So a few weeks ago I had this conversation online in the comments section of Feministe. This is going to be a snippet of the conversation toward the end, so bear with it. It's the best way to illustrate my point. Personal identifies are in bold. The italics are individuals quoting individuals.Sonia 1.30.2011 at 3:39 …
Continue reading Religion and Culture, And Things I Shouldn’t Have to Explain
The verses in question:And slay them wherever you catch them (2:191)and...fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war.) (9:005)Let's put the first one back in its Quranic context:"Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but …
Continue reading Taken Out of Context: Killing the "Infidels" and Violence in the Qur’an
The barrier in mosques separating the women's and men's prayer area has not only no theological foundation (even during the Prophet's time men and women had no barrier between them--the grand mosque in Mecca has no barrier!) but is a blatantly offensive obstacle in the participation of women in their communities, "justified" by the fallacious …
So recently I was led to a post in which these verses were used as an example of "women as the property of men."Your wives are a place of sowing of seed for you, so come to your place of cultivation however you wish and put forth [righteousness] for yourselves. (Qur'an 2:223)I was pretty surprised …
Continue reading Lost in Translation (And Taken Out of Context): Marital Sexual Relations
Before the spread of Islam, first-born baby girls were buried alive and women were abused and deprived of any deserved rights. When Islam began to spread, and after the Prophet and his followers were pushed from city to city, the men who took up the new religion were enthusiastic of the changes and adaptations made …
Continue reading Islamic History and the Women You Never Hear About: Umm Salama
This is kind of a terrifying misconception. Children steal. The poor steal. Greedy, rich jackasses steal. Of course, only the first two will suffer from this misconception, which makes clearing it up pretty damn important*. The misconception comes from this translated verse: The male thief, and the female thief, you shall cut off the hands …
Continue reading Lost in Translation: Cutting off the Hands of Thieves
A message to Muslim men: Shut the fuck up. That is the shortest entry you will ever see here on Islamic studies. This is because there is nothing to study or analyze. There is absolutely no question that my body is none of your business. And I will not apologize for my tone. See the …
Continue reading Islam, headscarves… and men (who need to see their way out)
the fatal feminist 