Sydney Muslim Speaks Out - Slams Gender Inequality
No you have not read a misprint. A Sydney Muslim, Irfan Yusuf, who often speaks out in defence of Islam, has 
written an article, which will surprise many readers. He has expressed lament about the appalling treatment of women in Islam. Perhaps this is a new venture for him in speaking out what the evidence of his eyes cannot deny. Perhaps Australia has had some influence on him. It is interesting that his article has been published in a left of centre Australian Catholic magazine ‘Eureka’, which has a caring, sharing, feel-good agenda most of the time.
Under the heading ‘Collective Oppression’ Yusuf states:
What happens when the oppression is collective? What happens when communities oppress themselves? And do so in the name of establishing God's law? (source)
He then says that many imams insist that Islam gives rights and advocates the good treatment to women. He has heard it all, he says, from childhood. And then he asks
That might be the case in textbooks of theology and sacred law. But what is the current reality on the ground? (source)
But in the face of this, he comes out with a bit of a bombshell:
sticks to his theme and berates the appalling treatment of women in Islamic countries. He decries the rottenness ‘in many of the 58 states’ that make up the organisation of Islamic Conference. He even calls it ‘a cruel sickness of absurd and oppressive gender-based practices’ and declares that these attitudes are poisoning the lives of men and women in Muslim societies.
If you haven not already fallen off your chair, lunged out for the whisky bottle or fainted by now, it is more interesting that he gives some evidence for his case. He describes an honour killing of a young woman, Rand Abdel-Qader in Basra on 16 March this year. She was murdered by her father, a government employee who worked in Iraq's Health Department. The reason? She had developed feelings for one of the British soldiers in Iraq. Yusuf says – and it could be a member of AIM speaking.
Something is rotten in the state of Islam. Perhaps not in the sacred texts nor even in the vast legal tradition. Muslims can debate among themselves whether the source of the problem lies in the religion itself. But the reality is beyond debate. (source)Of course, we would take issue with his view ‘Perhaps not in the sacred texts nor even in the vast legal tradition’. On this site we have quote copiously from Islamic texts showing the gender apartheid embedded within Islam. The evidence IS there in the sacred writings condoning and supporting such maltreatment. However what is of interest here is not that the comment itself is made [which one would expect of a public Muslim persona], but the following comment:
But the reality is beyond debate. (source)As I read this I wondered if a few sentences on, Bush or the CIA would be held responsible – but no – Yusuf
sticks to his theme and berates the appalling treatment of women in Islamic countries. He decries the rottenness ‘in many of the 58 states’ that make up the organisation of Islamic Conference. He even calls it ‘a cruel sickness of absurd and oppressive gender-based practices’ and declares that these attitudes are poisoning the lives of men and women in Muslim societies.If you haven not already fallen off your chair, lunged out for the whisky bottle or fainted by now, it is more interesting that he gives some evidence for his case. He describes an honour killing of a young woman, Rand Abdel-Qader in Basra on 16 March this year. She was murdered by her father, a government employee who worked in Iraq's Health Department. The reason? She had developed feelings for one of the British soldiers in Iraq. Yusuf says – and it could be a member of AIM speaking.
What was her crime? This young student at Basra University had worked as a volunteer with displaced Iraqi families. Over a period of some four months, and after a few short conversations, the young woman had become infatuated with a 22-year-old British soldier. That's it. She had feelings. Her father came to know of this. He saw her talking to the British soldier in public. He dug a makeshift grave. He murdered his own daughter. His sons joined in, spilling the blood of their own sister, their own flesh and blood. (source)
One detects genuine outrage in Yusuf in relating this story. In any case, it is clear by his use of the question ' What was her crime"?' , that he did not consider the girl's love for the soldier a crime. For the remainder of the article he describes an effort in Canada by Muslim men to protest the ill treatment of women in Islam and advocates a similar movement in Australia.
Is Yusuf becoming a romantic in his old age? Working as a lawyer in Australia, he would be exposed to a number of situations and of course, to Australian law. At some point the evident maltreatment of women within his own society would have become crystal clear and would have forced some response from him. But he needn’t have expressed his dismay publicly. But then, having a public persona in the Muslim world, he is probably fairly immune from attack – although it will be interesting to see what other Muslims say in agreement or disagreement with him. His comment shows the influence of western evidence based thinking which goes back all the way to the Greek philosophers. Irfan hears the imams’ statements – then sees the evidence to the contrary – and judges for himself on the available evidence. This is the basis of western thinking in its ideal form. Fearless facing of the facts. Perhaps there has been an environmental and cultural influence – and the pressure of the societal gender attitudes played their part in forcing him to recognise reality. The next step of course would be to recognise the evidence within the Islamic texts that state clearly that women are not in the same league as men, not to mention non-Muslims. Should we send him the address of the Faith Freedom site?
Is Yusuf becoming a romantic in his old age? Working as a lawyer in Australia, he would be exposed to a number of situations and of course, to Australian law. At some point the evident maltreatment of women within his own society would have become crystal clear and would have forced some response from him. But he needn’t have expressed his dismay publicly. But then, having a public persona in the Muslim world, he is probably fairly immune from attack – although it will be interesting to see what other Muslims say in agreement or disagreement with him. His comment shows the influence of western evidence based thinking which goes back all the way to the Greek philosophers. Irfan hears the imams’ statements – then sees the evidence to the contrary – and judges for himself on the available evidence. This is the basis of western thinking in its ideal form. Fearless facing of the facts. Perhaps there has been an environmental and cultural influence – and the pressure of the societal gender attitudes played their part in forcing him to recognise reality. The next step of course would be to recognise the evidence within the Islamic texts that state clearly that women are not in the same league as men, not to mention non-Muslims. Should we send him the address of the Faith Freedom site?
Quran- 4:34 (Picktahall) Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.
On a more suspicious note – could Yusuf’s attack on Islamic maltreatment of women be an advanced form of taqiyya? Have we moved beyond Taqiyya 10
1 and gone on to Taqiyya 202 or 303? Is this an attempt to ingratiate himself with the leftie Christians who would hold gender equality in all its forms as a fundamental principle? Does he want to make inroads to this section of the Catholic community? Does he want more invitations to their barbeques? Is it espionage? Even if so – it is unusual to find a Muslim expressing such dismay in public. One suspects that Yusuf was genuinely distressed at the honour killing and is showing that he, like other westerners, feels aghast at them.
Whatever the reason – whether some gradual influence of Australian society, Australian law, even AIM, the genuine expression of horror can only be a good sign. It is a fundmantally human response to injustice. The two things to watch out for in the immediate future are – will Yusuf ever make a connection with this violence and the Islamic texts? And will other Muslims express support for this stance and condemn Islamic violence towards women?
Australians celebrate and revere Anzac Day on April 25th each year in remembrance of our brave soldiers who fought in two great world wars to secure our freedom. Every Australian identifies with the slogan “lest we forget” and in services held around the country people reflect on the battles and men who died to secure our freedom. Yet across the world in France, there is one remarkable battle which helped form the Europe we know today and allowed the development of civilization based on Judeo Christian principles. This one famous battle has become known as the battle of Tours and effectively stopped the Muslim advance into Europe. After the death of Mohammed in 632AD, Muslim armies exploded out of the Arabian peninsula to conquer much of the Middle East, expanding across north Africa. From there they crossed into Spain in 711AD and eventually controlled much of al-Andalus by 715AD. It was the victory at Tours by Charles Martel that stemmed the tide and eventually the Muslim marauders were expelled from Spain in 1492 when the last outpost at Granada fell to King Ferdinand of Spain. 
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born, lived, fought and won battles against religious and social oppression in the 17th century Bharat or India. He was a shining star in the Indian firmament and is renowned as a champion of the downtrodden and depressed masses. He was and continues to be an icon for the classes and masses alike and is seen as a rallying point for peasants oppressed by foreign rulers, Pathans and Moghuls alike. Sexually exploited women found in Shivaji Raje a protector, a benefactor and flocked to his Hindavi Swaraj to find solace and feel liberated under his saffron flag. 
Perhaps some readers might be interested to know that January 28 is considered a feast day among Catholics – actually 2 feast days are celebrated on the same day – one is of ST Thomas Aquinas, the great medieval theologian and philosopher who adapted Aristotle to the western Judeo-Christian worldview. . It is also the feast day of a lesser known person – St Peter Nolasco, the great ransomer of captives from the Muslims.
How often in conversation with a Muslim, do they quote Spain as the crowning achievement of Islam, where Muslims, Jews and Christians lived in harmony for about 800 years?
Why do Muslims insist that Jerusalem is their Holy City?
There is a very strongly entrenched view among majority of Westerners today that the three main monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam share one common God and therefore despite the obvious differences, the core foundation of these three religions is the same. 
