Posted on 10/31/2005 10:36:28 PM PST by nickcarraway
Marching under the banner of a new jihad, Islamic feminists have launched what they hope will become a global movement to liberate Muslim women.
A meeting in Barcelona, which drew women from as far away as Malaysia, Mali, Egypt and Iran, set itself the task of squaring Islam with feminism.
That meant not just combating 14 centuries of sexism in the Muslim world, participants said, but also dealing with the animosity towards Islam of many Western or secular feminists. They insisted that many of the fundamental concepts of equality embraced by feminism could also be found in the Koran.
"Gender jihad is the struggle against male chauvinistic, homophobic or sexist readings of Islamic sacred texts," said Abdennur Prado, one of the meeting's Spanish organisers.
Sexist readings had been provided by Muslim scholars who, over the centuries, have been almost exclusively male. "Male chauvinism is the destruction of Islam as a well-balanced way of life," Mr Prado said.
A leading voice was Amina Wadud, an African-American theology professor who provoked outrage when she led mixed-sex Friday prayers in New York this year. She said her commitment to change was born from studying the Koran and the realisation that "horrific things were being done in the name of religion".
With obstacles such as the stoning to death of women, polygamy and the legal inferiority of women in some countries, progressives admitted there was a long climb ahead.
The greatest danger was the spread of radically conservative, Saudi-backed schools of Islam. "They don't want to go forward; they want to go back," said Dr Wadud, who also led mixed prayers at the Barcelona meeting.
Raheel Raza, a Canadian of Pakistani origin, said it was hard to break the mould. "I already have a fatwa against me. I don't want to be murdered on the street," she said.
Ohhhhhhhh Kayyyyyyy.
This is going to be interesting. I’m putting $5 on the Muslim guys and their 72 virgins.
walp... if they want the trappings of islam but don't want the sexism (and other crap)... then they don't want real islam, do they?
Drop the stupid religion altogether. Why do they want to stay in one that relegates them to 3rd rate animals?
Amazing, some still defend Islam (pig feet be upon it).
Islam and feminism. What more could you ask for?
I used to believe the made-for-primetime "5 pillars" version was the long and short of Islam, and based on that belief I was quite tolerant of Islam.
A friend of mine, an Iranian and lapsed Muslim, literally smacked me on the head and told me to read the Koran and Hadith before thinking to defend Islam from criticism.
I did so.
I have found the public image of Islam to be greatly at odds with the reality of Islam's "holy" tenets.
I have found the terrorism and genocide practiced by Muslims worldwide since this cult's inception to square very well with those tenets.
I have concluded that Islam is -at its most innocent- an insane bloody-handed death cult cum mafia-style organized crime ring.
It may in fact be something worse.
and, no: not all Muslims are murderers in wait... those who are not are often enough nice folks who are deeply ignorant of the reality of the cult into which they fell (by birth or through misadventure).
I'll take that bet. $5 on the women scorned..
So, a male has to organize the "feminist jihad" meeting for the rebellious women. Bwaaaahahahhahahahahha!
Not surprising to find the men of FD jeering at womens' attempt to free themselves from a repressive male-dominated society. Disappointing, but not surprising.
Promising news. Hugely important development in the culture wars with Islam.
Islamic feminists will not get any help from free world feminist. Any bets?
Ha! Now there's a disruption of Jihadism that I'd like to see: the true spirit behind all cloaks of feminism (for example, Valerie Solanis of S.C.U.M, Society for Cutting Up Men). Will we send N.O.W. members or religious pretenders from one of the larger organizations to start a high abortion rate through any/all feminist practices in Islamist countries? Maybe we should send some homo-activists along with the goddess worshippers, eh?
If it is will freepers be as quick to criticize
I'll believe 'em when they start eating bacon for breakfast.
LOL
This is huge. Islam (submission) is built on the back of crushed, submissive womanhood - remove their chains, and Islam will crumble. This is a feminist movement we at FR should support absolutely.
Also: "Gender Jihad" is a suprisingly cool title.
Well, good luck. People can swallow some amazing contradictions, it seems ... even "Islam" and "feminism."
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