Motivations of the 'Million Women March'

I don’t see why I have to respect your culture, but I would follow your laws if I visited Morocco. The problem is that people do ask to apply Sharia in England, and in other western countries.

When I mentioned the mutual respect of culture, I implied the respect of being different since we’re not all the same, we’ve not the same background and traditions, so as long as my culture doesn’t harm or bother the others then at least you can respect it, otherwise we can’t coexist!!!

As for the respect of law, I would do the same if I come to your country, this is so logical!

Concerning the application of Sharia in England and the other countries, well what is said in Islam is the Sharia law hasn’t to be applied on non-Muslims, and if there are non-muslims who live in Muslim countries, the only case when the Sharia (or Islamic law) is applied for them is in the case of legal disputes, since the law is based on Islam, other than that they have the freedom to exercise their religions as they want (I’m talking about what is stated in religious texts and what our Prophet (Peace be upon him) has done in his time, not about what people actually do these days, which can be, unfortunately, very far from what should be done).

And now I can recall that there was an Egyptian actress, who is Christian, who wants to get her divorce but she couldn’t do it religiously since there was some complications (I can’t remember what was exactly, but I think it’s banned in their sect to do so), so she did it in the Islamic way by asking for divorce in the court (which based on Islamic law), since Muslim women have the right to ask for divorce and they get it.

Why is an apostate a danger to anyone’s security?

People’s lives are very much in danger if they are open about being ex-muslim on social media, even here in England. This isn’t the case with other religions.

The problem with apostates is that they start trying to make the others leave their religion, and in history most cases when the punishment was applied was for political reasons to keep the Islamic countries bind together. That’s the danger disturbing from apostasy. And before declaring someone as an apostate there are lot of conditions that has to be fulfilled, and the punishment, if there is any, it has to be done by the assigned authorities who made their investigations and all, not by normal citizens, otherwise things will be more out of hands and anyone can point anyone as an apostate.

As a personal opinion, I don’t have any problem with people who leave Islam, everyone has the right to do whatever he/she wants, as far as they don’t start describing us, Muslims, as stupid and retarded to follow this religion, a minimum respect has to be required from them.

This is the part that many people here don’t understand about Islam, that I have tried to explain to them.

Unfortunately even some Muslims don’t get this. We worship God from the start of the day until its end, when we work hard, we do it for the sake of God, even when we eat we do it for the same reason, and that goes for all the other parts of our daily life, so it’s a life style.

This is one point I will admit I might be wrong on, but why are they specifically named in Sharia if not to enforce them?

As I told you before Sharia is the law that governs all the areas of our life as Muslims. So of course when it comes to our religious celebration it will be stated when and the ritual that has to be done in this days, Eid Al fitr after a month of fasting, and Eid Al Adha in the day when Abraham (Peace be upon him) was going to sacrifice his son, Muslims have to sacrifice a sheep in this day (poor Muslims don’t have to do that, instead the rich ones have to give them from theirs).

So Sharia is not only punishments and rewards, it’s also about what we do in our daily life.

Its nearly unheard of for jewish people, even hardcore zionists demand that kosher food be made available to them. This is not the case with islamists and halal food.

Well maybe because they didn’t have that problem since they were more accepted than Muslims, and it’s known between Muslims who live in non-Muslim countries that they ate Jewish food if the halal food isn’t available, since it is prepared in nearly the same way of ours (I’m talking from religious point of view, without pork, alcohol, and they don’t eat meat if the animal was not slaughtered by cutting the throat, this is what’s known in general).

My limited understanding of animal slaughter is that we do it by driving a steel bolt directly into the skull, causing instant death.

Yes this another way, but there are who electroshock them or strangle them. But in Islam the animal has to be slaughtered by cutting its throat.

If you can provide me with a source that you think is reliable then I will read it.

Unfortunately I don’t have a name of a book in English, but what I would suggest you is to read the translation of Quran and its explanation (without a judgmental eye, otherwise you won’t understand anything in it), and the books of Al Bukhari and Muslim (it’s the name of the author) for the good classified Hadiths.

Otherwise if you want to read other books, I would advise you to read those written by authors who have a good background in religion (university doctors, respectful scholars etc), because this what we do as Muslims, so we can get the trustful information.

Cars didn’t exist when Sharia was developed, so I wouldn’t expect their to be laws about them. This is also a weakness of Sharia, in that it is difficult to modernise.

Lot of modern things didn’t exist at that time, we are talking about more than 1400 years. But scholars made their decisions about these things based on religious texts, so for woman driving cars don’t present any problem in all the Muslim countries (except in Saudi Arabia), since women can go out alone.

Homosexuality is illegal in Morocco, that isn’t very liberal.

I said more liberal, not the most. Our law is based on religious laws that was modified by religious scientists to fit with our modern life, since in Islam Homosexuality is not accepted so of course it will not be in our law (we are not the only one in the world, even in some occidental countries the marriage of homosexual people was accepted just some years ago). But that doesn’t mean they are killed or something like that by the <u>authorities</u>, they can be jailed for a moment, if it was very clear that they are homosexual, but nothing more than that.

And just that I won’t be attacked!!! I’m not homophobic; It’s their decision, and their responsibility to assume their choices.

Rayhan answering some of your points,

You state that Sharia law allows and respects other religions/ faiths including the ability for people to lives their lives as they see fit yet in the quran is says ” kill infidels when you find them”,.. how is that compatible with what you have just stated.  “Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”

Regarding consent of minors you state from the Quran ” Her permission is her silence”. By this I assume you infer if a woman for eg was asked for sex and said nothing it would be perfectly fine to rape her if she said nothing. No great shock so many of these sex offenders are muslim in the Uk is it with this type of ” teaching”

You continually state how important family and a strong “family unit” is in Islam but then go on to admit it’s perfectly acceptable for men to have multiple wives / sex partners spreading their seed as long as the child knows who the father is. If that represents a close family unit to you, I’m glad I’m not part of what is essentially a fairly sordid, dirty state of affairs manipulated for a mans sexual pleasure under the guise of a religion.

Regarding the legality of believing in ” allah”, no law in any civilised country brings religion into  the debate and it should not be legal or illegal to deny what is essentially a foolish myth attempting to find an emotional crutch in death.

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BB

True guilt is in affecting people in ways they don’t choose. And people never really want someone who isn’t guilty to be affected in a way they don’t want. It’s only the actually guilty people who are suicidal by the hands of people. Optimism also helps with good decisions.

Respect is something that has to be earned, not given freely. It would be very hard for a culture that would imprison me for being attracted to the wrong person to earn my respect. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t coexist, we are speaking to each other without any problems.

Ok at least we can tolerate our coexistence! Like we do “tolerate” the fact that Hijab is banned in some European countries and now Muslims are banned from entering the USA land, if they come from countries of conflict (Syria, Irak, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Lybia).

They are free as long as they pay Jizya (also speaking of what is stated in religious texts). I think that ISIS is the only place that currently implements that.

Since you talked about the Jizya I will clarify some points about it: Jizya in Arabic means paying for a favor. In the Islamic law, we, Muslims, have financial responsibilities towards our society, which is given in form of charity (Sadaqa) or the obligated one which is Zakat (one the Islam five pillars). This money (or lands or whatever we give) is given to the financial house (Bayt mal al mouslimine) to be distributed on poor people (Muslims and non-Muslims, and again I’m talking about what it has to be done), and for the dispenses that the authorities has to spend for military purposes, what they have to fix for common benefits etc…Since non-Muslims are part of the Muslim country (if they are), they have to assume their responsibility as citizens, but they cannot be forced to pay in the same religious way as Muslims since it doesn’t fit with their religions, and this is why the Jizya was obligated on them, it’s a form of taxes that they have to pay. Jizya has to be paid by basically adult men, when women, children, priests who don’t have any economical activities, old men who can’t work, handicapped people who can’t work, and the transsexual who doesn’t determine his/her gender yet don’t have to pay it. Poor people (who don’t have money) from Non-Muslims don’t have to pay the Jizya, but instead they are helped by the financial house just like the other poor Muslims, without any difference. The amount of Jizya, which is in general less than what Muslims give in Zakat, depends on the economic situation of people, richer people pay more than poor people, and money can be divided in months.

Those who pays al Jizya are called ahlo-dima (people under the protection of Muslims by a pact), they have to be treated with respect, and no one has the right to oppress them, or to force them to do something just because they have a different religion, as what the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) has said: “Whoever kills a mu‘aahid (a non-Muslim living under Muslim rule) will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, although its fragrance may be detected from a distance of forty years.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2995, and also said: “If anyone wrongs a mu‘aahid, detracts from his rights, burdens him with more work than he is able to do or takes something from him without his consent, I will plead for him (the mu‘aahid) on the Day of Resurrection.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3052; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, and they don’t have to fight in wars, since they’ve already paid for their protection, but if one of them volunteers for that purpose then he doesn’t have to pay Al jizya. If they don’t pay the Jizya they will punished, not killed, just like any Muslim would be punished for not giving the Zakat, and like if you don’t pay your taxes there will be more to pay, but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be protected etc, and when I say punishment it doesn’t mean physical, it means they will be forced to pay it, if they can to do so of course.

If ever the Muslims leave that country they give the money back, since their protection is not applicable anymore.

As muslims we have to treat non-Muslims in a good manner, as long as they don’t fight us, God says in the Quran (translation): “Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who deal with equity. 9. It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion and have driven you out of your homes and helped to drive you out that Allah forbids you to befriend them. And whoever will befriend them, then such are the wrong-doers.” [Al-mumtahana(chapter 60) 8-9]

Jizya is no more applicable now, since there are other financial systems which are applied, and unfortunately even some Muslims don’t assume their responsibilities towards their societies, so we can’t ask the others to do so!

As for ISIS or any extremist groups who kill in the name of a religion (Islam or whatever other religion) to justify their barbaric behavior, well I’m not concerned by them. They don’t represent me and I don’t acknowledge them. For me and the most majority of Muslims those are criminals, who present a danger for the whole world, Muslims first since they use our young people (18-24) who represent the future of our countries, and my own country was a victim of them more than once, they didn’t even respect the place where the Prophet (PBUH) is buried and they made an attack, they didn’t respect dead people and they attacked Jewish cemetery, so they represent themselves, criminals who have to be put in jail and punished for their crimes the way they deserve.

But even if it was only applied to muslims in England, that would still lead to many situations which are in conflict with British law. Any punishments that Sharia would place on homosexual people would be in violation of anti-discrimination laws. Sharia marriages are also not officially recognised, so cannot resolve conflicts in courts of law.

Again I will tell you that the Sharia has not to be applied in the Non-Muslim countries, since it concerns the way Muslims have to rule their countries and societies, unless the laws of other religions are taken into account in these countries, in this case Muslims’ rights have to be respected as well since they are a part of the society. If the other religious people can practice their religions freely, why Muslims cannot?

I don’t see how many elements of Sharia could be officially recognised in England without removing legal protections that exist for a good reason. I think sometimes our anti-discrimination laws are applied when sometimes they shouldn’t be, but that is a different discussion (one that involves cake shops).

Financial laws, the distribution of legacy between the hires, etc… you have to look above punishments which are the only thing that most people criticizing Islam are focusing on. We, as Muslims, do not live with a knives in our hands, and you have just to look in History books to see how Muslims were in the past, when they were really appliying the laws as they have to be applied.

I don’t know how marriage works in Egypt, but that wouldn’t be possible (or required) in England. Marriages are legal contracts and they can only be terminated in a court of law. This isn’t the case in all western countries which is why gay marriage isn’t allowed in Germany for example.

Collectivist ideologies are always oppressive in this manner, be it a religion or something like communism. The solution should be to examine why people would want to leave your religion and to fix the problems, not to punish them and make others fearful to leave themselves.

Before punishing them, they talk to them, or at least they have to talk to them, and try to understand why they change their mind, and they give them a period to think about their decision.

What rewards are given under Sharia? I have only ever seen punishments.

Well rewards are basically related to God’s satisfaction. If you pray, fast, do good deeds to other people (Muslims or not), being good and respectful to your parents, work hard (whether in a Muslim country or not), doing your obligations as they have to be done and other things, then your reward will be the satisfaction of God, and you’ll enter the Paradise (yes we believe in the life of hereafter).

I own a Quran (English translation), and I have read it. I have also read some of the Hadiths, but I will look into the ones that you named when I have time.

Just for the Quran if you find its explanation (the explanation of Ibn Kathir (the name of the author) is the most used among Muslims) they would help you to understand it more. As for Sharia, I think books of Imam Malik, especially Al mouwatae (if you can find its translation), are more suitable for you, he’s known to be very moderate, and here in morocco our laws are basically based on his knowledge.

And if you’re in England you can see Professors (again Muslims or not) at Universities, of course if you’re very interested in good discussions with people with good background about Islam.

It’s not a choice to be homosexual, although people who think it is determined at birth are also wrong.

 I said choice because there are some psychologists who said that it can be “cured”, so I don’t know either!!!

I know that was very long, but I has to explain some points so that my conscience would be comfortable.

To answer your first question about feminism and Sharia, Yes you can be a Muslim woman and a feminist in the same time. Actually we took our rights as Muslim women to study, work, and take our decisions alone because of Islam, since there was a time when Muslim men tried to oppress women in the name of Islam too, using some Quran verses in the wrong time and place, but that was blocked by defending our rights using religious texts.