Woman-led Muslim service sparks protest (Oh Muhammad -- Welcome to the Real World)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A woman has broken with Islamic tradition by leading a prayer service where men and women sat together, sparking protests and calls of blasphemy from fellow Muslims who believe only men should lead prayers.

The Muslim Women's Freedom Tour, a grass-roots organisation, and the Web site MuslimWakeUp.com sponsored the service.

Islamic women typically sit separately from men in worship services and, in some cases, enter their mosque through a back or side door. Orthodox Jews also segregate men from women during religious services. Roman Catholics do not allow women to hold important leadership roles.

But on Friday, Amina Wadud, an associate professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, led roughly 50 men and women in a Muslim service, a role normally held by a man.

The event, which came amid heavy police security, was held at the Synod House, a small chapel next to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Other locations refused to host the event due to threats.

"I don't want to change Muslim mosques. I want to encourage the hearts of Muslims to believe that they are equal," Wadud said at a crowded news conference before the service, adding she wished to help move "artificial and inconvenient restrictions" aimed at Muslim women.

"That woman does not represent Islam at all. This is blasphemy, and the penalty for blasphemy is death and that is what this woman deserves," said a protester named Nussrah.

Asra Nomani, the lead organiser of the service created an uproar last year by entering her Morgantown, West Virginia mosque through the front door.

Looks like this woman is asking to be locked up in a room an starved to death by her loving husband, which no doubt he will be asked to do. Women are after all, according to Allah, stupid, and should be punished for their stupid ways.

Because these are Muhammad's words, they cannot be disputed:

Tabari I:280 “Allah said, ‘It is My obligation to make Eve bleed once every month as she made this tree bleed. I must also make Eve stupid, although I created her intelligent.’ Because Allah afflicted Eve, all of the women of this world menstruate and are stupid.”

Bleeding trees? Indeed. It must be true, Allah said it. Women have menstral cycles because Eve made a tree bleed. Who knew? I always thought it was for other reasons.

Muslim:B1N142 “‘O womenfolk, you should ask for forgiveness for I saw you in bulk amongst the dwellers of Hell.’ A wise lady said: Why is it, Allah’s Apostle, that women comprise the bulk of the inhabitants of Hell? The Prophet observed: ‘You curse too much and are ungrateful to your spouses. You lack common sense, fail in religion and rob the wisdom of the wise.’ Upon this the woman remarked: What is wrong with our common sense? The Prophet replied, ‘Your lack of common sense can be determined from the fact that the evidence of two women is equal to one man. That is a proof.’”

Qur’an 4:11 “Allah directs you in regard of your Children’s (inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females…. These are settled portions ordained by Allah.”

Tabari IX:113 “Allah permits you to shut them in separate rooms and to beat them, but not severely. If they abstain, they have the right to food and clothing. Treat women well for they are like domestic animals and they possess nothing themselves. Allah has made the enjoyment of their bodies lawful in his Qur’an.”

If anyone tries to tell you that women are equal in Islam, they are lying, or ignorant. They are merely possesions, like farm animals, whose bodies are there for Muslim men to enjoy.

Qur’an 4:43 “Believers, approach not prayers with a mind befogged or intoxicated until you understand what you utter. Nor when you are polluted, until after you have bathed. If you are ill, or on a journey, or come from answering the call of nature, or you have touched a woman, and you find no water, then take for yourselves clean dirt, and rub your faces and hands. Lo! Allah is Benign, Forgiving.” The Qur’an claims women are unclean and polluted — worse than dirt. This is one of the reasons why women are not allowed in the mosk. Dogs are allowed to crap in a mosk, people can urinate in them, but women must stay out. Women can't even touch a Koran if they are on the rag.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.