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It seems Miss Syeda Sultana has a great courage to express her views but need to study Islam alot to correct her views. Like many other women irrespective of religion, she also having thoughts of male domination on society under the shade of religious texts. Find out the facts with open mind thinking without having pre conclusions. So called modern socities - consider each and every aspect of their society and compare it with islamic society - you will find the truth. 1. Out of about 200 US presidents, can you name a single female president ? 2. Can western society able to erase crimes against females - rape, harrassment, and so on ? With the help of veil and certain precautions islam shows not only to stop aggression but also shows the ways how to elinate it from society. 3. Both husband and wife are employees, who will take care of children ? 4. Divorce rate looks high in asian countries since we follow the system of marriage - whereas western societies how many following the concept of male, female marriage., instead guy marriages and lesbians marriages increasing day by day - which distroys basic structure of society. 5. Now look at our indian culture, DOWRY - compare it with other religions and islam. Only islam strictly says bride should be paid but not bridegroom. 6. Property rights - women has property right in islam whereas others just about a century ago adapted 7. Main argument from so called modern world why muslim dont get education and why they dont work. Just think over regarding the work, the modern society under the name of liberation, encouraging her to become nude in front of every one. A look on advertisements clearly proves it. For an add of car , a women should stand along with it, why not men, For the add of a airlines, a women should promote it not a men - just check how these womena re exploided without knowing by themselves under the name of freedom and moderanization. Finally , islam not only value women, it protects from each and every evil. why muslim women restrict to homes? Because they the first teachers of children, male or female. If she takes care of these innocent, shares those beautiful momnets of their childhood, train them in a right direction, they may become best persons of the world, may be president, prime minister, scientist, ... - still he respect his mother, a women, respects his sister, a women, respects his daughter again a women. But by working and being away from home, a women is losing her valuable time of great moments with her children, they may get developed with psychological problems, less moral values ... See the society is based on men as well as women. They have equal duties but based on their physical structure, alloted different kinds of responsibilites. One should understand the limits and duties and should follow without blaming others to establish a healthy society. 16. THE VEIL Finally, let us shed some light on what is considered in the west as the greatest symbol of women's oppression and servitude, the veil or the head cover. Is it true that there is no such thing as the veil in the Judaeo-Christian tradition? Let's set the record straight. According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical Literature at Yeshiva University) in his book 'The Jewish woman in Rabbinic literature', it was the custom of Jewish women to go out in public with a head covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole face leaving one eye free [22]. He quotes some famous ancient Rabbis saying, 'It is not like the daughters of Israel to walk out with heads uncovered' and 'Cursed be the man who lets the hair of his wife be seen....a woman who exposes her hair for self-adornment brings poverty.' Rabbinic law forbids the recitation of blessings or prayers in the presence of a bareheaded married woman since uncovering the woman's hair is considered 'nudity'.77 Dr. Brayer also mentions that 'During the Tannaitic period the Jewish woman's failure to cover her head was considered an affront to her modesty. When her head was uncovered she might be fined four hundred zuzim for this offense.' Dr. Brayer also explains that veil of the Jewish woman was not always considered a sign of modesty. Sometimes, the veil symbolized a state of distinction and luxury rather than modesty. The veil personified the dignity and superiority of noble women. It also represented a woman's inaccessibility as a sanctified possession of her husband. 78 It is clear in the Old Testament that uncovering a woman's head was a great disgrace and that's why the priest had to uncover the suspected adulteress in her trial by ordeal (Numbers 5:16-18). The veil signified a woman's self-respect and social status. Women of lower classes would often wear the veil to give the impression of a higher standing. The fact that the veil was the sign of nobility was the reason why prostitutes were not permitted to cover their hair in the old Jewish society. However, prostitutes often wore a special headscarf in order to look respectable. 79 Jewish women in Europe continued to wear veils until the nineteenth century when their lives became more intermingled with the surrounding secular culture. The external pressures of the European life in the nineteenth century forced many of them to go out bare-headed. Some Jewish women found it more convenient to replace their traditional veil with a wig as another form of hair covering. Today, most pious Jewish women do not cover their hair except in the synagogue. 80 Some of them, such as the Hasidic sects, still use the wig. 81 What about the Christian tradition? It is well known that Catholic Nuns have been covering their heads for hundreds of years, but that is not all. St. Paul in the New Testament made some very interesting statements about the veil: 'Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head - it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head' (I Corinthians 11:3-10). St. Paul's rationale for veiling women is that the veil represents a sign of the authority of the man, who is the image and glory of God, over the woman who was created from and for man. St. Tertullian in his famous treatise 'On The Veiling Of Virgins' wrote, 'Young women, you wear your veils out on the streets, so you should wear them in the church, you wear them when you are among strangers, then wear them among your brothers...' Among the Canon laws of the Catholic church today, there is a law that require women to cover their heads in church [25]. Some Christian denominations, such as the Amish and the Mennonites for example, keep their women veiled to the present day. The reason for the veil, as offered by their Church leaders, is 'The head covering is a symbol of woman's subjection to the man and to God' : The same logic introduced by St. Paul in the New Testament [26]. From all the above evidence, it is obvious that Islam didn't invent the head cover, but Islam endorsed it. The Quran urges the believing men and women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty and then urges the believing women to extend their head covers to cover the neck and the bosom 'Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty......And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms....' (24:30,31). The Quran is quite clear that the veil is essential for modesty, but why is modesty important? The Quran is still clear: 'O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their bodies (when abroad) so that they should be known and not molested' (33:59). This is the whole point, modesty is prescribed to protect women from molestation or simply, modesty is protection. Thus, the only purpose of the veil in Islam is protection. The Islamic veil, unlike the veil of the Christian tradition, is not a sign of man's authority over woman nor is it a sign of woman's subjection to man. The Islamic veil, unlike the veil in the Jewish tradition, is not a sign of luxury and distinction of some noble married women. The Islamic veil is only a sign of modesty with the sole purpose of protecting women, all women. The Islamic philosophy is that it is always better safe than sorry. In fact, the Quran is so concerned with protecting women's bodies and women's reputation that a man who dares to falsely accuse a woman of unchastity will be severely punished, 'And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four witnesses (to support their allegations)- Flog them with eighty stripes; and reject their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors'(24:4). Compare this strict Quranic attitude with the extremely lax punishment for rape in the Bible 'If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives' (Deut. 22:28-30). One must ask a simple question here, who is really punished? The man who only paid a fine for rape, or the girl who is forced to marry the man who raped her and live with him until he dies? Another question that also should be asked is this: which is more protective of women, the Quranic strict attitude or the Biblical lax attitude? Some people, especially in the West, would tend to ridicule the whole argument of modesty for protection. Their argument is that the best protection is the spread of education, civilized behavior, and self restraint. We would say: Fine but not enough. 1. If 'civilization' is enough protection, then why is it that women in North America, dare not walk alone in a dark street - or even across an empty parking lot? 2. If Education is the solution, then why is it that a respected university like ours has a 'walk home service' for female students on campus? 3. If self restraint is the answer, then why are cases of sexual harassment in the workplace on the news media every day? A sample of those accused of sexual harassment, in the last few years, includes: Navy officers, Managers, University professors, Senators, Supreme Court Justices, and the President of the United States! I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the following statistics, written in a pamphlet issued by the Dean of Women's office at Queen's University: In Canada, a woman is sexually assaulted every 6 minutes', o 1 in 3 women in Canada will be sexually assaulted at some time in their lives', o 1 in 4 women are at the risk of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime', o 1 in 8 women will be sexually assaulted while attending college or university, and o A study found 60% of Canadian university-aged males said they would commit sexual assault if they were certain they wouldn't get caught.' Something is fundamentally wrong in the society we live in. A radical change in the society's life style and culture is absolutely necessary. A culture of modesty is badly needed, modesty in dress, in speech, and in manners of both men and women. Otherwise, the grim statistics will grow even worse day after day and, unfortunately, women alone will be paying the price. Therefore, a society like France which expels young women from schools because of their modest dress is, in the end, simply harming itself. It is one of the great ironies of our world today that the very same headscarf revered as a sign of 'holiness' when worn for the purpose of showing the authority of man by Catholic Nuns, is reviled as a sign of 'oppression' when worn for the purpose of protection by Muslim women.

Posted by: Mr. Kareemullah Mohammed At: 12, Aug 2006 7:56:52 PM IST

hello Miss Syeda i appreciate ur g8 work, u helped me to understad how bad the situation is? even in 21st century the state of women same.why this discrimination? The men r men, he can be a father or brother or husband or ur son.In their eyes women is women, she can be his sister or wife or daughter. i pity the woman folk, still they think that they r helpless n dependent, there is no place other than home, to which they don't belong..i am just an uneducated house wife,,u just helped me to express my feelings today.. keep doing the good work sister.. all the best to u.

Posted by: Mrs. leena ram At: 29, Aug 2005 4:50:21 PM IST

hello madem. now a days the divorce cases are so decreased.all the males are not crual. they love their wife very much. even the rules are changed , the percentage of divorce cases are same. first of all i ask u y? one person gives thalak 2 his beloved wife.? first the women change her mind&try 2 love all the people&having good habits .& adjust with her husbend&his family, then the family have happy life. no body wants 2 destroy his family.if any problem u disscuss with family members& solve peace fully. i think highly educated women have more problems, because she wants eqal rights&dont caring in her fatherinlaw&husbend. in that case only divorced. so, finally i tell 2 muslim women pls love family members&adjust&have happy life. i am good habits. i love my wife very much. when she came in my life then only i tell her all these things. now in our family no disputs. we are happy. so. adjest&and have loving life. now in july i trasfered 2 hyd . i am engineer. i met u later. my e-mail. rasi_20042002@yahoo.com. buy.

Posted by: Mr. p.n. rasool rasool At: 24, Jun 2005 3:01:43 AM IST

very poignant article. gud work pls keep it up syeda ! There are various forces across on muslim women. while being a weak gender, she faces utter suppression from males within the same religion; and while being a minority she has threat for security in the society. Its alwyas difficult for women to fight their own battle. but....ur article wont speak so Ms. Syeda !:)...

Posted by: Mr. Aandhrudu At: 23, Mar 2005 4:10:50 PM IST

There are networks and there are groups, and feminist questions have been raised within political parties that exist today. But at the same time the reality we are living in shows us that this is not enough,' Schyman said in a radio interview on Sunday, declining to reveal whether she intended to unveil a feminist party this week. The speculation was that the party would see the light on international women's day Tuesday. Despite Sweden's exemplary track record when it comes to gender equality in politics (45 percent of Swedish parliamentarians are women), there is much anger against what is perceived as society's lackluster response to increased violence against women. 'Men's violence against women exists both in the fancy parlors and in the shabby suburbs. This (topic) does not fit into the traditional right-left scale,' said Schyman, an independent member of parliament. Unequal pay is another cause for complaint. Even six years ago, a study on the subject showed women on average were getting only 82 percent as much as their male counterparts, and that trend has continued. Also, few women break through the glass ceiling into the upper income brackets. Schyman, 57, appears to have sparked a new passion for women's liberation in Sweden, where feminists had grown accustomed to hearing that they had already won all their battles. According to a poll published in Swedish daily Aftonbladet on Sunday, 23 percent of all voters, and 27 percent of women, would consider voting for a feminist party. Only 16 percent of all voters, and 21 percent of women, however said they would vote for a feminist party led by Schyman, whose former communist affiliation creates distrust. She may also have lost support with proposals like obliging men to pay a special tax to cover the costs of violence against women, or suggesting that the state should pay for sanitary napkins and tampons. Ahead of the expected launch of her new party, Schyman has surrounded herself with a number of other high-profile feminists, many of whom have been on the gender barricades since the 1970s. Author Maria-Pia Boethius, 58, who in 2002 wrote 'the Anti-Patriarchal Manifesto', is one of them. 'We're going to 'give everyone a kick' in the backside, said Boethius, who tried to launch her own feminist party ahead of the 1994 elections, While a new feminist party could draw votes from both right and left, the ruling Social Democrats appear to have the most to lose, which is perhaps why party chairwoman Marita Ulvskog was also scheduled to announce a number of new feminist proposals on Tuesday. Schyman said focusing on feminist issues within an existing party structure is not enough. For women's voices to be heard 'one needs to have a very clear mandate that states what this is about: breaking the patriarchal power structure,' she said. Rogerthick

Posted by: Miss Syeda Sultana At: 11, Mar 2005 8:30:28 PM IST

hi.... as i was scrolling down your article hot tears already rolled down my cheeks ... such injustice...how can women still thrive in such harsh conditions?i feel awful for all those women (young girls - rather ) who're married at 14 and are divorced by 20. in today's world people marry in late 20's and here are these miserable women who , by the age of 20 , are out of a marital relationship with a bunch of kids stuggling for life , fighting with this cruel world and yet perpetuating with their lives. i've a question - are muslim women prohibited to study ? i mean ...with the world around- running faster than ever , ignoring gender aspects is racing ahead in all walks of life and ...and.... why is it still a taboo for muslim women to see the hi-tech world through the black veil..muslim women of upper class have anyways forged ahead ...i mean i never saw sania mirza or suzzanne khan in burkha...then are ' ulema's / islamic laws' applicable only to lower and middle class people? ya ! as u said ..its high time...all the muslim women should be united and they should fight for a common cause - only then can i say that india has become independent. wishing you all the best for a bright , hopeful future.... cheers, sudha.

Posted by: Mrs. shaloo At: 5, Mar 2005 1:36:50 PM IST

Dear Madam good article I'm very much unhappy for those woman who are in such situation . We are all with those muslim women who face such plight. In justice to any community to any one in the society is not tolerable.I always first believe in Humanity. thank you shalu

Posted by: Mrs. shaloo At: 5, Mar 2005 12:55:52 PM IST

the subject is excellent,the article reflects the conservative male dominated society of islamic community, needs a clarity in raising the positive protest against the islamic religious intellectuals as well as the modern educated intellectual classes.as long as litracy rate is low in the islamic community in perticularly in women this kind of injustice will be continued. here the mind set of men should be changed in the islamic world towards women then only you may get the justice. To change the mind set of men you have to develop the litrature and needs a revolutionary approach which will unfold the rationality of male dominated society. from sagar.

Posted by: Mr. Vidyasagar Somagani At: 5, Mar 2005 4:10:48 AM IST

Good article. Did you know about the recent breakup of Shiya Muslims (I suppose) from MPLB? Also setting up of special wing for women? What about your views? Nice one. Post more regarding muslim women of past and present. We do have a muslim postman. He is a good friend of mine. Daily he will stop at my house and I used to give water to him. I used to wait for letters almost daily if I am in the house and wish him. Thats how we became friends. One day he told me about his children and somehow the discussion diverted to women. He said few things, explained me, compared with Hindu system and asked, do your religion supports? I just listened to him curiously as I don't know much about what he is saying about.

Posted by: Ms. Prasanthi Uppalapati At: 5, Mar 2005 0:33:38 AM IST

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