Posted on 03/19/2005 2:58:40 PM PST by Pikamax
Mideast Muslims outraged, see 'conspiracy' after woman leads prayers in U.S. 05:56 PM EST Mar 19 NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Muslims in the Middle East on Saturday angrily denounced prayers led by a woman in New York City the day before as a violation of Islam.
One Egyptian newspaper, Al-Messa, reported the news of Amina Wadud leading Friday prayer services on its front page, with the emphatic headline: They are tarnishing Islam in America!
It referred to Wadud as "the deranged woman."
A female Islamic law professor condemned the act as apostasy, explaining that a woman's body "stirs desire" in men.
Some suggested the event was a U.S. conspiracy to mould traditional Islam into a secular American religion.
Wadud, a professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, led the Islamic prayer service before a mixed congregation of 80 to 100 men and women at an Anglican church. Three mosques had refused to hold the service, and an art gallery backed out after receiving a bomb threat. Organizers of the prayer said it was intended to draw attention to the inequality faced by Muslim women.
"Women were not allowed to (have) input in the basic paradigms of what it means to be a Muslim," Wadud said after the service, adding that while the Qur'an puts men and women on equal footing, men have distorted its teachings to leave women with no role other than "as sexual partners."
But in the conservative Middle East, Wadud's prayer service was severely frowned on.
In Saudi Arabia, Grand Mufti Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik spoke out against the New York event in Friday prayers at a Riyadh mosque.
"Those who defended this issue are violating God's law," he said. "Enemies of Islam are using women's issues to corrupt the community."
Sheik Sayed Tantawi, head of Egypt's Al-Azhar mosque, the leading Sunni Muslim institution, said Islam permits women to lead other women in prayer but not a congregation that includes men.
Muslims are required to pray five times a day. On Friday, the Muslim holy day, many try to perform their midday prayers at a mosque. A male imam leads the prayer, followed by lines of men and, behind them, women. Most mosques have different halls, or different floors for the women, as well as separate entrances.
Soad Saleh, who heads the Islamic department of the woman's college at Al-Azhar University, considered the act an apostasy, which is punishable by death in Islam.
"It is categorically forbidden for women to lead prayers (if they include men worshippers) and intentionally violates the basics of Islam," she said.
Explaining why only men lead prayers, she said: "The origin is that the woman's body, even if veiled, stirs desire."
The most conservative Muslims also warn that women should not raise their voices as the sound can be seductive.
Abdul-Moti Bayoumi, of the Islamic Research Center at Al-Azhar, said Wadud had carried out "a bad and deviant innovation" that contradicted the Prophet Mohammed's sayings and deeds.
Not allowing women to lead mixed gender prayers "is not discrimination between women and men but is to safeguard men from being conflicted and torn by human desire while they are standing behind a woman while she's bowing and kneeling," Bayoumi said.
The prayer attracted news media attention in the Middle East,, including the two major Arab satellite networks, Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya, which covered the Friday service and reactions of those who attended.
One website known for postings by Islamic militants carried photos of women at the New York service who had failed to cover their heads, a normal requirement during prayer.
"This is the Islam that America wants," a contributor wrote Saturday. "I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow one of those who call themselves Muslim would say that alcohol and fornication is halal (sanctioned by Islam), and that there is no need for legitimate marriage between men and women."
Saleh, the Al-Azhar professor, also suggested the prayer was a ploy to weaken Islam. "It's a foreign conspiracy, through secular (Muslim) organizations, to sow seeds of division between Muslims, to come up and preach with American or contemporary Islam," she said. "But God will protect his religion."
I think the Nazis also demonstrated that evil will triumph unless resolutely confronted.
" explaining that a woman's body "stirs desire" in men. "
Who knew?
I know, shocking news flash, isn't it?
P. J. O'Rourke, I think in his book Give War A Chance, wrote that women dress in the middle East, like fathers would want their teenage daughters to dress.
I agree... good comment. In their minds, those who protest against what she did are really just being faithful to their "religion." (See what I wrote above regarding bidah.)
That stirred a definite desire in this man. The desire to hurl.
You have to read my entire post. Isaid they were being faithful to their beliefs ,just as ardent Nazis, Aztec?Inca priests, and countless others have been,even as they committed horrible crimes in the eyes of most people.
As if homicide bombers and the like weren't doing that and more in Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Chad, Somalia, ad nauseum ...
Terminal stupidity.
Sounds like something P.J. O'Rourke would write- great stuff!
Have a great day!
Thanks, gunner. You're my favorite folks ping list, too!
I really believe that if the majority of Muslim women ever turn their pent up anger toward Islam, the whole death cult will crumble like a house of cards.
If they were holding my head, they'd love me a lot more!
To tell you the truth, I don't give a damn about Islam, as long as it stays in the Islamic countries, or what the Muslims do or believe in. When the Muslims invade our territory, then it's another story. Either they respect our laws, or else.
I recall a story ,which happened in India, when a Hindu explained to a Bitish official the custom to burn the widow with her husband's corpse. The British replayed :"In England, Sir, such a custom , will make you hang high on a short rope".
This needs a bit of clarification.
A female's body "stirs desire" in males.
In human men, these desires are controlled.
In animals, these desires are acted upon.
I will leave it to the good 'professor' and others to draw their own conclusions as to who is which.
In human males...not men...these desires are sometimes acted upon. Often in an uncontrolled fashion. True.
In human men...meaning those males who have reached a certain level of maturity and civilized behavior by conscious decision or force of will and character...these desires are controlled.
Keeping in mind that controlled does not necessarily imply restrained.
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.