r2i forum

The recent fatwa issued by the darool uloom deoband, is just the latest example of how under the name of Islam, women are being oppressed, and tried to be controlled.
The fatwa says that, women should not be allowed to work in a workplace where they would be required to interact with men without a veil. Such a job it seems would be un-islamic...
The fatwa further says, that women should not wear perfume when leaving the home, so as to not atrract someone else's attention to the fragrance, and in effect to themselves, they should not wear bangles, or anklets that make any noise, so as to not draw any attention to themselves. :emcrook:

I had very close female friends growing up who were muslim, as a women myself, my heart ached for them , when simple things like wearing jeans, or applying a lil lipstick were major battles at their homes....Today i see that those women who were well qualified may not even be allowed to work freely, and i cannot help but wonder, when is this gonna stop??? When are muslims themselves gonna rise up against such practices. ,where are the reformers from within the muslim culture???? And when will my muslim women friends stand up , against such complete nonsense????

Why does islam consider women a thing to be covered up, and controlled or else all hell will break lose???? Why is the onus of not attracting a man's attention on the women, why don't them men walk around with blinder's so that they cannot look at other women???? I, as a women, am very thankful to god, that i wasn't born into a muslim household, i know that's harsh, but it's the truth, sorry.....I just think that this attitude, that women must hide everything they've got and not be able to live, and express themselves as freely as a man, is just completely male chauvinistic..and what irks me the most, is that it somehow always is twisted around to prove that all the rules in islam are for the betterment of women themselves.....HA...most of the muslims i talk to always defend, each and everything said in their religion, i mean MAYBE, just maybe, it was relevant and appropriate, when the religion was formed and new, but with time, some rules may need some tweaking, why don't muslims seem to get that????

I am sorry if i have offended someone, i think i probably have, but these questions have been burning inside me, and i had to vent it out ...:(

Its an opinion of a few idiots and Muslims in general may or may not accept it. People of God generally have opinions that are against common wisdom...true for all religions. I am pretty sure that many Hindus and christians will totally agree with opinions of these 'Fatwa' folks.

I don't really give a horses axx for what some crazy mullahs say...but I find it alarming when Hindu people lap it up and shed crocodile tears about state of Islamic women.
Yes, I agree that Muslim women have much narrower life than most Hindu women and if I were a Muslims woman, I would have found it extremely suffocating....however, I would still prefer people to laugh off statements from these Mullahs instead of giving them undue importance.

Reminds me of that star wars movie heroine who openly said that working women are same as prostitutes...selling themselves out in return of money. We can get angry about it or laugh it off as an opinion of a child minded adult.

You know what mn_op..i actually agree with u partially....the fatwa is sooo ridculous it's laughable...and hopefully most sane, rational muslims will not give any heed to it....i guess it was just my inner feminist, coupled with my parent's upbringing which taught me to question things before accepting them....caused me to react so much...i do have some close friends growing up who were muslim, and for the most part, they too had similar lives as mine, one even became a doctor, and got married to a non-muslim guy of her choice, and her parents suppoted her decision, so yes there certainly are some muslims out there who don't stifle their daughters, but they are still a minority within the minority...
I guess the crocodile tears part was meant or me...fair enough if you think that...i know for myself i always feel bad/angry when any women, be it muslim women, or rural indian women, of any religion are oppressed and not allowed to live their life to the full possible extent...so i know how i feel...and u are entitled to ur opinion...

usadesi09;288801I guess the crocodile tears part was meant or me...

Please! No. It was for all of us. And these are not necessarily crocodile tears...many of us are truly concerned about it.

mn_op;288799but I find it alarming when Hindu people lap it up and shed crocodile tears about state of Islamic women.

That's a cruel statement. If you want us Hindus to support the Fatwa, then sure, I am ready to support it instead of wasting my crocodile tears.

All this would be true if woman was considered anything more than a property or slave. As you already know on how white treated blacks, you can easily relate!!! Unfortunate for all of them global communication is increasing with rapid pace and creating awareness. Now they feel helpless and cannot do anything to save their ideology. Hence these acts of desperation. I am just glad they are following peaceful methods and not blowing up Hindus.

As for reformers in Muslim, they are extremely few. When educated folks can be taught into blowing up buildings, how do you expect reform?

returning_indian;288848All this would be true if woman was considered anything more than a property or slave. As you already know on how white treated blacks, you can easily relate!!! Unfortunate for all of them global communication is increasing with rapid pace and creating awareness. Now they feel helpless and cannot do anything to save their ideology. Hence these acts of desperation. I am just glad they are following peaceful methods and not blowing up Hindus.

As for reformers in Muslim, they are extremely few. When educated folks can be caught into blow up buildings, how do you expect reform.

@ bold ...So very true...i think unless the day comes that people from within the muslim community stand up and denounce instead of defending decades/centuries old archaic rules and regulations, there is no hope of a change...and like u said, when qualified people are getting sucked into mass-killings under the name of a fake religious war...what hope is there...:(

usadesi09;288937@ bold ...So very true...i think unless the day comes that people from within the muslim community stand up and denounce instead of defending decades/centuries old archaic rules and regulations, there is no hope of a change...and like u said, when qualified people are getting sucked into mass-killings under the name of a fake religious war...what hope is there...:(

Some educated people will always get sucked in, no matter what. The hold of religion on minds of people is very strong when inculcated early on, but the only out is education, education and education (albeit slow) and over time, perhaps another 100 to 200 years, religous followers will become like astrology followers and at some point like flat earthers.

boca2blr;288845I scanned the OP and am left to wonder why you had to bring up references to Hindu people. :confused:

Friction between Hindus and Muslims is pretty high in India. Wehave had many religious battles played on the streets of India and the hatrade among these communities is at much personal level than you would notice in the US.

This forum is mostly Hindu and most of us have many Muslim friends...however, most of us carry that unstated grudge against Muslims in general and that shows up when we give undue importance to every stupid fatwa.

That Pramod Muthalik guy beat up women for drinking and dancing in the bars, that was far more drastic that the 'fatwa'...fatwas are just the words and what Ram Sena did was an actual implementation of far more stringent rules of Hinduism.

Did anybody of us weep over the 'state of Hindu women' then??? No! most Hindus simply called Ram Sena as a group of wayward idiots and some sent pink underwears addressed to Muthaliks by speed post. That was a right reaction.

However, whenever a fatwa is issued, our reactions are veiled attempts to find faults with Islam. I don't have statistics how many Muslims actually take their directions from Darool deoband mullahs but I am sure most of us don't really care. For us its a Fatwa by the Muslims for the Muslims.

Personally, I think Islam is a very flawed and danegrous religion and Muslim women are useless to tolerate that idiocy.