B1,6,301 While on his way
to pray, Mohammed passed a group of
women and he said, “ladies,
give to charities and donate money to the
unfortunate, because I have
witnessed that most of the people in hell
are women.
they asked, “why is that?”
he answered, “you swear too
much, and you show no gratitude to your
husbands. I have never come
across anyone more lacking in intelligence,
or ignorant of their
religion than women. A careful and intelligent man
could be misled by many of
you.”
they responded, “what
exactly are we lacking in intelligence or
faith?”
Mohammed said, “is it not
true that the testimony of one man is the
equal to the testimony of
two women?”
after they affirmed that
this was true, Mohammed said, “that illustrates
that women are lacking in
intelligence. Is it not also true that
women may not pray nor fast
during their menstrual cycle?” they said
that this was also true.
Mohammed then said, “that
illustrates that women are lacking in
their religion.”
Author’s Comments:
Muslims look to Mohammed, as Islam’s perfect man, for
guidance in all matters. This example of circular logic gives us (and Muslims)
an insight into Mohammed’s opinion of women.
According to his religion, their
testimony in court is only worth half that of a man’s. They were also not
allowed to pray or fast whilst menstruating. From this, Mohammed drew the
conclusion that women were lacking in intelligence and in religion.
According to Sharia Law:
·
Women cannot initiate divorce.
·
Women receive lower inheritance
than men.
·
Women have less right to child
custody in a divorce.
·
Men may marry multiple women
without being obliged to inform either the new bride, or his existing wives.
These are just a few of the conditions imposed on
Muslim women. What is potentially even more harmful is Islam’s obsession with
(female) sexual morality. Considering Mohammed’s treatment of female captives,
his child bride and eleven wives, this might seem confusing to a non-Muslim.
As usual this confusion resolves itself if we consider
Islam as a vehicle for (particularly tribal) conquest. As we have already seen,
Islam uses women to advance itself, using their reproductive capacity to grow
its numbers.
However, women are also seen as a two edged sword. Many
famous rifts throughout history have been caused by jealousy over women. Helen
of Troy is reputed to have had “a face which launched a thousand ships,” (and
ten years of warfare) whilst Mark Anthony’s battles with Caesar were sparked by
rivalry over Cleopatra. These are just two of the more famous examples of armies
and societies torn apart by jealousy over women.
In tribal conflicts in particular, rivalries and
tensions over women and particularly infidelity, have the potential to cause
catastrophic rifts. These can destroy harmony and lead to defeat. Mohammed,
with eleven wives and various concubines and female slaves, had more than his
fair share of problems with women. Eventually these became so serious that he
was advised to put them behind a veil.
By controlling women, Mohammed found his problems were
reduced and he was free to concentrate on Jihad. Sharia Law reflects this, by
placing women in a position of powerlessness from the time of their birth.
Sharia Law also imposes the most hideously barbaric
punishments, to prevent any hint of sexual impropriety on behalf of Muslim
women. These can range from public floggings, right through to being buried to
the waist and stoned to death. Women are often killed by family members before
such cases go to court. These extra-judicial murders are known as “honour killings”
and are increasingly common in “Western” countries.
In order to prevent any of these potential “problems,”
some Islamic societies go a step further and carry out a procedure on girls
before they reach sexual maturity. The horror of this practice (known as Female
Genital Mutilation or FGM) is almost beyond comprehension.
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