and they stoned her. Khalid bin Walid came forward with a stone which he flung at her head and there spurted blood on the face of Khalid and so he abused her. Allah’s Apostle heard his (Khalid’s) curse that he had hurled upon her. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Khalid, be gentle. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, she has made such a repentance that even if a wrongful tax-collector were to repent, he would have been forgiven. Then giving command regarding her, he prayed over her and she was buried.” 33
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Consequently, it is almost impossible to prove rape in lands that follow the dictates of the Sharia. Men can commit rape with impunity: As long as they deny the charge and there are no witnesses, they will get off scot-free, because the victim’s testimony is inadmissible. Even worse, if a woman accuses a man of rape, she may end up incriminating herself. If the required male witnesses can’t be found, the victim’s charge of rape becomes an admission of adultery. That accounts for the grim fact that as many as 75 percent of the imprisoned women in Pakistan are, in fact, behind bars for the crime of being a victim of rape. 34 Several high-profile cases in Nigeria recently have also revolved around rape accusations being turned around by Islamic authorities into charges of fornication, resulting in death sentences that were modified only after international pressure. 35
----
A Book You’re Not Supposed to Read
Voices Behind the Veil: The World of Islam Through the Eyes of Women , edited by Ergun Mehmet Caner; Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2004.
----
Female circumcision
Female circumcision is yet another source of misery for women in some Islamic countries. This is not a specifically Islamic custom, for it’s found among a number of cultural and religious groups in Africa and South Asia. Among Muslims, it’s prevalent mainly in Egypt and the surrounding lands. Yet despite the fact that there is scant (at best) attestation in the Qur’an or Hadith for this horrific practice, the Muslims who do practice it invest it with religious significance. An Islamic legal manual states that circumcision is required “for both men and women.” 36
To Sheikh Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, the grand sheikh of al-Azhar, female circumcision is “a laudable practice that [does] honor to women.” 37 As the grand imam of al-Azhar, Tantawi is, in the words of a BBC report, “the highest spiritual authority for nearly a billion Sunni Muslims.” 38 Perhaps in the eyes of Sheikh Tantawi, the pain that female circumcision causes its victims is worth the result; most authorities agree that female circumcision is designed to diminish a woman’s sexual response, so that she will be less likely to commit adultery.
Long-term prospects? Dim
As long as men read and believe the Qur’an, women will be despised, second-class citizens, subject to the heartbreak and dehumanization of polygamy, the threat of an easy and capricious divorce, and worse—including beatings, false accusations, and the loss of virtually all of the most basic human freedoms. These are not phenomena of a group, party, or anything so ephemeral. They are the consequences of regarding the Qur’an as the absolute, eternally valid, and perfect word of Allah. As long as men continue to take the Qur’an at face value, women will be at risk.
Chapter 6
ISLAMIC LAW: LIE, STEAL, AND KILL
N ot only does Islam command warfare against unbelievers and their subjugation under Islamic rule; it also—as we have already seen in part—sanctions lying, stealing, and killing in order to advance Islam. In fact, Islam doesn’t have a moral code analogous to the Ten Commandments; the idea that Islam shares the general moral outlook of Judaism and Christianity is another PC myth. In Islam, virtually anything is acceptable if it fosters the growth of Islam.
Guess what?
Islam’s only overarching moral
----
Consequently, it is almost impossible to prove rape in lands that follow the dictates of the Sharia. Men can commit rape with impunity: As long as they deny the charge and there are no witnesses, they will get off scot-free, because the victim’s testimony is inadmissible. Even worse, if a woman accuses a man of rape, she may end up incriminating herself. If the required male witnesses can’t be found, the victim’s charge of rape becomes an admission of adultery. That accounts for the grim fact that as many as 75 percent of the imprisoned women in Pakistan are, in fact, behind bars for the crime of being a victim of rape. 34 Several high-profile cases in Nigeria recently have also revolved around rape accusations being turned around by Islamic authorities into charges of fornication, resulting in death sentences that were modified only after international pressure. 35
----
A Book You’re Not Supposed to Read
Voices Behind the Veil: The World of Islam Through the Eyes of Women , edited by Ergun Mehmet Caner; Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2004.
----
Female circumcision
Female circumcision is yet another source of misery for women in some Islamic countries. This is not a specifically Islamic custom, for it’s found among a number of cultural and religious groups in Africa and South Asia. Among Muslims, it’s prevalent mainly in Egypt and the surrounding lands. Yet despite the fact that there is scant (at best) attestation in the Qur’an or Hadith for this horrific practice, the Muslims who do practice it invest it with religious significance. An Islamic legal manual states that circumcision is required “for both men and women.” 36
To Sheikh Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, the grand sheikh of al-Azhar, female circumcision is “a laudable practice that [does] honor to women.” 37 As the grand imam of al-Azhar, Tantawi is, in the words of a BBC report, “the highest spiritual authority for nearly a billion Sunni Muslims.” 38 Perhaps in the eyes of Sheikh Tantawi, the pain that female circumcision causes its victims is worth the result; most authorities agree that female circumcision is designed to diminish a woman’s sexual response, so that she will be less likely to commit adultery.
Long-term prospects? Dim
As long as men read and believe the Qur’an, women will be despised, second-class citizens, subject to the heartbreak and dehumanization of polygamy, the threat of an easy and capricious divorce, and worse—including beatings, false accusations, and the loss of virtually all of the most basic human freedoms. These are not phenomena of a group, party, or anything so ephemeral. They are the consequences of regarding the Qur’an as the absolute, eternally valid, and perfect word of Allah. As long as men continue to take the Qur’an at face value, women will be at risk.
Chapter 6
ISLAMIC LAW: LIE, STEAL, AND KILL
N ot only does Islam command warfare against unbelievers and their subjugation under Islamic rule; it also—as we have already seen in part—sanctions lying, stealing, and killing in order to advance Islam. In fact, Islam doesn’t have a moral code analogous to the Ten Commandments; the idea that Islam shares the general moral outlook of Judaism and Christianity is another PC myth. In Islam, virtually anything is acceptable if it fosters the growth of Islam.
Guess what?
Islam’s only overarching moral
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