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Page 4
Most faiths encourage women to please their husbands and obey them and even this riles activists, so I can see why Islam – especially the veil – is such a sore spot for many. However, I can say this. Muslim women have rights. Islam gave them their most basic right- that to live – in a society that had no place for them. A Muslim woman is given rights to own and conduct businesses, to have a say in politics, to inherit and be an active member of the society. True, the physical rights may differ in content from that of men, but it is always with a logical reason behind it. And when it comes to spiritual or intellectual rights, then there is absolutely no difference between male and female. The Qur’an addresses both equally, demanding the same morality from both and promising the same rewards. Arab women are oppressed, Indian women are oppressed, Iraqi and Afghani women are oppressed, for that matter so are African women and most other women (we’re still fighting the gender battle, aren’t we?), but Muslim women are not oppressed by Islam. The only distinction made between any two human beings is by their level of piety. No, it doesn’t. This is another media blooper. Jihad means ‘to Struggle.’ There is a famous story that after the Muslims had returned from putting up a defence against one of the Makkan attacks, they were pleased with themselves. At this time the Prophet (pbuh) told them that they had undergone a minor struggle on the battlefield and the greater jihad still awaited them. When asked for an explanation, he didn’t talk about conquering lands or fighting bigger battles. He simply told them that fighting the devil within them was the greatest of all jihad’s. This is true of every Muslim. The struggle to uphold virtue and stay away from vice is The Jihad, and anyone who dies while having maintained this struggle is a considered a martyr. Simple as that. No bloodshed, no bombing, no killing required. This is one sure to boil the blood of even the most peaceable of characters. Luckily, it’s false! Else, I’d have to give up being a Muslim! A faith that holds honesty and integrity as the highest standards for a human being to achieve, simply cannot get away with a contradictory rule like this one.
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