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| Married to the Quran Uzma Mazhar © 2003 Recently I read about a most horrifying and despicable practice in Pakistan. Equally if not worse than the practice of 'honor killings'. In a report titled 'Married to the Quran'
in the Pakistani weekly newspaper 'The Friday Times' of Pakistan, it said:
http://www.thefridaytimes.com/ (Jan 17-23, 2003 issue) This is obviously abusive and unIslamic. This has nothing to do with religion. This is about power, control and greed. Women are not valued enough to consider how their entire lives, and any dreams or hopes they might have had... are ruined by a 'tradition' that is inhumane and beyond any rational explanation. Under the guise of devoting their lives to the Quran, these women's lives are obliterated and wiped out. Trying to legitimize this barbaric behavior they abuse the Quran and Islam. Do they really believe that by giving it a religious twist it becomes an acceptable practice? This is no different than the Jâhilîyah practices of burying the girl alive, that Islam fought against from day one. Obviously this is not a recent practice, but must have been going on for God knows how long. Obviously the men recognize that it is not right as they apologize to the woman before ruining her life. Equally to blame are the mothers and other women of the family who allow this to continue... they are accomplices to this crime as well. To imagine that a father, brother, mother or sister allows this to continue is beyond comprehension. Obviously the society in which this practice continues is silent and are equally to blame. Islam does NOT allow or encourage detaching from the world for the sake of religion. When, in Islam, becoming a monk/nun is discouraged, nor is it seen as the height of piety or devotion... how can they claim it as right or permissible? The names listed above are not those of uneducated people, but men who hold high positions of authority... and to trust them to make humane laws for women is ludicrous and terrifying. Islam does NOT give men limitless power to abuse women
when he is given the status of 'head of the household'. As head of the household
it does not allow them to legitimize their abuses. It angers me that men
abuse women, and it angers me even more when women buy into such stupidity
and allow it to continue. Islam does NOT want sheep for its adherents. As
head of the household men are to protect
women FROM abuses... not turn around and abuse them. Below is my letter to The Friday Times... please write to them denouncing such barbaric and unIslamic practices. Their e-mail address is: tft@lhr.comsats.net.pk and
the Islamic Human Rights Commission at: info@ihrc.org Contact Info: UzmaMazhar@hotmail.com
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