What Misery to Be a Muslim's Wife!

Part 1

[Studies on Women In Islam]

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The life of a Muslim woman under Islam is much different from a woman in a Western country who enjoys freedom. In Muslim countries, Muslim men say, "My son comes first, then my horse, then my wife." This saying indicates the way women are viewed under Islam. Following is a glimpse of the restricted, oppressed and miserable lives of Muslim women.

I am a Muslim woman. I have no face. I have no identity. At age 9, I am considered an adult. Being an adult means that I am accountable under Islamic law and can be punished for any wrong doing. I can be incarcerated or even executed for voicing opinions contrary to Islam.

I have to cover myself from head to toe in yards of fabric. Mohammed, Islam's founder, became very upset when he noticed his wives flirting with men who visited him (K 33:53). Since then, women were ordered to stay behind a partition when speaking with men and the veil that covers women became Islamic custom. An Islamic agency sets the dress code (color, style and accessories) for females as young as 7 years of age. If I refuse to be veiled, it will bring shame and dishonor to my family and I will be shunned by other women.

I can be arrested, beaten and even executed if I wear make-up, nylon stockings, tight or sheer clothing or bright colors, especially the color red.

In some Islamic countries, if I am arrested for wearing make-up, my face will be cleaned with cotton balls containing shivers of glass.

I must pray five times a day except when I am on my period. During this time, Allah, the god of Islam, considers me unclean and will not hear my prayers. Also, if any Muslim passes gas, burps, sneezes, has a nose bleed, or looks around while praying, Allah will not hear his prayer or give him credit for it.

During Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, I must fast from sunrise to sunset.

I am not allowed to swim, ski, ride a bike, dance, play musical instruments or participate in sports. I am not permitted to watch men play sports, even on television.

I cannot travel, work, go to college, join organizations, or even visit my friends and relatives without the consent of my father or brother, or husband, if I am married. Conservative Muslim families believe women should leave their house only two times in their lifetime: when they marry and when they die. They do not allow their women to go outside their house, even veiled.

At age 6, I am segregated from all males except my father and brothers. Mohammed, Islam's founder, said, "When a man and woman are alone, the devil is present." I can only be taught by females or by males from behind a partition.

I must be treated by female doctors and dentists. If there are none, I either go without treatment or speak to the male doctor through a partition without an actual examination. I am not allowed to practice birth control, even if carrying or having a child is dangerous for me.

My rights are half those of a man. It does not matter who I am, how educated I am or what earning potential I may have, my rights are still half those of a man under Islamic law. If my husband dies, I only inherit one-eighth of his estate; the rest is divided between children, with sons inheriting twice as much daughters. If a man has only daughters, at his death, part of his estate will go to his parents and siblings.

If I am injured or die, the compensation paid to me, or to my next of kin, is half as much as the amount paid to a man. A woman's life is worth the market value of 50 camels or 100 cows [a man's life is worth the market value of 100 camels or 200 cows]. If a woman is murdered and her killer is unable to pay her family compensation, under Islamic law, he is not obligated to pay.

Under Islamic law, a man's testimony in court carries more weight than a woman's. The Koran requires you have two men or one man and two women to testify in your behalf in court.

In Islamic countries, I cannot vote and if I am elected to an office, I have little power. According to the Koran, one of the seven qualifications to become a judge is that you NOT be a woman. I am not allowed to hold any supervisory position over a man.

According to the teachings of Mohammed, parents are required to have their daughters circumised before puberty in order to diminish their desire for or pleasure in sex.

I can be engaged as young as age 6 and married as early as age 9 as Mohammed did with Aisha. Mohammed said, "It is an honor for a girl to have her first menstrual period in her husband's house."

I cannot choose my mate and marriages are usually arranged by parents or grandparents.

Under Islamic law, I must be willing anytime my husband desires sex. If I refuse, my husband has the right to beat me and deny me food and sex.

Mohammad said, "Any wife who refuses sex with her husband will be cursed by the angels of Allah."

According to Islam, sexual relations between a man and woman are considered as evil, lustful and unclean, even if they are married. Islamic custom requires they bathe after engaging in sexual relations.

I am fully at my husband's disposal. He is allowed to abuse me sexually or use me in a sexually perverted manner. The Koran teaches, "Your wives are like a field. Plow them as often and anyway you wish." (K 2:223)

I must do all household chores. I am not allowed to leave my house, even to do charitable work without my husband's permission. If I disobey my husband's wishes, Allah will curse me and not hear my prayers.

Polygamy is legal under Islam. My husband can have four permanent wives and as many concubines as he wishes (Koran 4:3). Muslim men justify their right to have many wives by saying, "If a rooster can mate with several hens and a stallion with several mares, why can a man not have several wives."

Even if I am opposed to my husband having another wife, I cannot get a divorce as Islamic law states that polygamy is a right granted to men by Allah and is not legal grounds for a woman to get a divorce. If a woman tries to appeal to the Muslim clergy or a court that the teachings of the Koran are unfair and abusive to women, they are told, "Allah made it this way. It is not in our hands."

While my husband can divorce me for any reason and even without my knowledge, I cannot file a complaint if my husband abuses me or refuses to have sexual relations. Under Islamic law, a woman can only ask for a divorce if her husband is impotent or does not have sexual relations with her at least once every forty days.

Am I Happy as a Muslim Woman?

Muslim men claim that women are a priority under Islam. They believe women are more respected, honored, and protected under Islam than any other religion. This is NOT true! The teachings of Mohammad in the Koran justify men treating women like dirt and slaves.

In fact, Mohammad, the founder of Islam, advocated the assault and battery of women (K 4:34). Under Islamic law, women are considered as property, owned by men for their pleasure and to produce children.

Muslim men say, "My son comes first, then my horse, then my wife." The Koran teaches that women are subordinate to men and legalizes discrimination against women and peoples of other religions. These teachings are ingrained in the mind of Muslim men from childhood and affect the way they view women.

Under Islam, Allah denied me everything and gave me no rights. He made men in charge of me and gave them the right to control all aspects of my life. Men are the managers of the affairs of women because Allah preferred men over women and we have to accept it whether we like it or not. "Men are superior to women." (K 2:228)

Muslim girls are legally considered to be mature at age 9 and boys at age 15. Why did Allah place men in charge of women if girls mature six years earlier? There is something wrong with this logic!

If I am divorced or my husband dies, I am not allowed to have custody of our children. I have to surrender my children to their father if we divorce, or to his family in the event of his death.

Under Islamic law, if a girl of age seven or over is raped, it is automatically believed that she provoked it. Her family may kill her as she brought dishonor to her family.

I hate the teachings of Allah, the god of Islam, written in the Koran. The Koran is really written by Mohammad to give men the right to control and abuse women and to justify the killing of non-Muslims.

Is there a DEITY that will treat me with respect, honor and fatherly love?

GLOSSARY

* Islam originally is a political revolution led by Muhammad Bin Abd Allah in Arabia in the 7th century. The term was not derived from the Arabic word "salam", which means "peace" as Muslims claim. It was derived from "istislam" which means "surrender or die", the word Muhammad shouted while pursing his opposition. His militant commands and pagan beliefs are contained in the Koran, the book of Islam.

* Mecca is the city in Arabia where Muhammad began his campaign (610-623 A.D.) to gain followers. At that time, because he had no military support, he took no action against people who chose not to follow him.

* Medina is the city in Arabia where Muhammad moved after his mother's tribe offered him military support. In Medina (623-633 A.D.) he and his mother's tribe waged wars to force people to follow them or be killed. In the Koran, one can clearly see the difference in Muhammad's tolerant teachings in Mecca and his harsh teachings in Medina. Today, Muslims continue to wage wars, wherever they have political power, to force people into Islam.

* The Koran is the book of Islam that Muhammad claimed was revealed to him by Allah, the moon god of Arabs.

(K 1:1) stands for (Koran chapter 1: verse 1)

* The Bukhary is a collection of Muhammad's sayings.

(B 1:1) stands for (Bukhary volume 1: saying 1)

* Jihad, the holy war, is the most sacred duty of Muslims and is carried out by militant Muslims, politically known as terrorists. Their goal is to spread Islam by force and, as instructed by the Koran, to kill whoever refuses to convert.