Symbols of being different

Hi Mona, I always enjoy your blog – keep on writing…I particularly identified with your post today since I’ve faced discrimination based on my name. When I got married (to a Muslim) I had my first name legally changed to Khadija (& Islamic last name). Before 9/11, I had no trouble finding a job in New York, however afterwards, it became almost impossible to even get an interview. After years of finding no success and being stuck in a miserable job, when I became a US citizen, I changed my name back to Roxanna and (Anglo last name). I started back getting invited to interviews, and was finally able to land a job that makes me happy.

My husband has not had the luxury of changing his name, so he faces the same issue. Very hard to even get an interview. Nobody can deny that being Muslim in North America does not come with challenges – and you sometimes need to conform (as much as you are comfortable) to the society in which you belong in order to get ahead (as much as we hate it). FYI – not very many people realize that Roxanna is actually Persian

Education is good, and making of yourself is too! I think you have time to write a book though. It might take awhile, but if you took time where you write your blog posts and put it towards writing 1 page a day of your book, you would have one fairly quickly.

okey Mona, but what about skincolour, is that so different – should they change that too? We know from Michael Jackson it can be done, even though he didn´t get respect for it all the way it probably did get him a bit ahead. Should we respect Jacksons skincolour transformation as a smart strategy, or should we look at it as something else? When does the need to conform to a white male dominated society stop?

It would be an interesting idea if a TV station ran a “social test” by having a smart girl dress up as a muslim with hijab and glasses for an interview and the same girl goes to the same interview with the same resume but as a “western” girl. They should do this at several companies and see what happens!!!

Once again Mona great minds think alike.

I have a cousin who has a Master’s in Education and would send out her resumes etc and get calls. But as soon as she went in for an interview and they saw she wore the hijab, they would tell her the position was filled or what not. And she was born and bred here in the US. All she could get were jobs at Islamic schools which pay minimum wage. There is no way that she did not get the jobs due to her quals.
I am not against one loving their religion and showing pride, but we have to remember we cannot force our views on society and force them to accept us. Heck, then we would be like Saudi Arabia.
In the workplace I was always proud to say I was a Muslim and my coworkers loved learning about Islam. But I showed them I was a “normal” person.
Religion is in the heart. Not the way we dress, what holidays we celebrate. Morals have nothing to do with the way we dress or what we eat or what not.
There is nothing more that i hate than to see a 18 year old arab girl get married off and not finish her education or not use her education. 10 minutes later she is pregnant. So what happens if her hubby dies or she gets divorced? She has nothing to fall back on.
i got “criticized’ cause I married at an ‘older’ age by stupid ass arab standards and waited 3 years before I had my first child. But i would not change a thing. I got to use my education, enjoy the workforce and my life.
ok sorry for the long rant

I like the tag ” Rebellious Arab Girl. Yes, to be pragmatic one has to bend here and there specially to make a living. We all have to conform occasionally, afterall life is a series of compromises, and give and take. The price sometimes is too high to pay! You are apparently happy not “popping babies,” for now and patting yourself on the back for being a “macho girl, sometimes called “tom-boy” in America. I wouldn’t push that too far if I were you, unless you have already taken a position against marrying a man in the future. Yes I don’t know you and yes I have to respond on the basis of what I understand from your words or what I can sense behind them… and based on that (and I risk being wrong), you are a lovely girl, way too soft inside, hard shell on the outside, wetting your pillow at night, and sucking it all up in the daytime. Good luck with the new job. Bloom wherever you are planted!!

Copperhead

“The nail that stands up gets hammered down”

It’s a bit of a bugger really! On the other hand, and here’s the researcher in me coming out, you should have fun experimenting. Try wearing a head veil, and see if people react differently.

@Jay Copperhead

@ Mona
A page a day is the best way. To comment on the topic, it might seem like a male dominated world, I mean men ‘make’ the rules, and are on average payed more, and of course a man gets a job over a woman usually, but behind every great man is an even greater woman, so without sounding chauvinist, females tend to take care of details in the background, which I believe are the more important things.
I was in a play at my school in Prague and it was about the end of the world. A tidal wave was coming towards the actors from the audience, and our stage directions were to walk to the front of the stage and be surprised. I remember everyone crowding on the proscenium, desperate to make the scene look disparaging and terrifying, but I had a split second idea. I got down on the ground kinda like sujud and i had my hand on my head in fear and the scene closed.
The director came to me afterwards and said it added an important realm of realism because if it were real then people would do different things. My point is that the details in the background really add a dynamic to the mix, and without it we would be lost. So keep it up ^_^

Okay, I want to write my thoughts about this post (okay, hope my English is okay

“All I can do is be my self, and not show others that I am different by any symbol. Who I am is different, and I am proud of being an Arab and Muslim, but I don’t need to wear anything that secludes me from the norm.”
- But why does it mean that you have to “bow” down, and to be how they like?

“You should perfect it and be capable to talk about it, instead of preaching to people for the sake of preaching.”
Why not? Dawa is a good thing, the prophets also did it.

“I knew more things about Islam than them, but they wore religious symbols, and wanted to be different, say they are different, and not accept others, but expect others to accept them.”
-Sorry, but I don’t agree with it. And pleas stop calling Hijab as a symbol, because the western ppl call it a symbol. It is a commandment from Allah, and not a symbol. Why do you think that every Muslim who wears it do it to be different? I mean, I mustn’t explain you this, because you have to know this. If a Muslim womean wears a Hijab, doesn’t mean that she doesn’ accept any other without one. I mean… you have to know, the there are also many Muslims who wear it because only for the sake of Allah, because of loving and fearing HIM. Is that wrong?

“However, when some people wonder why they can’t get a job, or are not treated the same as “others”, then there are various reasons why.
-No one is wondering. I accept it, and I have no problems with it.

“Look at what you are wearing.”"
Wow, I am a bit confused about what you are saying. I will explained it for you: I am living in a European country, I also was born and raised up there, and I am wearing a head scarf, and I really don’t care what the others say. I don’t do something for the sake of other ppl, or to please anybody with something my heart can not accept. I’d rather work in a normal job with my hijab, then work in a good job with a high salary, without my hijab and have to deny what I am, and only because to please the ppl and to do what is forbidden in Islam. Okay, Hijab doesn’t mean all, but it is a obligatory part in Islam, and I don’t want to leave it because of ppl, no. I obey Allah not the ppl.

“My field is a very male oriented field. (Technology Field) Finding a female programmer in a small business is rare. ”
me also

“When you seclude your self from them, and appear different than what they are used to, you will not be able to work in a group like environment such as that. It’s just a fact. It’s a racist stupid fact, but this is reality. However, in larger business, it’s a bit more flexible and they are looking for diversity, but in mine, not so much.”
-What? why? I mean, do I programm better without my hijab? Will the web-app be a better one without the little piece on my head? Okay, racism is a fact. It does exist. But that doesn’t mean I have to bow down for them and say : Sorry, that I am a Muslim. If someone doesn’t accept, I don’t need this person.another

“So, what happened to those girls? Well, they all got married, sat at home, and popped out babies. This goes for many Arab females who earn a University degree just for show and to get married. However, that’s another story for later that I need to discuss.”"
-Pooped babies? I am wondering If you call Angelina Jolie and other celibrieties like that “sit at home and popping babies”. Why is it a bad destiny for a Muslim woman to get marry and babies, and a western woman not? Is it wrong? I don’t think so. If someone find the right person and thre is love why not? If a Non-Muslim do this, than this is Ok? And for a Muslim girl, … ->poor thing?

“I honestly don’t care what any one does. You want to wear a head veil, huge crosses, etc, that’s your choice! ”
-Please, don’t compare crosses with hijab. The cross is a symbol, named by the Christians. And the hijab is a piece of cloth.

“I am not stopping you, and no one has the right to. ”
-Wow, but it seems, you are not happy with that, If a female Muslim chose to wear it.

“However, when you start questioning why people don’t hire you, or others don’t respect you when they should, then you have to understand the culture that you LIVE IN NOW! Where do you live? How are the people around you act? What can you do to blend in, but still keep your morals and religious beliefs?”
-What?? I have to understand the culture, If ppl don’t respect me? I wrote, that I don’t care what the ppl say, and I respect every person, no matter how he/she looks like, and this should be in every culture, especially in the western culture. Democracy means freedom to chose and to live, or not? Or not for Muslims?

“That’s my only advice really. Otherwise, pop babies!”
Thank you for ur advice, but I won’t follow it

“I could have popped some babies like 10 years ago and married some Arab man who wanted a live in baby popping maid, but I chose to blend in to my current society. To make something out of my self, and make everyone around me respect me for who I am, and what I have become. Also, I had to make use of that piece of paper with higher education that I paid over 35,000 dollars for. I invested in something, and I want the return value that I was promised!”
-If a Muslim woman gets married, and “pop” babies, does it means, that she doesn’t deserve or get respect? Why other women called Supermamas, while Muslim women not? It is very good, to educate, to work to invest in it, really, I am also doint it. But the best investment is for the for Allah. (“akhira”)
man

Sure…, it is a very good thing to study and then to work, but you should put this on your mind, as a Muslim: Why do I live? For who? But what If you will stand in front of Allah, on the day of judgement? Will you say, I couldn’t do this or that, because of the ppl? Please, understand: I don’t judge you, and I even don’t care whether you are wearing a veil or not,really. I am only a bit confused about your thoughts as a Muslim.
First, you will never find a person, that will accept you to 100%, even If you try to change yourself for this person. I am also a programmer (still studying), but Allah will not ask me how many PHP Website I made or else. (BTW: I am also a programmer, and learn and work hard) NiyyaI only want to express my thoughts about this post, I don’t want to insult you or anything, no!
Remember: The prophets had it harder… they even killed by the ppl.. so, who we are? Alhamdulillah, thank God. If we don’t get this or another Job, God opens us an other door, with something better .

The life is too short, to throw it away to please the ppl, who will never accept you. And I don’t do it for any man in this world or for any other person. And these are my thoughts about it. Plese, don’t feel offended about it. That is not my intention. Maybe the one Muslim girl without a Hijab is better than a girl with one, or vice versa. But you can have the Niyya(intention), to wear it someday.
At least, Allah has chosen for us what is better

okay, hope to hear from you

And here are some quotes for you, maybe you like them:

Abu Sa’id, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:
I heard Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: whenever a believer is stricken with discomfort, hardship or illness, grief or even with mental worry, Allah shall expiate some of his sins.

Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:
Some people from among the Ansar begged from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and he gave them. They again begged from him and he again gave them, till when what was in his possession was exhausted he said: Whatever good (riches, goods) I have, I will not withhold it from you. He who refrains from begging, Allah safeguards him against want, and he who seeks sufficiency, Allah would keep him in a state of sufficiency, and he who shows endurance, Allah would grant him power to endure, and none is blessed with a better and greater gift than patience.

‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:
I visited Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as he was running high temperature. I touched his body with my hand and said to him: Allah’s Messenger, you are suffering from high fever. Whereupon Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Yes, it is so. I comparatively have a severe fever as high as that allotted to two men of you. I said: Is it because there is a double reward in store for you? Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Yes, it is so. And Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) again said: When a Muslim falls ill, or is exposed to harm, his compensation by Allah is that his minor sins are obliterated just as leaves fall.

Well racism……well i haven’t faced it…..cause i never lived outside my country….but differences are always there. I mean i moved from northern to southern part……yea…the country is same….but people are different, language is different. Its not about religion or color based on which people can discriminate you.

But here i may not call it…discrimination…..its about comfort…..those people are not comfortable with me…..talking, sharing…..so let it be…i won’t be bothered about it. This is where adaptation comes in.

I have heard about racism in US especially against….Muslims….but its not only US ….. i think its in India there…..i remember when my parents tried to convince me to not stay at my muslim friend’s home when i was visiting a different city……..but think this is generation based. I don’t think this generation will pass it to the next…..and yes..this kind of differences can’t be fixed in years……may take decades or god knows more than that……we can just do the our part good. I have like 5-6 muslim friends….good friends…..and i don’t see any difference….that this is message i’ll pass to my friends who don’t think so …and will induce the same into my kids……..

For you……

I really like how good you are expressing your point…and strongly too…i have always enjoyed reading you……its just that ….most of the times…..i don’t get….much time to read……..

Hope to read more …… from you…… \,,,/

@Sara
Hi,

First thing, i don’t know a thing about Islam. Second, i believe in humanity….more than any religion.

Now, after reading you and mona, its not easy who is right or who’s going wrong and not willing to say anything about it.

I find both of you very different……like you are more towards God and Religion….. i find Mona a bit flexible…

Don’t know flexibility or rigidity to support……. don’t think these things can be sorted that easily…..hope time can rub off the differences….

@ Sara LOL at you comparing, Angelina Jolie who is a multi-millionaire, one of the highest paid actresses, academy award, UN ambassador, winning actress to the average arab girl.

And look up the definition of super mom, it doesnt mean woman who cant stop popping out babies and getting fatter each time, it means a woman can have kids and do it all, ie work, cook, take her kids to their activities ETC….

The logic of some women never cease to amaze me I mean to get pregnant all you need is sex + fertilization, I bet 60%(++) of these cases the woman is just lying there on her back (so no work there) and then when youre pregnant thats 9 months, okay ill give you the fact that you have morning sickness for three months, then giving birth (which is also easier nowadays because of all the drugs you can take etc).

making babies = Not really a major achievement in terms of effort on youre part involved,
taking care of youre babies so they grow up to be WELL SOCIALIZED individuals and not wasting youre time gossiping with youre girlfriends and watching musalsalat = priceless

@Mais
It depends on you. I mean, If you marry a man, only because of his money/or a woman only because of her beauty, then I don’t see any hope in the future. Marriage, means more than to live together, and it doesn’t mean to “pop” babies. To marry in Islam, means to legalize the relationship between the man and the woman. It is your business If you want babies.
And you should make a difference between Arab and Muslims. Not every Arab is religious or do what is obligatory, or leave what is forbidden. (plastic surgery, because of beauty is forbidden, because you are changing the creation without any importan reason).
BTW, I am neither married nor have a baby.
Ok, Ok.. not Angelina… (ok she has too much children…) then any other “Super-”American woman who decided to marry her love.

“taking care of youre babies so they grow up to be WELL SOCIALIZED individuals and not wasting youre time gossiping with youre girlfriends and watching musalsalat = priceless”

Right! Thank God, that I am not one of them.
Taking care with education. And no matter If an educated Musim woman find a job or not, she can benefit her children and other ppl with her education. And not hanging on TV, gossiping and doing other unislamic stuffs..

@Hitesh Rawat
Well, you can ask If you have any question about Islam. I am sure, Mona can answer you that, too. But look: To be an Arab, doesn’t mean to be a (good) Muslim. It is like an American, it doesn’t mean that he/she is a (good) Christian. Maybe a person can celebrate x-mas without beleiving in Jesus or only because just for fun, or because the cake tastes good. Sure, there are some or many, who behave bad, but we should open our hearts to see the difference, and leave all the prejudices. There are bad male Arabs, and also bad Non-Arabs, and good Arabs and good Non-Arabs. Every human is different by his nature. But prejudices are big walls, which can avoid to live in peace and harmony.

“However, when you start questioning why people don’t hire you, or others don’t respect you when they should, then you have to understand the culture that you LIVE IN NOW”

i have to disagree because by saying this then we should say that the prophet (Peace be upon him) and the apostles, shouldn’t have spread Islam, they should have killed their daughters, Worship the graves and spend your time drinking or torturing slaves since the culture they lived in do these things.

Islam as a religion has it’s own set of rules that Muslims are asked to follow and the great thing about these rules is that it flexible yet it’s flexible for an extent. you can’t bend it’s rules just to so that these rules fit how non Muslims think or accept, you can’t say all who around cheats in order to pass then so should i or do a certain thing that is against my religion and so should i so i can bend in and be respected for who i am, this isn’t about who we are, it’s about do respect our religion and about why would we apply west or secular societies rules and standards on it so that they accept us.

so what if a woman who wears hijab and studied in university, didn’t get a job and got married? does that makes her by any means stupid or someone who missed his life, at least she stayed committed to a religious obligation not a symbol (Hijab has been mentioned in the quran by the way).

Sorry if you felt bothered by my post

As a devout American Muslim I honestly think it should be up to the woman whether or not to wear a hijab. I was brought up on an idea of equality and freedom, and my iman is stronger because of that.
On the other hand, when I see a woman displaying a hijab then I know it is her way of stating “Be tolerant! I am! Accept me for how beautiful my mind is and not how luscious my hair is!!!!!”

I dont think the issue here is whether one wears hijab or not. It is the women that WONDER why they do not get a job and complain about it knowing very well that unfortunately, North America is very intolerant in this regards.
And as for education, how are we to educate our children and society if we do not have an education? Doesn’t Islam say the Mother is the school?

@ Sara
Yes, but I understand Monas issue with the babymaking that it can´t only be adressed, or understod, as a purely individual issue.. you know norms, social structures, group pressure and such that sends a message to arab women that you are a good muslims or arab, get status and accepted as humans, thrue the motherhood. Even if motherhood is something exceptional, and I understand it´s really respected in Islam which sometimes has been forgotten in the Western cultures- isn´t it limiting and degradeding to women when norms, structures and culture, in real life, makes their other human caulities be treated as uninteresting? If it does mean that women who haven´t had children yet are treated badly and sometimes mayby worse then men who aren´t fathers yet, since and therefore men wait longer to get married?
For example, what does this mean to women who can´t get babies and their social worth in society, for example?

If I know islam right, Muhammed looked to that girls shouldn´t be buried alive and should be given the same respect and value as boys – isn´t there a wider sense in that also conserning girls and young womens lives?

But at the same time, I do think you have a important point that there also is racism in the view on muslim women having many babys. This is evident if you look at for example racist cartoons who picture muslim pregnant women as if their bellys we´re bombs. The women childbearing issue is many racists ways to target the muslim community.

I hope one discussion about racism doesn´t have to limit the other about womens possibilites and space. In this case it is Monas experiences of an arab culture/community.

@ And, thanks Mona for letting us meet and discuss on your fenomenal blog by the way!

its so sad that this is so true these people that r racist they will get whats comin 2 them in this world or the next those girls who wear a veil they should have the same chances as any1 else (if they want 2 work) its really unfair n not right 2 not hire a girl because she wears a veil in fort mac (alberta)u see all kinds of muslim girls working that wears a veil 4 me i like it it shows that u have respect 4 yr self if a girl wears a veil (thats not always true but u know lol)anyways good post mona

Mona, it’s a good post and I agree with you for the most part. There is such a thing as a “work culture” and it’s usually not (exactly) the same as the host society’s is. And during interviews it is very much an issue as to whether the potential new hire will “fit in” at the work place.

I worked for a large multinational a while back, in one of it’s small development labs. That lab was as multi-national as the parent company, in every way. My boss was Iranian. The lab manager was Jewish. One guy on my team was from India. Another was a Lebanese Muslim. The team leader for the other team was an Egyptian Copt. I won’t go through the whole employee roster, but that’s the general gist of things. So anyway, they hired a Lebanese woman who wore a hijab after I’d been there a couple years. And not just a hijab, she always wore a long loose fitting robe kind of thing with it too. There were several other Muslim women working there already… in fact the woman who hired her was an Iranian Muslim. I didn’t have any problem with that. Until I had to work with her the first time. She wouldn’t make eye contact with me. She would only answer direct questions. She didn’t volunteer any feedback to anything I was saying…. and this was all a big problem because I was told to help her with some problems she was having getting up to speed on a program I had written. She was hired to maintain and update that program. And she was having difficulty with that. And she didn’t want my help, even though I was the author and even though I had been told to help her. This put both of us in an awkward position. I eventually just gave up and figured if she wanted any info from me she’d email me and ask. Which she never did. She didn’t last very long, and I always felt bad about that. It seemed like there must have been something people could do to help her fit in better. Especially in that work environment… to be honest I’ve never worked anywhere before or since that was more employee-friendly.

So anyway I guess what I’m saying is I don’t think the hijab is the problem. But I think many employers may view it as a symptom of a potential problem. So I would like to offer this advice to any ladies who want to wear hijab and work at western companies… try to make it clear in the interview that you are willing to conform to their work environment! That’s probably something they worry about, and it isn’t their responsibility to make their work environment conform to you!

Craig,

She wouldn’t make eye contact with me. She would only answer direct questions. She didn’t volunteer any feedback to anything I was saying…. and this was all a big problem because I was told to help her with some problems she was having getting up to speed on a program I had written.

See now this woman isnt suited to working OR raising children. Her poor children, I wonder how many complexes she has given them.

@MONA

“I am not going to argue with a racist idiot, or bother to explain my view points. All I can do is be my self, and not show others that I am different by any symbol. Who I am is different, and I am proud of being an Arab and Muslim, but I don’t need to wear anything that secludes me from the norm.”

To be a Muslim you HAVE to wear according to the will of ALLAH because once you claim that you have accepted Islam as your faith than this means you enter into a contract with ALLAH professing explicitly that you submit to his way of life. The lexical meaning of the word ISLAM is “submission”; submission to who? Submission to ALLAH only and living your life according to the rules ALLAH has given in his holy book Quran.

On the issue of Muslim woman’s dress ALLAH has said in Surah Noor (Chapter 24) verse 31 “And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see the way or outer dress like veil, gloves, head-cover, apron, etc.), and to DRAW THEIR VEILS ALL OVER JUYUBIHINNA (I.E. THEIR BODIES, FACES, NECKS AND BOSOMS,) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brother’s sons, or their sister’s sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islâm), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of the feminine sex.”

The above verse is ALLAH’s response to your claim that “I don’t need to wear anything that secludes me from the norm”. ALLAH did not say anywhere in Quran that if Muslims live in a society that do not follow Islam than Muslims are free to adopt the life style of that society. In different place in Quran ALLAH has stated that if you see a certain belief or ideology has concurred land after land region after region and has been accepted as norm by all but that ideology contradicts ALLAH and his messengers word than Muslims should not accept it.Did prophet Mohammed (PBUM) accepted the norms of “jahalia” society or participated in un-Islamic traditions of the majority of kufar society? the answer is a definite NO. But YOU MONA want to contradict Quran and Sunnah and accept the NORM of society! what a strange submission to Islam you have done!!
Every Muslim has to accept Islam in its entirety and not “pick and chose” only those bits of Islam that befits their inner desires.

You commented that where you live “skin color is not too much of a problem”. Why do you think it is not too much of a problem and has become second on the list? Is it because the people of north America were some how always tolerant towards dark skin-color? No, definitely not. They have become mostly tolerant because dark colored people had to stand up and demand their rights. Had no dark person fought for his/her right to be accepted as he/she is than still today the place you live would be mostly intolerant towards colored people.

You said you have met many Muslims who “..love to discuss Islam, yet, their knowledge of the religion is so limited and naive. I knew more things about Islam than them, but they wore religious symbols, and wanted to be different, say they are different, and not accept others, but expect others to accept them.”

“Well at least these “naïve” Muslims try to understand ALLAH by discussing Islam and follow Islam to the best of their understanding – hijab they put on, which you call religious symbol, is a reflection of that. It is simply not true that Muslims women in hijab do not accept others. How did you come to this conclusion?. I know westerners who do not accept anybody who do not have white skin and not from European dissent. I never heard people to say that all westerners are RACIST. Instead people would say racist are minority and not all westerns are racist. Yet when it comes to HIJABI MUSLIM WOMEN they are all labeled as intolerant of non-HIJABIs. What a DOUBLE-STANDARD. You, MONA, who speak of broad minded-ness also seem to have this double-standard.

“However, when some people wonder why they can’t get a job, or are not treated the same as “others”, then there are various reasons why. Look at what you are wearing.”

What a bizarre thing to say. So what this means is that Muslims should wear cloths and live their lives for the society and people. This is “blasphemous”. Prophet (PBUM) and the Quran has repeatedly taught that life of a Muslim should be lived for ALLAH’s pleasure only. It should not be lived for job, money, degree, certificates and any other worldly means. If a Muslim choices an un-Islamic life style just to get a job than that Muslim is committing SHIRK because he/she has made the DUNIYA as his/her GOD. He/she is no longer worshipping ALLAH.

Why shouldn’t a muslim woman wonder why she is not getting a job? Why is she not treated fairly? Muslim women have legitimate right to think so. Why is that your Canadian society, which you take pride to be in, accepts women only when they REVEAL their body and do not accept HIJABI WOMAN’s mind and intelligence? Why is that your Canadians who BRAG about DEMOCRACY do not give equal treatment to all their citizens. Why is that a NUN, covering her body just like a HIJABI woman, is respected as a person devoted to her religion and never discriminated for veil or the way she is dressed? Why is their double standard about Muslim women? HIJABI WOMEN HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO COMPLAIN.

“My field is a very male oriented field. (Technology Field) Finding a female programmer in a small business is rare. Not only that, the female programmers, like the male programmers, are always interacting with each other. Working in specific professions such as mine, really depend on how you look and act with other people. When you seclude your self from them, and appear different than what they are used to, you will not be able to work in a group like environment such as that. It’s just a fact. It’s a racist stupid fact, but this is reality. However, in larger business, it’s a bit more flexible and they are looking for diversity, but in mine, not so much.”

What you have done is COMPROMISE ISLAM to please the eyes of man. To you keeping a job is much more important than living a life for the pleasure of Allah. You are pick and chose type who stick to ALLAH’s commandments as long as it serves your worldly interest. What happened to your REBELLIOUS-NESS? Why don’t you rebel and demand your work place to accept HIJABI women? You would not do that would you?. So much for REBELLIOUS ARAB GIRL!! It’s ONLY HOT AIR.

“..you will not be able to work in a group like environment such as that”. This is pure racism. Now you are talking like a racist. Since when hijab prevents women from working in a group. Did Prophet’s hijabi and niqabi wife AYSHA find it difficult to lead a male dominated war? Is the current health minister of iran, who happens to be a woman, finding it difficult to work in a male dominated group environment? Can you explain these? These are XENOPHOBIC excuses westerns use to discriminate against Muslims?
“So, what happened to those girls? Well, they all got married, sat at home, and popped out babies. This goes for many Arab females who earn a University degree just for show and to get married.”

How do you know these Muslim girls have got degrees to get married? Do you have any concrete statistics to prove this claim?

“I honestly don’t care what any one does. You want to wear a head veil, huge crosses, etc, that’s your choice! I am not stopping you, and no one has the right to. However, when you start questioning why people don’t hire you, or others don’t respect you when they should, then you have to understand the culture that you LIVE IN NOW! Where do you live? How are the people around you act? What can you do to blend in, but still keep your morals and religious beliefs?”

As I said before no where in Quran or Hadith it says that Muslims can compromise Islam and adopt portion of Islam just to get a job. You have to accept Islam in its entirety. There is no such thing as PART-TIME Muslim. Being a Muslim means FULL-TIME Muslim. If you start bending rules to blend in than you end up being like secular Christians who claim they are Christians butt secular. There is no such thing called secular Muslim as secular and Muslim are OXYMORON. Secular means rejecting religion and Muslim means accepting Islamic religion. Wearing a hijab is part of ALLAH approved Islamic morality. It is not possible to have morality by compromising morality.

“That’s my only advice really. Otherwise, pop babies! I could have popped some babies like 10 years ago and married some Arab man who wanted a live in baby popping maid, but I chose to blend in to my current society. To make something out of my self, and make everyone around me respect me for who I am, and what I have become. Also, I had to make use of that piece of paper with higher education that I paid over 35,000 dollars for. I invested in something, and I want the return value that I was promised! “
Yes! Carry on being a slave of money. Just don’t forget KIMAH is coming and everyone has to account for their actions. Allah will only accept those who did not move away from his way life.

I will finish my telling you a beautifully interesting real life story. I know a Muslim who changed his name to BLEND in with the European country’s society he and me happens to live in. After working for years he was surpassed twice for promotion despite his “blended name”. Eventually lost his job because he complained that he was being treated unfairly. It was then he realized what a BIG MISTAKE he had made. He should have lived for ALLAH, not for the society.

Point of this story is that you have got a job by not wearing hijab but eventually a day will come when you will also realize that compromising ALLAH’s will was not the right thing to do. I am sure this day will come. It has come to others, it will come to you. It is only a matter of when and where.

@sara, glad we cleared up the misunderstanding.

To be honest I dont care what the mothers do. I mean if she wants to spend her life watching Syrian and Egyptian TV shows, going to the gahwa and worrying about going to the beauty salon, thats perfectly fine by me. I only get upset because of the children. I really love little arab girls and boys and I dont like to see them grow up in toxic environments. Its upsetting. I mean as a mother you have a responsibility to show youre daughter a) the right way to behave and youre son b) a good impression of women. And since arab women claim to be great lovers of children, I find it ironic that their effect on them is often the opposite of positive. Sad.

Other than that, many arab women still havent got the memo that youre supposed to lose the baby weight. Many arab women choose to marry when their young to affluent men. This is their choice. So there is youre part of the bargain to hold. I mean if I got married when I was 19 to a really rich guy, more intelligent and knowledgable than me, and I went straight from daddys house to husbands house, I would be intelligent enough to realize why he wants me and try to hold my part of the deal. Its only fair.

@khurshid

You make in interesting point that to change societies views, one should be persistent.

Last time I checked everyone who is good to their neighbors is getting into the akhira.
Lighten up ekh, bro, to each his/her own the day you stop pointing fingers, is the day Allah Subhanna wa ta Allah laughs and says “He gets it, I am the one to do the judging.”

Mona, well done.

At the end of the day, the true character of muslim ”brothers and sisters” show very well when palestinian children are being slaughtered, orphaned, and displaced everyday. Its absolutely disgraceful.

However palestinians in general seem to be quite aware of how fickle arabs can be.

Khurshid, you sound hysterical. You can explain yourself without getting emotional, it takes away from the validity of youre argument when you sound like youre screaming and crying. A Logical, sound and rational opinion should come first,always!

If you want to start preaching about whose slaves to money then first people to preach to are the men that spend all their money on prostitutes. I mean damn every single arab gulf country is filled with prostitutes. And some of the guys even take their whores on dates, when I lived in Dubai a lot of arab men took their prostitute for the night out to the cinema, I felt sorry for the women they were looking around like they were confused,like am I supposed to hold the guys hand and then give him a blow job? Poor girls were getting really confused. lol.

Is Khurshid a man? After that hysterical emotional rant you expect me to believe women are more emotional than men?

This is just getting too funny.

But Mooonaaaa…

Girls with hijab are beautiful. I like them.

@Hudaman

Totally agree. So majestic!

The amount of intolerance in some of these comments is breathtaking… especially when they come from people who complain about intolerance at the work place. If one of you people who believes so strongly that Muslim women MUST wear hijab was working with Mona and this same dispute came up at work – and don’t act like that never happens! – then who do you think the employer would consider to be the guilty of intolerance at the work place? You (the Islamic police), or Mona the girl who just wants to do things her own way and not worry about what everyone else wants to do? If it was an ongoing problem, do you (the Islamic police) think the employer would be wrong for showing you (the Islamic police) the door for harassing their great employee Mona and trying to violate her freedom of religion? Mona could sue them for violating her civil rights if they let you (the Islamic police) harass her about religious matters and didn’t do anything about it. Do companies like to get sued? Or do they like to fire people who cause problems, instead?

I’m not going to deny that there is discrimination in my favor (white male). On the other hand, this last year, I have found it tough to find a job while my wife found one much quicker even though she’s a female Indian.

Why?

We don’t know.

Perhaps b/c she’s more persistent. Or perhaps a different field. Or perhaps the way she carries herself w/ more confidence. Anyway, racism is alive and well, but there are also other factors.

@Ahmad Hamdan
@Ahmad Hamdan
Thank you for ur post

@s
In arab countries it is normal to have more than one baby. But where is the problem of getting babies? Sure, the father should have a good job , to earn enough money for the family, but thank God, I know so many families with 5,6,7, 8 or more children, and they are live a respectful and a good live. They even have a high education. I think the problem is, the the first Generation of Immigrants, especially the women can not read and write, but this has changed (especially because of war poverty. And Inshallah, will every human beeing join a good education, and not become an illiterate.

@Craig
I agree with you, that this has nothing to do with the Hijab. I think this is her personal way to “communicate”.

@Mais
thanx ^o^

BTW, a job as a programmer or a software developer doesn’t mean that to work in a same place with others. I also worked as a project manager, and I had to contact my team with skype/phone and emails. So I think to work in the computer science field is a good one for Muslim woman. There are even many jobs, which you can do it at home or at your own office. Even the communication with the customers was with phone/skype and email, because they hadn’t the time to come. To programm, means to work with your “pc” or “mac”… any other things are disturbing for a programmer… ^o^

At least, Allah let you get a good job or not, and HE knows the best. And we should not point the finger to others, we must start with ourself.

btw Mona: Are you engaged or else, or didn’t you still meet “right man”?

and to all:
please calm down… it’s just her thoughts. No one is forced to agree with her, you can give her advices, but in a good manner. (in the best manner

TOWARDS WOMEN! Why men don’t follow that? You know how many insults Muslim and Arab men give me daily while they preach religion to me? Not only that. EVEN THE STARES I get from them! Why they don’t follow this verse??? Or are they allowed to look?

There is a very simple explanation to this. When Muslim men around you tell you not to dress the way you dress it is because according to prophetic tradition a believer is a mirror to another believer. The prophet (PBUM) and his companions corrected fellow Muslims when they saw those Muslims are doing things that contradicted or violated Islamic teachings. You should not think that the Muslim men are staring at your body. Sometimes it is the shock of seeing a Muslim so blatantly transgressing ALLAH’s will that makes unorthodox expression of outrage. It is just like dealing with racism. If the victims of racism did not stand up against racism than even today skin color would not become a secondary issue. By rising up against racism the victims CORRECTED the problem of racism for themselves and for future generations.

Having said that i would sympathies with you on one ground, that is, those Muslims who insult you in a rude or violent language are wrong as well because prophet (PBUH) always showed by actions that a Muslim should express his/her views in a polite and non-violent way i.e. no cursing, no ‘F’ word, no ‘S’ word, no ‘A’ word etc.

Second, you are angry at Arab and Muslim men for looking at the way you are dressed, in other words you are upset at why are they not following the teaching of the verse you quoted. But what about you mona? Are you following ALLAH’s commandments of covering yourself? Shouldn’t you follow the verse I quoted before expecting others to follow the verse you quoted?

Third, if you see someone violating ALLAH’s commands then YOU MONA have to correct them because if you do not do it than in the Day of Judgment ALLAH will hold you accountable for not telling the person doing wrong that he/she is doing wrong. Allah did not ask any Muslim to force others to correct themselves but Muslims are commanded to stand up against wrong.

“What is apparent exactly? This is purely debatable!!” To understand the verse correctly we have to look into the prophet’s (PBUH) life. How did he practice this verse? Remember Allah has sent the prophet as an example to mankind. If we look at prophet’s (PBUH) life and see what he taught his female SAHABIS than we can see very clearly that all Muslim women of his time covered themselves from head to their feet with exceptions of additional rules that applied to prophet’s (PBUH) wives. Why do we Muslims have to DEBATE this verse now when prophet has stated the meaning of the verse himself through numerous examples. I do not understand this? Is the prophet (PBUH) not good enough for us?

The reason that we Muslims have started to debate certain verses of Quran is because western media and their regimes attack our beautiful Islam by picking verses that they can use to distort Islam. Did you know western academics do not study the HADITH of prophet when they become specialist on Islamic studies. To them HADITH means nothing. This is not a conspiracy theory. Last year I went back to university to study Islam in order to enrich my understanding of my DIN. Luckily (thanks ALLAH) I chose a university where all the teachers were Muslims except two. It was during this course that became clear how westerns manipulate verses of Quran to confuse Muslims and create anti-Islam sentiment. So, MONA, we should not have to DEBATE a verse all over again after 14 centuries because if we do then we are making the SUNNAH of prophet (PBUH) irrelevant. As Muslims we should never take this path.

Palestine

“..you Muslims nations didn’t care about the holy land and Zionist killing my people”
“Muslim children in Palestine are being killed and you Muslim nations and people are just watching. You have been watching for over 60 years!”
“Aren’t we Muslims supposed to help other Muslims?”

I don’t know how you came to this conclusion that Muslim nations are just watching the massacre of Palestinian Muslims for last 60 years without helping them. Muslims around the world are trying with everything they can to help Palestinian Muslims, be it with money, food, medicine, or DUA. It is not the Muslims who are not helping but it is the ARAB REGIMES who are not helping and just watching. Had these Arab regimes cared about Islam and Muslims then Israel and Zionism would have vanished long time ago. When Israel was committing genocide in GAZA in the recent war the ARAB REGIMES remained silent in action and WATCHED and WANTED Israel to murder Gaza Muslims and their elected representative HAMAS. Gaza Muslims had to be punished for the crime of electing Hamas and Hamas for the crime of being DEMOCRATICALLY elected. It is not in the interest of Arab regimes to see an elected government in Palestine as that would put pressure on their political master Israel & US and would undermine their legitimacy of power – in other words their survival is at stake. An elected Palestinian government would invite voices in other Arab countries for free elections. The SAUDIS REGIME, guardian of kabba and medina, made sure emergency meeting of OIC did not take place and was delayed for two weeks to allow Israel to continue CALCULATED MURDER OF MUSLIMS IN PALESTINE. When OIC meeting did take place Saudis did not even show up. The EGYPTIAN REGIME closed the border with GAZA and did not allow even the basic food and medicine to go through RAFA terminal let alone military help.

The only MUSLIM COUNTRY that did every thing in its power to help GAZA MUSLIMS was IRAN. It voiced open condemnation and even sent a ship full of food and medicine to gaza which was intercepted by EGTPTIAN NAVY and not allowed to enter gaza port. Iranian government and press denounced Egypt for keeping the border closed. Iran asked Egypt repeatedly to open the border so that Iranian help, both humanitarian and military, can be channeled to Palestinian Muslims in Gaza. It was Iranian president MAHMOOD AHMADINIJAZAD who said in many international platforms that why is Israel created in Palestine. Jews were killed by the GERMANS and they should pay the price. Why are the western powers punishing Palestinian Muslims for a crime they did not commit. Why has Israel being created in Palestine? It should be created in Germany where the Jews were killed. Why is Germany not giving up one or two of its states/provinces to create Israel? (check YouTube for Ahmadinizad’s debate in a Washington university). All Arab regimes, US regime, European regimes, and US think tanks admit that if Iran had direct or indirect land border with Palestine than Palestine would have been liberated from occupation long, long, long time ago. Success of Hizbollah to end Israeli occupation of Lenanon has become possible due to Iranian indirect land border access to Lebanon through Syria – an Iranian allay. MONA, Muslims nations are not guilty but rather ARAB REGIMES are the guilty one. Even your own Palestinian MAHMOOD ABBAS was watching the massacre of gaza Muslims and kept inactive during the entire carnage. He even went as far as to blame hamas for the death of gaza Muslims. Palestinian telegraph published two weeks ago questioning if Abbas is a real president as his actions are always to please Israel and US. Abbas even didn’t want the goldstone report on Israel crime in gaza to be discussed in United nations human right committee. One of your OWN does not care about your suffering and you accuse me and Muslim nations for not caring; STRANGE VERY STRANGE. I don’t know if you genuinely don’t know the political facts or you are just saying this just to get back at me. Allah knows best

As far as me is concerned I am fully aware of the suffering of Muslim UMMAH in Palestine and in other parts of the world- Iraq, Afghanistan, .Kazakhstan, Kashmir, Pakistan, Myanmar, China, Philippine, Bosinia etc I have participated with every bit of help I can do through Islamic relief, Muslim Aid, and UN humanitarian agencies to help my sisters and brothers in Palestine. I regularly attend academic seminars, anti-war movement seminars, and visiting Palestinian students and academic seminars to ensure that that suffering of the ummah is highlighted and world public opinion is mobilized against the Israeli crimes.

I spent a bulk of my daily time reading news, academic journals and think tank publications about middle-east politics. People who know me well tell me that I should have studied international relations because despite not being from this background I can give political analysis of middle-east current affairs. Last year when I was doing a masters degree on Islam I was repeatedly told by academics to study something with political science or international relations since I have so much interest in it. That way I can better represent Muslim interest. I am writing a proposal for a PHD in the area of Islamic international relations. Insha-allah if everything goes right I will start next year.

Anyway, the point of saying all this is to assure you I am not those Muslims who have forgotten the bleeding wound of Palestine. I am doing everything in my power to help Muslims as are so many other Muslims I know off. We have not FORGOTTEN the Palestinian brothers and sisters. They are very much alive in our hearts.

Prophet (PBUH) has said that a day will come when Jerusalem (Al-Qods) will be liberated and suffering of Muslims in Palestine will end. Muslim will be divided initially but eventually they will pull themselves together and liberate Al-Qods. These are saying of the prophet (PBUH). I just don’t know if I or you will live long enough to see that beautiful day. If we do who knows we might meet in Palestine in front of Masjid Al-Aqsa. Insha-allah.

Job

“I have to change my life and traditions for the sake of survival. If it means I don’t wear a hijab to get a job to support my self and my family, but still keep my morals and religious beliefs, then I am sticking to this lifestyle. I am not going to change my apparent modest lifestyle to a more conservative one than I already have to sit at home. I didn’t need to get an education to sit at home because the world around me is racist and won’t hire me.”

“Also, I cannot force an entire culture to accept me for being different. All I can do is find a middle ground to keep my morals and religious beliefs and still fit in.”

On the topic of job, as I said in my previous comment Muslims should not compromise Allah’s commandments under any circumstances. If they do this then they are living for DUNIYA not for Allah. A convert friend of mine left his teaching job in mainstream school to work in Islamic schools for half the salary of mainstream school. I asked him why he has done this? He said that in mainstream school there were many topics being taught to children that were head-on-clash with Islamic teachings and he being converted to Islam did not feel right to associated with such teachings. He would rather get less paid than disobey Allah and his messenger. I can tell you I was deeply touched and spiritually uplifted by this brother’s explanation. I told myself I should also try harder to live for Allah and not for DUNIYA. Just like you, I have achieved undergraduate degree in computer science from a world class university, I also have a masters in computer science (The degree I did on Islam was my second masters degree) but never got the job I wanted to get because of my religion and to some degree my color and ethnic background. WESTERN DEMOCRACY AT ITS FINEST, HOW STRANGE. However, I have no sadness in my heart because I always pray to Allah not to give me any job where I have to compromise or break any of his commandments. Alhamdulliah, Allah has taken care of me and I have a job with which I can survive respectfully.

Yvonne Ridly, the British journalist captured by Taliban in Afghanistan, who later converted to Islam and was fired from Saudi owned Islam channel because she criticized Saudi regime. However, Allah has given her much better journalistic career in PressTv – Iranian 24 hours English news channel. She has her own show in current affairs where she regularly discusses issues about Muslim suffering including Palestine. She covered, on behalf of PressTv, British MP George Galloway’s heroic effort taking humanitarian aid to gaza by breaking Israeli sanctions and handing it over to hamas the elected government of gaza. Allah has rewarded her for wearing hijab and so what she does not work for BBC and other pro-zionist media outlets.

The point of saying this is that you should not trade Islamic lifestyle to get a job. If you ask Allah from your heart He will definitely provide means to meat your needs.

The bit I particularly found OFFENSIVE is that when you said Muslimas in Hijab cannot work in a group. What this means is, hijabi muslimas are somehow inferior and Muslim women should blend in by dressing according to the norms of society they live in. As I said before there is no such teaching in Islam. Allah nor His prophet (PBUH) ever said directly or indirectly that Muslims can BLEND in to please society’s demands. Does this mean if Canadians decides that from now on everybody should go to office naked than Muslim men and women should blend in with society’s norm and start going to office naked? Will this be Islam? My entire argument was here which I think you have missed. Muslims need to dress according to Allah’s wish both men and women. It is not a choice. When you said – “I don’t need to wear anything that secludes me from the norm” – that is the problem. You are NO-ONE to say you do not need to when Allah says you have to. It is not debatable and I have explained it earlier. If you had said I “don’t want to” than it would be a different case because that would mean you accept the commandments of Allah regarding wearing hijab but you are ignoring it to keep your job. However, when you say “I don’t need to” than it means, by a simple deduction reasoning, that Prophet and sahabas and tabains and tabay-tabins and those after them for last 14 centuries did not understand the ALLAH’s Commandments. THAT IS A VERY BIG CLAIM AND A DANGEROUS ONE TOO. When I saw your post the other day I could not believe my eyes. There you were a Muslim blatantly denying Allah’s will and worst you are from Palestine –the very place Muslims like me feel so dear and feel strongly to defend against western and Israeli aggression. I told myself what kind of people Muslims all over the world are passionately trying to help when one of them from Palestine does not hesitate to claim that hijab can be removed if one wishes!!

The other thing about babies which I forgot to mention yesterday so I am mentioning it now. I found your statement “So, what happened to those girls? Well, they all got married, sat at home, and popped out babies.” RUDE because is this how MOTHERHOOD should be expressed “popped out babies”. Can we say the prophet’s mother popped him out? ASTAK-FIRULLAH.
MONA, i hope you can see the points I was trying to make. I am not engaging in futile debate. Allah is watching, I do not engage in debates just for the sake of debates. You wrote sometime wrong about Islam and I had to correct you because if I didn’t in the Day of Judgment I will be hold accountable for letting a wrong interpretation of Islam to be posted on the internet when I knew it was wrong and did nothing. Now I have pointed it out to you and my conscious is clear, I can tell ALLAH that I have done my duty.

Education

I didn’t need to get an education to sit at home because the world around me is racist and won’t hire me. It’s enough the world is racist and prejudice towards women and other races. I was forced to get an education because it says so in my religion that we all must get educated! Men and Women. How many backwards extremist Muslims still think that a women should not even get educated and just sit at home and take care of the family? Till now, there is a high rate of Muslim women who cannot read or write!

I have never said you should not study and should sit at home. You misunderstood my entire argument. In fact I am a VERY STRONG supporter of female education. I have on several occasions successfully influenced Muslim parents to continue educating their daughters after age of 16 by sending them to colleges and universities. In my own family my sisters are highly educated and constantly encourage family Muslimas- cousins, aunts, etc- to study in universities. I tell them if I can do it you can do it too. As you rightly pointed out Allah and His messenger has repeatedly asked Muslim men and women to seek knowledge; who am I to discourage or deny Muslim sisters from getting educated when Allah and His Prophet commanded them to get educated. If I do such heinous thing than I will be violating Islamic teaching and that is something I have no intention of doing.

Website

On the issue of me wasting my time coming to your website, I must say I ended up in your blog by complete accident. I was looking for middle-eastern bloggers who write about political and social problems in middle-east. Your blog grabbed my attention because you mentioned that you are from PALESTINE and that is why I visited your blog for last two and half to three weeks. I was going to stop coming to your blog since it has nothing interesting for me i.e. nothing about Palestine political situation, Palestinian suffering in gaza and west-bank and how they are coping with their hardship, the hospital situations in gaza, mental help problems of children in Palestine – according to an academic report over 60% of Palestinian children have LOST THE WIL TO LIVE. This is due to exposure to constant humiliation and violence from Israel.

Funny enough the day I decided that I will stop viewing your blog ,as I have found other more informative blogs written from within Palestine, that day you posted that article “symbols of being different” and just couldn’t leave without writing some comments. I just came back today because I wanted to see if you have replied my comments. I won’t be visiting anymore although you are welcome to email me any comments regarding this post. Have to finish the PHD proposal – have a pile of books and journals on middle-east politics to read.

Apologize

Finally, I want to apologize for the inappropriate statement “full of hot air”. I was upset for what you wrote about hijab and hijabi women but that does not mean I should cross the line and use such inappropriate language. Prophet (PBUH) has shown by action many times that Muslims should not use any language that would cause distress to others. Prophet is the paragon we need to epitomize in each and every action we do. Keeping these teaching in mind I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE for using “full of hot air” phrase. I feel embarrassed. I appreciate you pointed out this as a Muslim is a mirror of another Muslim. Each should correct the other if one says anything wrong. I hope you will ACCEPT MY APPOLOGY and FORGIVE me and do not hold any bad feeling in your heart about me. I do not want to be embarrassed in the Day of Judgment in front of Allah for not being able to control my tongue.

@ Mais

When a Muslim talks about Islam it is hysterical and emotional ranting. When a Zionist talks about Holocaust of Palestinian it is just fine.

I wrote the post for Mona. It was specifically address to mona not you. Reading mail/post not addressed to you is HIGHLY UNETHICAL. if my post was not addressed to anyone then it would be ok for you to read. When it was specially addressed to Mona you should not have read it.

“every single arab gulf country is filled with prostitutes” how did you get that information. Can you prove it?

Khurshid,youre argument holds not merit. You do know youre writing on a public blog, in which everyone can see youre post. Not just me, but the whole world. This is not a private conversation.

Again, your argument appears to be irrational because Ive just been supporting palestinian children.

Yeah offcourse go to any number of websites arabhumanrights.org, merip.org, LHRLA, (Indrani Sinha, SANLAAP India, “Paper on Globalization and Human Rights”, (read that, 11-13 ear old pakistani girls getting trafficked to uae, qatar, etc) there are a few good articles on iraqi+jordanian prostitution by rana husseini, johann hari. Child prostitution is highest in the world in asia, over 50%. If you studied international relations however this wouldnt be a surprise to you at all.

But forget prostitution, it happens everywhere in the world. You talked about education, well gender parity in the arab world as a whole is among the lowest in the world, only beaten by south and west asia. I think alot of people see high rates of child birth negatively, because statistically, in the world, higher birth rates are directly related to female illiteracy. So on average an illiterate woman has 8 babies, a literate woman has 3. That is not to say that you cant have 10 babies and be educated, its just very rare. Thats also why education is seen as a good way to tackle overpopulation.

At the end of the day though, none of this will really be important because as I said before on another post the muslim world is undergoing a huge population explosion coupled with other things which make the problems they face in the future much more severe.

If a person does not wear the hijab, that does not mean that the person is bad, completely lost their way, or whatever. I don’t know why some people are hung up on this. I don’t think wearing the hijab is the one single quality or litmus test that defines whether a person is Muslim or not. And they can positively contribute a lot to work and society either way.

khurshid:

Which hadith defends muslim mens harrassment and aggressive bullying of muslim women?

It wasn´t many decades ago that many muslim countries didn´t allow women to go to school, they meant that acording to the Quran women we´re forbidden to do so.. It seems as if some muslim men teach the religion through a male perspective?

Investigations in for example Egypt shows that women regardless of dress, both with and without hijabs or more or less covered, get harassed by men. Some men in muslim countries even tell they find it more thrilling to harrass more covered women. It seems that it´s the women that get to take the burden, the blame and the harrassment in the crossfire and due to the tensions that builds up, when Men of different nationalities, religions and cultures want control, and use and treat “Their” women as gadgets, weapons and symbols of that Nation, Culture or Religion – instead as humans, in a neverending male fight “We” against “Them”.

I read in An-Nisa the other day surah 15 & 16 which says that women who commit adultery, and have four witnesses, shall be confined until death. The next Surah says something along the lines of two people who are lewd will be punished.
As much as I love and respect my din, it has some double standards such as this. So the women is jailed, but the man is ‘punished’ and then shown mercy? wtf
I’m still with Mona on the point that the man should avert his glance and ill intentions away from the women, hijab or no hijab. Remember, Allah looks at intent of heart more than anything.

Brian, are you really surprised? Most religions promote sexism of varying degrees. The only reason why women in europe/usa achieved better (relative) equality is because they went against religious teachings. Most religious Islamic states violate mutltiple international human rights charters just by being Islamic and observing Islamic laws. Islamic sharia law is ”double standard” because women dont have equal political, economic, marital, custodial, and social rights. Quite simple really.

If everyone just read sharia law it would all be soo much easier because girls born into muslim families would know their situation, women marrying muslim men/converting to islam wouldnt suffer from shock and women that choose to be muslim and say their proud have to deal with all the responsibilities that comes with accepting a religion like that. Everyone has free WILL, the Quran isnt an equal opportunities religion, take it or leave it!

amen =)