21 February 2017

Yassmin Abdel-Magied said nothing wrong. She should not have to face this venom

.... So when Abdel-Magied states that Islam is the most feminist of religions, she is right: consent in marriage, freedom to work and control over economic livelihood, freedom from violence were all indeed unheard of among the monotheists religions at that time.

In fact these rights would not arrive to the rest of the world till much later. But as soon as those rights were established men mobilised to undermine those rights and corrode the gains made by women, even though these rights are arguably sharia and therefore sacred.

.... hrowing gay men off buildings, enslavement of women and children, early and forced marriage and female genital cutting are not sharia. The fact that some Muslims do these things, does not make them Islamic, and it most certainly does not make them sharia.

Abdel-Magied was trying to make these points, but Lambie appeared far more enamoured with her prejudice and self-righteousness. But that is always the desire with anti-Muslim activists, not to engage but to silence, not to elucidate but to obscure, not to reach an understanding but to polarise. [670 comments]

[TOP RATED COMMENT 291 votes] I suspect most people's concerns are driven by the way Moslems behave in their own countries.

Even countries that are regarded as "moderate" such as Malaysia and Indonesia discriminate against the non Moslem population.

Whether Moslems regard it as fair or not, non-Moslems look at societal standards in Moslem countries and say "we don't want that here".

For example, in the news this morning, at a school in Sydney male Moslem students will be able to refuse physical contact with women teachers (eg no shaking hands etc).

The reason people are concerned with Sharia is that it's seen as code for "Moslems don't have to change, everyone else has to change to suit them". They demand a tolerance in countries where they are a minority that they do not show in countries where they are the majority.

It's a clear double standard.

[5TH 205] You are absolutely correct particularly "Moslems don't have to change, everyone else has to change to suit them". There is currently a review into Sharia Law courts in the UK on the grounds that women get a poor deal from them. Only men sit in the courts.

Men's evidence is worth twice as much as women's in line with Islamic teachings. The other thing is that Muslims fail to discuss their religion with infidels, particularly if it is controversial, such as their position on homosexuality or Sharia Law. Note they are very defensive but fail to provide details on their beliefs.

[2RD 89] No, she didn't commit a crime, but she did say something galactically stupid. And she's being called out for it.

[3TH 277] Fucking religion....what a total crock the lot of it is.

[4TH 259] The petition to sack her is ridiculous, but her remarks about Islam and feminism are simply ignorant.

[6TH 197] I think what surprised most people watching the program was the insistence that women have equality with men, within Islam. A claim that is demonstrably and patently false.

I have no worries with whatever religion people wish to follow, just expect to be called out. [Guardian Cif] Read more