AFGHANISTAN: Islam and women
"Muslim women have a hard time getting a safe mouthpiece in all this, especially victims of the Taliban. That would probably include many of the Bin Laden sisters and wives, victims of a similar kind of "fundamentalism". We women have been complaining about the treatment of women by Muslim men for years! Seemingly to no avail, despite books like "Princess", films like "Not Without My Daughter", "Harem", etc.....
When Bush says "Islam is our friend", let us remember that this same Islam advocates:
Bush might as well tell South African blacks in the days of apartheid that "Apartheid is our friend, it's the terrorism (on the part of a few) that we object to." Yes it's a good tactic for now--why make enemies with the entire Muslim world after all?! But from a woman's perspective, this attitude completely ignores the terrible crimes against humanity that have not only been committed by the Taliban but MANY of the male half of Islam, to whom women are second rate citizens at best. Bin Laden is one of hundreds of thousands. The real enemy is not one man".
My comment: Frank talk. All creeds have their shortcomings, but there is general fear of discussing them lest one be branded "anti---". This is especially true in the present crisis, when we seek to enlist all faiths in the fight against terrorism.
Ronald Hilton - 9/22/01
Marga Jann describes Muslim society from the inside:
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