arab Muslim women

I am a Muslim. A proud Muslim. But I am not Arab.

I represent the entire non-Arab Muslim Ummah (community). I am the‘black’ Muslim of Zanzibar. I am the ‘brown’ Muslim of Indian sub-continent which is the largest congregation of Muslims in the world. I provide the largest population base as well as intellectual leadership to Islam. I am home to greatest scholars and volunteers of Islam.

And yes I am indeed proud of who I am. A Muslim. Worshipper of Allah and his great last Prophet Muhammad. I live for Islam. I shall die for Islam. I have laid my life for Islam. I can even take life for Islam.

I was not always a Muslim. Some 1400 years ago, I was just a human being. My forefathers had been following Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Hinduism. In the Indian subcontinent, I had been following the oldest religion of humankind. I had been doing so for generations since time immemorial. If human civilization is 10,000 years old, I was Hindu for 10,000 years. If it is 100,000 years old, I was Hindu for 100,000 years. If it is 1.97 billion years old, I was Hindu for 1.97 billion years.

Islamic Women - Human or Commodity

If you are a Muslim woman or plan to be a Muslim woman for sake of someone’s love, think twice before you jump into Hell or continue to live in Hell.

Here is a summary of what Islam has to offer to Muslim women:
a. Men can keep unto 4 wives and as many sex-slaves as they want. (Refer Quran Nisa 3)
Some Muslims defend this by saying that 4 wives are allowed only if one can do justice to all of them. This is a hoax. Because the role model for Muslims is Muhammad and even he could not do justice to 9/11/15/18 or whatever number of wives and innumerable concubines he kept, if we are to believe in Quran and Hadiths. Some Ayats were revealed only to settle the jealousy and feeling of injustice among his wives. So in essence, Muslim women are doomed to share their beds with other women, if their husbands so desire.

b. One cannot marry women who are already married. But if they are obtained after fight, even they are legal to be kept for lovemaking.

I am a Muslim wife/Concubine

Muslim scholar, Zakir Naik and co is fooling the women by claiming equal rights for them as compared to men. However in reality, muslim women are suppressed severely under the barbaric laws of modern Quran and Hadith.

To show, how false and stupid, the claims of equality for women (in marital life) in this version of Islam are, we analyse modern Quran and authentic Hadith. Its clearly evident from the scriptures, that the founder of this fake Islam was too busy to offer luxuries to his army-men comprised of males to have bothered to even think of women above status of animals.

Equal rights of husband and wife
0. Islam allows having multiple partners for men, but the same is strictly prohibited for women. A man can marry up to 4 wives but if woman tries to go to second, this is considered adultery and its punishment is stoning to death for woman.

I am a Moslem Women

I Am a Moslem Woman – Parvin Darabi

I am a Moslem woman. I have no face. I have no identity. At age 9, based on lunar year (a lunar year is ten days shorter) I am considered an adult. Being an adult means that I have to adhere with Islamic laws as stated below.

I have to pray five times a day, fast one month out of the year and cover myself from head to toe in yards of black fabric. I am eligible to be married and can be punished for any wrong doing. I can be incarcerated and, if needed, executed for my crimes, even political ones.

Islam’s law – that Allah sent down to his messenger Muhammad – came to announce that women (exactly like men) are full human beings. Women (like men) are therefore required to follow the way appointed by Allah.