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April 30, 2004 Declared as Muslim Family Values Day

By Ali Sina 

Muslims in the US were jubilant when the Governor of Nevada declared April 30 2004 as the Muslims Family Values Day.  

The Islamic site nnvmuslims.org reported:  

“It is a great accomplishment for our Muslim community to be recognized by the state of Nevada . Governor Kenny Guinn declared April 30, 2004 as Muslim Family Values Day in Nevada . It is an opportunity for all the Muslims to show what Islamic Family values are all about. “  

Well, let us see what those Muslim Family Values are all about:  

Polygamy.  

Islam allows a man to marry four, and according to some interpretations, as many wives as he wishes. (Q.4:3)  No such equality of rights for woman. Men are not required to get the consent of their wives for remarrying.  

In the Star (English paper in Malaysia ), 22 Oct 96, it was reported that in Selangor , Malaysia , regulations are introduced to expedite the application of man for polygamy without the consent of their wives.  

The Prophet of Islam himself married a dozen of women and had more women as concubines and sex slaves. He is supposed to be emulated by all the Muslims. His child wife Aisha reports how she was nervous when Muhammad used to lay eyes on other young and beautiful women as she knew what he was thinking.   

In the story of the capture of Juwairiyah Aisha writes:  

 She was a very beautiful woman. She captivated every man who saw her. She came to the prophet-peace be upon him-, to ask for his help in the matter [of her slavery]. As soon as I saw her at door of my room, I took a dislike to her, for I knew that he would see her as I saw her. http://66.34.76.88/alsalafiyat/juwairiyah.htm

 

 Temporary Marriages

When Muslims used to attack a town. They often killed the men and took the women as slaves or what the Quran calls “The Right Hand Possessions”. In Islam these “Right Hand Possessions" are the property of the Muslim men and they can be enjoyed sexually. The (not so) holy prophet himself had a few of them and usually got to business on the very first night after killing these unfortunate women's husbands, fathers and other male relatives. But after capturing Mecca, his own native town, Muhammad did not allow the men to capture and rape the Meccan women. Those were his own people and had to be treated deferentially,  Instead he instituted temporary marriages or M’uta.(Sahih Muslim Book 008, Number 3353)

Mu'ta literally means “Usufruct, enjoyment.”. It is a marriage contracted for a limited period, for a certain sum of money. Such marriages are still legal amongst the Shi’ahs, and exist in Persia (Malcom’s Persia vol.II.p. 591) to the present day, but they are said to be unlawful by the Sunnis. They were permitted by the Arabian Prophet at Autas, and are undoubtedly the greatest stain upon the moral legislation but the Sunnis say that he afterwards prohibited a mu’tah marriage at Khaibar (Vide Mishkat, book xii. Ch iv. Pt2.). 

 

Wife Beating  

Muhammad instructed the Muslim men to beat their wives if they are not obedient. 

”and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great.” (Q. 4:34)  

"the above verse was revealed in connection with a woman who complained to Mohammad that her husband slapped her on the face (which was still marked by the slap). At first the Prophet said to her: 'Get even with him', but then added: 'Wait until I think about it.' Later on the above verse was revealed, after which the Prophet said: 'We wanted one thing but Allah wanted another, and what Allah wanted is best.'" [Razi, At-tafsir al-Kabir, on Q. 4:34. ]

As it is clear from the above verse, a woman does not have to disobey her husband in order to be beaten. As Irshad Manji in "The Trouble With Islam"  writes ( p34 regarding 4:34) " To deserve a beating, a woman doesn't have to disobey anybody, a man merely has to fear her disobedience. His insecurity becomes her problem" 

Good women do not complain if their husbands beat them:

Iyas ibn Abdullah ibn AbuDhubab reported the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) as saying: Do not beat Allah's handmaidens, but when Umar came to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) and said: Women have become emboldened towards their husbands, he (the Prophet) gave permission to beat them. Then many women came round the family of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) complaining against their husbands. So the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Many women have gone round Muhammad's family complaining against their husbands. They are not the best among you.Muslim Book 11, Number 2141

The husband does not have to explain to anyone why he beats his wife. 

The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife. Muslim Book 11, Number 2142

 

Patriarchalism

The structure of a Muslim family is patriarchal.  

“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard.” (Q. 4:34)    

Men are so important that women should prostrate in front of their husbands: 

”If I were to command anyone to make prostration before another I would command women to prostrate themselves before their husbands, because of the special right over them given to husbands by Allah.” [Muslim Book 11, Number 2135  ]

Man’s only duty to his wife is to maintain her. He has to provide for her food, shelter and clothing, i.e. meet her physical needs.  Her emotional, psychological and sexual needs is not of his concern.  As far as Islam is concerned those needs simply do not exist because women are not really human beings. 

 “The virtuous wife, [is one who] if her husband bids her, she obeys him; if he looks at her, she pleases him; if he gives her an oath; she fulfils it, and if he is absent from her, she guards herself and his property."[ Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 33

And you thought this is the description of a good dog!

Now let us see what other virtues a good woman must have:

"The best women are those who have the prettiest faces and the cheapest dowry." [ Ihya' 'Uloum ed-Din by Ghazali, Dar al-Kotob al-'Elmeyah, Beirut , vol. II, Kitab Adab al-Nikah, p. 45]

And here is one more quality of a good wife

"The good wife is out of this world because she helps free you to concentrate on the life to come. She does that by doing her house duties (instead of the husband having to do them), and by satisfying the husband sexually so protecting him from sexual temptation." [Ibid., p. 35 ]

When a prophet is so contemptuous of women, so disdainful of their faith, so derisive of their intelligence, so abusive of their rights and so condescending of their status, can we expect more from his followers? Muslim women will never emancipate, as long as they look up at Muhammad as their spiritual guide. If they do not want to believe me, they must believe their own messenger:  

“Allah's Apostle said, "Many amongst men reached (the level of) perfection but none amongst the women reached this level except Asia , Pharaoh's wife, and Mary, the daughter of 'Imran.”  [Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 623]

 

Instilling Hate in Children: 

Muslim Children are taught that the non-Muslims are najis (fithy) and they should not associate with them. They are told that Jews are the descendants of monkeys. They are raised with paranoia that everyone is after them and that they are being persecuted and victimized. 

Muslim kids often do not integrate with other children. They keep to themselves and grow up with distrust of their host countries. Their allegiance is to Ummah (the entire body of Muslims) and not to the country where they are born and raised. They express their anger if a Palestinian is killed but no regrets if an American is beheaded by other Muslims.

Americans celebrate life, Muslim kids are taught to celebrate death and martyrdom.

 

This is just a token of what family values in Islam mean. To complete the account we have to talk about  veil, honor killing, prohibition of a women to go out of her house without the permission of her husband or prohibition to be heard by a stranger. We have to talk about corporal punishment of the wives and the children. We have to talk about the preferential treatment of sons to daughters even at the table. 

These are all part of the Islamic family values that now thanks to honorable Kenny C. Guinn, the Governor of the State of Nevada the Nevadans are supposed to honor. Is this what the Governor calls the promotion of “the moral and spiritual aspirations that represent the American character?

The Governor wants to promote patriotism, and encourage participation in the duties of citizenship; among the Muslim.

Does the Governor know that Muslims are not allowed to take non-believers as friends and they are supposed to reject the rule of non-Muslims?

"O ye who believe! take not for protectors your fathers and your brothers if they love Infidelity above Faith: if any of you do so, they do wrong." (Q 9:23 )

The word used here is awlia which means friends, protectors, guardians, rulers.  

The Governor speaks of “the practice and teaching of traditional Islamic knowledge, [that] defends and exhorts democracy, and upholds religious freedom and social justice.

What religious freedom? Islam does not allow such thing. Here is what the Quran says: 

 If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost (All spiritual good).  (Q,3:85),

 And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere. (Q 8:39,)

If Muslims become dominant in any country, the Jews and Christians will be reduced to the status of dhimmitude and the rest will have to accept Islam or die. 

Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya [penalty tax] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Q.9:29)

Democracy means that people make their own laws. In Islam all the laws are already revealed to mankind and any deviation from that is considered bid’a (innovation) and is punishable by death.

“Sayyed Qutub, the Egyptian who has emerged as the ideological mentor of Safalists, spent a year in the United States in the 1950s.

He found "a nation that has forgotten God and been forsaken by Him; an arrogant nation that wants to rule itself."

Last year Yussuf al-Ayyeri, one of the leading theoreticians of today's Islamist movement, published a book ( available on the Internet) in which he warned that the real danger to Islam did not come from American tanks and helicopter gunships in Iraq but from the idea of democracy and rule by the people.” [Amir Taheri's Remarks At Debate "Islam Is Incompatible With Democracy]

Ironically the Muslim scholars who know Islam best reject democracy but the Governor of Nevada who probably has not read the Quran and may be does not know what hadith and sunnah mean thinks Islam is compatible with democracy. 

It would be beneficial if the Governor at lease read some of the statements of the leading American Muslims to become familiar with their thinking. CAIR is the Council of American Islamic Relations and is one of the most prestigious Islamic organization in North America. The following are the statements of the two of its directors.  

"Muslim institutions, schools and economic power should be strengthened in America . Those who stay in America should be open to society without melting, keeping Mosques open so anyone can come and learn about Islam. If you choose to live here, you have a responsibility to deliver the message of Islam ...... Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faiths, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America , and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth."  Omar Ahmad  Co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations  

" I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future...But I'm not going to do anything violent to promote that. I'm going to do it through education" Ibrahim Hooper CAIR spokesperson.

Do these gentlemen sound democratic? 

The Islamic values are in contrast with the American values. They shock the Americans and they are not fit for any civilized society. Muslims are not going to abandon those archaic values in favor of American values. On the contrary they fight against the values of the civilized world in order to establish their own. 

What is wrong with the American family values? Why Muslims, like others, cannot adhere to the values of the country that they have adopted to live? If they so abhor our values, why they come here? Why a day should be dedicated to a culture and values that are diametrically opposed to the American values and tries to subvert them?  

Perhaps the Western politicians and high ranking officials would be better advised to study Islam and understand it before making concessions like this that not only legitimizes, but also prizes incivility and backwardness.   

The Islamic values are the values of the Seventh Century Arabia. There is nothing to celebrate in those values. On the contrary, Muslims all over the world and especially those who wish to come and live among us must be encouraged to abandon barbaric and draconian values of Islam and adopt the values of the civilized world.  

 

The following is the Proclamation of the Governor of Nevada:  

STATE OF NEVADA EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT

A PROCLAMATION BY THE GOVERNOR

Whereas, Nevadans of Muslim faith embrace the pioneering spirit of the Silver State and strive to promote the moral and spiritual aspirations that represent the American character; and

Whereas, the motto of the great State of Nevada, "All for our Country," inspires Americans of Muslim faith, in our community, to articulate the responsibilities of patriotism, and encourage participation in the duties of citizenship; and

Whereas, the practice and teaching of traditional Islamic knowledge, defends and exhorts democracy, and upholds religious freedom and social justice; and

Whereas, each Muslim-American who adheres to the teachings of Islam and is living in an American society, will exhibit acts of compassion and charity in the name of the Beneficent, the Merciful; and

Whereas, through the ages, those who have faith and do righteous deeds in the mutual teachings of Truth, Patience and Constancy, experience greater happiness and are better equipped to promote a peaceful existence for all people; and

Whereas, Americans of Muslim faith in Nevada continue to instill health and vitality in the educational, cultural, economic and civic development of our community; and

Whereas, Nevada recognizes the many individuals and families of Muslim faith who have chosen our community as their home, and willingly share their rich traditions and culture with us;

Now, Therefore, I, Kenny C. Guinn, Governor of the State of Nevada , do hereby proclaim April 30th, 2004, as

MUSLIM FAMILY VALUE DAY IN NEVADA  

 

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