Thursday, December 30, 2004
Gender equality has been pointed as one of the potential wells of power waiting to be tapped into by those seeking to reform Islam. Recently notable is Steven Vincent's new book, In the Red Zone, which makes a strong case for the need for reforming women's place in the Islamic social structure in order for there to be deep, meaningful change in Islamic nation's march to some sort of democratic normalcy.
But this argument begs the question: Is there a problem with Women's Rights in Islam? Or is the problem, if any exists, really one with the cultures who have taken on Islam the religion and perverted it to justify what are really tribally-based misogynist tendencies?
This lengthy FrontPage symposium explores the issue, as four scholars quote chapter and verse to make their cases.
FrontPage magazine.com: Symposium: Gender Apartheid and Islam by Jamie Glazov (Hat Tip: Mal)
Mohamed El-Mallah, a board member of Al-Ittihad Mosque in Vista, former board member of Islamic Center of San Diego, and an associate member of the Muslim American Society. A native of Egypt who migrated to the U.S. seven years ago, he is an activist in the Muslim Community of San Diego who has given many series of presentations on Islamic History,
and
Julia Roach, a UCSD student currently pursuing a bachelor's in literatures of the world, specializing in gender issues and women in literature. She converted to Islam in 2003.
On the side of Islam being mutually exclusive with women’s rights, we are joined by:
Ali Sina, the founder of Faith Freedom International (www.faithfreedom.org), a movement of ex-Muslims created to provide support for those who want to leave Islam and give factual information about Islam for others,
and
Robert Spencer, the director of Jihad Watch and the author of Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West (Regnery Publishing), and Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World’s Fastest Growing Faith (Encounter Books)...
