Do Arab Men Hate Women?

Rise Up, Ye Gender Appreciative's

My point of reference are loaned thoughts. One I borrow from Mohammed Al Saif wherein he identifies that Saudi males suffer from gynophobia or the fear of women. He uses the example of Saudi woman activist Samar Badawi, and the backlash amongst the local community over her receiving the International Women of Courage Award early this month in recognition of her role in advocating women's rights in the country. The other loaned thought is from American Bedu wherein she asks in a related post: “Somewhat ironic that while Saudi men will worship, honour and usually obey their mothers, they have a candid disregard of other women.”

Imagine a society where all women are educated and given the same opportunities as their menfolk. They earn the same amount, work the same hours, play the same games and have the same respect. Utopia? Not exactly. From another loan: “You're either the lamb or the knife. If you're both, you're going to cut yourself and bleed out one day.”

Forcing all women to become powerful, assertive and 'free' is tantamount to pushing them off a cliff. We're failing to reach a balance where we have the choice and option of 'freedom' to reach the level of President, if that be the highest state of liberation on a “free” world, and the choice to stay home and bake cupcakes, lounge in pyjama bottoms, and have a lift club for the kids. If,that be the highest state of liberation for a stay-at-home woman, which sadly it is not.

The emancipation must come from within. And it lies largely with our menfolk. Among the most powerful, yet humble women I've encountered are those who have strong male role models and support. Am I saying that women need men to succeed? Yes, that's what I'm saying. That's what we need for an Islamic society to progress. Get rid of the redundant notions of western feminists, and Islamic feminists and let us work towards gender appreciation. When push comes to shove men and women can do the work of each other. Combat rank females in the US military have a greater risk they say of rape from their fellow soldiers than been struck by opposition artillery. Males, they say are the worlds best chefs, sometimes the better care givers too.

Education that leads to University degrees, that lead to powerful careers maybe the key, but I doubt it. Among the women I interact with, I see plenty of degrees and careers, yet still a rising level of marital discord and petty arguments. The reason daddy educated her was 'so one day if she needed to she could stand on her own two feet.' Well, yAy! for that, but how does it help two miserable people and their children, when the same has ricochet effects in a society? Again, gender appreciation is key. Instead of giving our men puffer-fish-syndrome in a mosque lecturing them on how their Prophet [pbuh] made them the would-be objects of prostration, explain why and how they reach that status. Why such a a lofty rank? Why such responsibility? Why are they garments, protectors and maintainers? And do it without adding the jocular 'cos they're emotional beings,' yeah.

When the Prophet [pbuh]'s lovely wife Aisha [rad] was slandered and accused of adultery her husband was distraught, searching for ways to prove her innocence, going as far as asking her servant Bareera [rad] to give her a good character reference:

"I cannot accuse her of any defect except that she is still young and falls asleep, forgetting about the family's dough which the domestic goats come in to eat. (i.e. she was too naive and simple minded to deceive her husband)." [Sahih Bhukari]

Among the many things this teaches us, aside from Rasulullah [pbuh]'s devotion to his wife was that Aisha [rad], the most celebrated and revered female muhaddith, is human. She was easily bored. She got tired. She lost interest in the mundane. It is reported as a flaw, yet raised her status, and her rank. Let any career orientated woman be any less than domestic goddess and what do we get in our societies? Complaints. Yet, no solutions. Certainly, not that it is okay. Not the way our Prophet [pbuh] saw it.

There's a spoke in the wheel of our progression, and dishing out degrees, careers and awards to women may not be the solution.

As Gloria Stienem rightly said:

We've begun to raise daughters more like sons... but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters.

Similar thoughts are resonated in this post about a gender entitlement quote from Pastor Douglas Wilson.

— Umm Abdillah, Iridescent Musings

HELP! The Feminists Have Stolen My Testicles!

Disney's "Frozen" — An Ode to Female Independence and Solidarity

Frozen, Disney’s Thanksgiving present to the world, is making the rounds around Tumblr and Facebook as viewers across the globe are tantalized by the musical sensation that takes flight from the usual mold of Disney princesses, generally requiring the crutch of a prince to save the day, to a novel tale of two sisters and a kingdom of perpetual winter. The story propagates the message of why it is important for girls to stay united and support each other while also conveys the significance of independence for women.

The synopsis of Frozen revolves around the sisters, Elsa, who is apparently cryokinetic, and Anna. Elsa has no idea how to control her powers and one night, while the two sisters are playing, she injures her younger sibling which promptly churns the story into motion. Their parents seek help from the trolls to heal Anna following which her memories are scrubbed so she no longer remembers the events of her older sister hurting her. Meanwhile, Elsa, distraught, practically grounds herself in her room in despair. Their parents vow to lock the family in their castle until Elsa learns to control her powers.

Elsa’s decision to condemn herself in her room wedges a rift in between herself and her sister Anna. When the girls reach their teens, their parents are lost at sea consequent of a storm. As Elsa comes of age, she is lined up to be the queen and the kingdom of Arendelle prepares for her coronation. The gates of the castle are opened again and Anna ventures through town coming across Prince Hans. The two are infatuated while Elsa is crowned queen. During her reception, Hans proposes to Anna but Elsa refuses to allow her sister to marry a man she has just met. The two engage in an argument resulting Elsa in losing control of her powers plunging the kingdom into an endless winter.

Elsa, repulsed by what she has done, leaves Arendelle and exiles herself in her own solitary ice palace. Anna leaves on a quest to find her, coming across mountain man Kristoff and his reindeer Sven. As the story unfolds from there on, Disney unveils its greatest ace-in-the-hole with the dramatic reveal of Hans as the main antagonist of the movie.

This stands as Frozen’s most remarkable legacy. Following the events of Anna finding Elsa in the mountains and trying to convince her to return to Arendelle, the two argue once more and Elsa yet again injures Anna inadvertently. Anna slowly begins to freeze from the inside and it is told that she can only be healed by an act of true love. At this point any prior Disney movie would have probably had Prince Hans kissing Anna back to life, capturing Elsa, saving a kitten from a tree, rescuing an infant from a flaming house of fire, heralding world peace and stopping Lord Satan from unleashing the apocalypse faster than you can say deus ex machina. Instead, Frozen takes another route, one that had never been traversed by Disney. As Prince Hans is approached to help Anna from turning into a chunk of ice, he turns her away exposing his true plans to have wanted to marry Anna only to seize the throne of Arendelle.

Unlike previous Disney villains, Hans is original in the sense that, while most Disney villains are pretty much evidently evil since their first appearance, usually symbolized exhibiting pasty skin or are garbed in dark shades of grey, black or purple, he appears trustworthy and shows none of his true nature throughout the bulk of the plot leaving the audience dumbstruck at his reveal. If for nothing else, Frozen most certainly snatches attention with this and it will remain a testament to the movie’s originality.

Nonetheless, there is more. Unlike the Disney movies of the past, often highlighting the main character’s relationship with her lead man, here the focal point of the story is the bond between the two sisters rather than one between a man and a woman. The movie preaches the importance of filial love: that you never give up on family. Ever.

Also, Frozen makes its mark with the climactic scene where Anna saves her sister Elsa from the blade of Hans, subsequently ending up saving her own self too as the sacrificing she was willing to make for her sister counted as an act of love that was required to undo the power turning her into ice. Elsa learns that the secret to controlling her abilities is love and the kingdom thrives happily ever after. So, in the end, rather than prince-charming saving the damsel-in-distress, the girls save themselves through love that binds their sisterhood.

Aside from the innovative plot, Frozen also does a great job with the scenic details in animation and its musical score with the song “Do You Wanna Build A Snowman?” pretty much becoming an internet meme overnight.

Overall, Frozen breaks stereotypes of the timeworn Disney fairy-tales and spins a fable anew with superb dextertity, ingenuity and a touch of icy magic. It’s definitely a must-watch for every Disney-fan and a great family movie for kids.

Oh, by the way, did I mention Elsa is not really a Disney princess? She is a queen. And Frozen nicks itself a solid A+!

— Ani Bunny

Egyptian-born Woman Quickly Becomes "Most Powerful Woman in the City of ‪‎London‬"

Nemat Shafik, 51, has been appointed deputy governor of the Bank of England, turning her into "the most powerful woman in London," according to The Guardian.

The Guardian reports that Nemat Shafik had been the deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund for nearly three years. She was also the youngest ever vice president of the World Bank.

Nemat, who is today a US and British national, was born in Alexandria, but her family left in the 1960s "after her father lost everything during the country's nationalisation," she explained to The Guardian.

It was her experience during this time that shaped her future. "I guess the particular angle that I have on development comes from the fact that my family was nationalised, and when that occurred, I left as a child and was raised in the US and didn't go back to Egypt until I was a teenager. But that experience of nationalisation and struggling with the role of the state trying to take resources, to redistribute them, but at the same time not being very successful at it was a part of my childhood," she said.

Nemat finished high school in ‪Egypt‬ and then returned to the US where she studied economics and politics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst before undertaking a MSc in economics at London School of Economics and a doctorate from St Antony's College, Oxford.



— Sean Farrell, The Guardian via Egyptian Streets

Islam, Equity and Feminism

A few days ago we saw the entirety of Twittersphere and the whole interweb blaze into a raging inferno
centering around Sheikh Abu Eesa’s parade of disparaging prods at women. I won’t be commenting on that.
Instead, I’m going to focus my energy on a larger issue here. Does feminism have a role to play in Islam?

Many critics of feminism from the Muslim community would say no. Yet their reasoning remains grossly unsound. Often, it is the same old, “Islam already liberated women and gave them their rights fourteen-hundred years ago!
We don’t need modern feminism!” In this article I will attempt to break down why that argument just doesn’t work. However, that is not the only issue I'll try my hand on. There are a few more.

A couple of months ago, I was asked by a close friend, "What does Islam provide me that makes me declare proudly that I'm a woman?" I will be completely honest over here. I did not have an answer. I did use the timeworn reply, "You bear the responsibility of motherhood." This did not please her. She immediately blasted me back with a retort that I personally found disturbing. It involved comparing a mother to a baby-making factory. I'm sure most people are aware that a duty of a mother is a lot more. Nonetheless, I will admit my response to her question was deficient and
I will try to tackle the query a bit better this time.

Furthermore, I was also asked why it was that so many males have been mentioned by name in the Qur'an
while only one woman, Mother Mary, has been given that same honor. It seems like this problem is one created by Muslims themselves when they try to pass Islam off as a religion that has women figures as much as men.

We name Hazrat 'Aisha, Khadija and Hafsa, Lady Zainab and Fatima, among many others, however, unfortunately, more often than not these women are spoken of not for who they are personally, but rather who they are related to – Mary, mother of Jesus; ‘Aisha, wife of Muhammad; Zainab, daughter of ‘Ali, etc. Don’t these women of Islam have
an identity of their own? Surely they do, we merely fail to talk about it.

In conclusion to this rather lengthy introduction, the piece that I am about to write is going to grapple with
a wide array of topics:

• Is feminism compatible with Islam?
• Is there a necessity of a feminist movement for Muslims?
• Are the talks of Muslim women figures in Islamic theology such as Hazrat Maryam and Zainab a case of pure apologetics?

First of all, in order to start off this discussion, it is very important to establish the definition of feminism. Feminism is not a movement to implant the superiority of women over men. Feminism is rather a movement to
demand equal social, political and economic rights for both men and women. Does Islam advocate this? Yes.

Islam firmly believes in equity and uniform justice between men and women on grounds that, in the end, we are
all immaterial souls installed into a physical body imparted with the responsibility to do good and act righteously for the sake of God. No-one is greater in the sight of God for being male or female, rich or poor, white or black
except for those who are pious and charitable towards their fellow human beings and living creatures.

During a time when women were seen as nothing more than disposable commodity, the birth of a girl was seen as disgraceful for the household and infanticide of daughters through live burial was common, Islam gave women
not only the status of being human but also the honor of being wives and mothers rather than lifeless sex slaves
as they were deemed to be by society then. But is it enough? Absolutely not.

The misogyny that Prophet Muhammad fought against back then using the weapon of Islam does not excuse us to sit idle and absorb the misogyny prevalent in society today. Misogyny does not only reside within child burials and entitling women as sex slaves of society. If our Prophet were alive today he would be fighting the patriarchal views of the current era as he did during his own. If he elevated the status of women from being treated as worse than dogs to declaring Heaven underneath their feet, by God, he would have fought against the disgusting ilk of
forced marriages, female genital mutilation and domestic abuse. Why are we afraid to follow his example?

The problem among many Muslims today is that we are complacent with saying that Islam has granted women equal rights as men 1,400 years ago and then exercising none of it. The dilemma is baffling. If a country has laws dictating murder as a crime and there is a serial-killing spree followed by a protest demanding the quick arrest of
the criminal, we don't go around and say, "Why are these people creating such a ruckus right now?
We criminalized murder in our constitution years ago!"

Just because Islam laid down the foundations of equal rights for men and women does not mean that
everyone follows it. Islam asks us to pay mandatory money to charity and you still have Saudi monarchs sitting on billions of dollars sparing not a penny on the poor and needy. Yes, the laws are in place but most of us fail to
execute it and therein lies the problem. We need a movement to put the gears into motion, to remind us that
Islam advocates for equal rights and it is high time we act upon it. We need a feminist movement.

A common cop-out by many Muslims today to counter against charges of misogyny within the Islamic community is that Islam venerates women to the point where we have figures like Maryam umm 'Isa and Hazrat Zainab binte 'Ali as key characters in our theology and history. People cite chapters of the Qur'an named after women, etc. Stop.

There are multiple issues with this approach. First of all, no-one is arguing that the religion Islam is misogynistic.
The simple accusation is that Muslim communities are misogynistic and this may very well be a problem of
the people within the community failing to follow the tenets of the faith. Second, the very context that we mention venerated figures of Islamic history and theology such as Saint Mary and Lady Zainab is wrong.

Saint Mary, Lady Zainab, Hazrat 'Aisha and Fatima, Bibi Khadija, these people we speak of in Islamic literature are not venerated because they are women similarly as Prophet Muhammad, Abraham or Jesus are not venerated because they are men. The gender has little to do with it. Their actions are what makes them noteworthy. 

Prophet Muhammad, Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, Imam Husayn are not role models for just Muslim men but
Muslim women too. Their zeal to fight for peace and liberty against oppression and injustice is one we are to
emulate in our daily lives regardless of our age, gender, nationality, social status or sexual identity.

The same goes for Mary. The Virgin Mother is a foremost symbol of personal strength and independence,
a young woman surviving on her own in a vastly patriarchal society not only dismissive of her values but
openly hostile towards her. Many of us today, regardless of our gender identity, often face similar obstacles in
an increasingly toxic world.

Hazrat Khadija is yet another symbol of such impressive strength, a woman supporting her spouse regardless of
the social pressure bearing down on her given that she was literally harboring public enemy number one of her era while maintaining a business successful enough to sustain herself and her family is impressive. On top of that, bravely accepting a faith seen as the brand of a pariah during the time? Dude, that's like walking around with
a giant bull's eye on your forehead. #Badass

One has to realize that even though all these figures were related to great men, in Islamic faith, we believe God dictates everything and chooses people for responsibilities as per their skills and capabilities. For instance,
the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, it is believed by Muslims, were chosen to be the best of all generations. They are referred to as the Righteous Predecessors. This wasn't a matter of chance but a mandate from God.

While we're on that note, it is also important to note that the men around Prophet Muhammad are also known through their relation to him as his companions but venerated because of their own merit. 'Aisha and Khadija may be known to us as wives of the Prophet but that is not what earns them respect, that comes through with their virtue whether it be the role they played in preserving the traditions of Islam as done by Sayyida 'Aisha bint Abu Bakr or protecting and supporting the Prophet as done by Bibi Khadija.

The fact of the matter is that we also know of the wife of Lot, the son of Noah and Abu Lahab are also named in
the Qur'an. None of these are honors in and of itself. Neither of the triad is mentioned in a positive light and
all three, along with Satan and the Pharaoh of the Exodus, also characters mentioned in the Qur'an, are
condemned to Hell.

Basically the characters mentioned in the Qur'an are not chosen to be so because of their gender or nationality; instead, they are categorized as souls, liberated of all forms identity except for whether they are righteous or sinful. Mary is righteous, the Pharaoh is sinful. Moses is righteous, Abu Lahab is sinful. This is the only differentiation made in regards to them in the Qur'an. 

The examples set forth by God through the narrative of these figures are to serve as a moral guidance and
a warning to people of all nations, all sexual identities and orientations, all age groups and all social classes.
The message is simple: do not be greedy, do not be envious, do not be proud; spend in charity, love your neighbor, be humble.



— Fahim Ferdous Kibria

What is Wrong With Islam Today?