infidel

Wonderful, although spiked with drastic moments, true story, autobiography of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Emerging from a Somali born family, living also in Saudi and Kenya, learning about various ways of practicing Islam, growing up among cultures and traditions where Islam is a religion of birth, she makes a life altering decision and decides to stay in Europe.  She becomes an atheist (unfortunately)  and surprisingly politically incorrect in the midst of one of the most liberal European nations, Holland.

It’s a great read.

One thing that I agree with her is her opinion on Mohammed, the founder of Islam.

follow Muhammed, marry girls in elementary school

And yet another story of a small girl, 8 year old from Saudi Arabia, married to a 47 years old (another source says 58 years old) man in Saudi Arabia. Typical scenario: parents are seperated, father gets in debt, sells off his daughter for 30,000 SAR = $8, 010 (which is called: gives her to be married) to a guy 5 times her age. That’s it.

The girl will attend 4th grade at the time of her marriage, but apparently she was not yet informed about the events. Mother protested in the court, wanting a divorce for her daughter, but the judge said that she is not a legal guardian (she is separated from the girl’s father), and only the girl can file a divorce petition, after she reaches her puberty. What a system…wow.

The old husband promised that he will not consummate the marriage until the girl is 18. I don’t believe him at all. Once this story quiets down, he can do whatever he wants. Why would he marry a girl anyway, in his age, to wait 10 more years? He will surely follow Muhammed’s advice and example.

I wrote this few months ago, commenting about another girl in Yemen, who was married against her will:

Muslims are to follow Muhammed’s example. After Muhammed’s first wife died, he married his best friend’s daughter, Aisha. She was six at that time, so he had to wait to consummate the marriage until she was about nine. (There are controversies about Aisha’s age, some Muslim scholars are trying to convince the masses, that she was bit older than that).

Muhammed followed the cultural norm established in his land: marrying young girls and starting sexual interactions with them after their first menses was a norm at that time in the Arabic Peninsula (Jewish custom said the girl must be at least 12.5, the boy at least 13). Therefore Muhammed established this practice for his followers to come for the next centuries. Islam authoritatively and consequently follows His Prophet’s example till today.

To make things easier for the men, there is a Fatwa (ruling on Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar) explaining Muhammed’s sexual relationship with Aisha, which they can follow, if needed.

(…) answering the question about “thighing” of Aisha, (…)

After the committee studied the issue, they gave the following reply:
It has not been the practice of the Muslims throughout the centuries to resort to this unlawful practice that has come to our countries from pornographic movies that the kufar (infidels) and enemies of Islam send. As for the prophet, peace and prayer of Allah be upon him, thighing his fiancée Aisha. She was six years of age and he could not have intercourse with her due to her small age. That is why [the prophet] peace and prayer of Allah be upon him placed HIS [MALE] MEMBER BETWEEN HER THIGHS AND MASSAGED IT SOFTLY, as the apostle of Allah had control of his [male] member not like other believers.. (from here )

Links:

CNN

Arab News

The Muslim News

10 year old divorced, now on CNN

I’ve written before about the story of a 10 year old (she was believed then to be 8 year old) Somali girl, Noyoud, who demanded divorce, after being raped and beaten by her 3 times older husband.

You can watch the report now on CNN News

worship in school

Imagine a Christian school in a predominantly Muslim country. Imagine religious education lesson, with the focus on Christianity. Imagine the teacher telling all of the children to kneel in prayer and pray rosary or recite a prayer worshiping Jesus. Unthinkable, right?

Here is the link to an article in Daily News that tells about a similar story. This time it’s real, it happens in a Christian country (UK), where a teacher instructed students to pray to Allah!!! 2 boys refused and they were punished. Welcome to Eurabia.

1 year old can marry, according to Muhammed

Below is a transcript of this video , from Middle East Media Research Institute, and this statement leaves me speechless. And this is all allowed because Muhammed practiced it. Read it for yourself, and then read more here to learn what kind of sexual activities are allowed with girls younger then 10, according to Muhammed example.

June 19, 2008	Clip No. 1798
Dr. Ahmad Al-Mub’i, a Saudi Marriage Officiant: It Is Allowed to Marry a Girl at the Age of One, If Sex Is Postponed. The Prophet Muhammad, Whose Model We Follow, Married ‘Aisha When She Was Six and Had Sex with Her When She Was Nine
Following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. Ahmad Al-Mu’bi, a Saudi marriage officiant, which aired on LBC TV on June 19, 2008: Dr. Ahmad Al-Mu’bi: Marriage is actually two things: First we are talking about the marriage contract itself. This is one thing, while consummating the marriage – having sex with the wife for the first time – is another thing. There is no minimal age for entering marriage. You can have a marriage contract even with a one-year-old girl, not to mention a girl of nine, seven, or eight. This is merely a contract [indicating] consent. The guardian in such a case must be the father, because the father’s opinion is obligatory. Thus, the girl becomes a wife… But is the girl ready for sex or not? What is the appropriate age for having sex for the first time? This varies according to environment and traditions. In Yemen, girls are married off at nine, ten, eleven, eight, or thirteen, while in other countries, they are married off at 16. Some countries have legislated laws forbidding having sex before the girl is eighteen. […] The Prophet Muhammad is the model we follow. He took ‘Aisha to be his wife when she was six, but he had sex with her only when she was nine. Interviewer: When she was six… Dr. Ahmad Al-Mu’bi: He married her at the age of six, and he consummated the marriage, by having sex with her for the first time, when she was nine. We consider the Prophet Muhammad to be our model. Interviewer: My question to you is whether the marriage of a 12-year-old boy with an 11-year-old girl is a logical marriage, which is permitted by Islamic law. Dr. Ahmad Al-Mu’bi: If the guardian is the father… There are two different types of guardianship. If the guardian is the father, and he marries his daughter off to a man of appropriate standing, the marriage is obviously valid. […] People find themselves in all kinds of circumstances. Take, for example, a man who has two, three, or four daughters. He does not have any wives, but he needs to go on a trip. Isn’t it better to marry his daughter to a man, who will protect and sustain her, and when she reaches the proper age, he will have sex with her? Who says all men are ferocious wolves?

Leila

Watched this last night. I think I am staying in the theme of Iran and polygamy…

The story line of this movie is evolving around young couple living in Tehran, Iran. Leila, the wife of Reza, can’t have children, and slowly sulks into her own world of self imposed rejection. Her mother-in-law runs the show, it seems, and convinces Leila to include another woman into their family, as a wife, of course.

The whole 2h of this movie, which seems like it was made in the 40ties, not in th 90ties, tries to make sense of emotional struggles of husband and wife trying to figure out what’s really the best for them, listening to the voices of their family members, customs, expectations and their own desires.

The acting is different than in Western movies. Some long shots are overloaded with Leila’s face, but overall if you are interested in a psychological mapping of a family life in modern Iran, watch this. Invaluable.

you can buy a bride in Egypt for $ 8,000

According to BBC NEWS, a 92 old man did not receive permission to marry 17 year old girl, because the gap between the spouses must be no bigger than 25 years. Like always, there is a loophole. If you are foreigner, and want to marry someone who is more then 25 years younger then you, just pay $8,000, on her account in the bank, and she is yours. Last year there was 173 happy Egyptian, young and rich brides taken to God knows where…

If this is not legalizing human trafficking, what is it? It is a fact, that poor rural families will “sell” their young daughters to whoever wants to pay. And with the Muslim societies obsessed with virginity, men will pay a lot of money… unfortunately.

honor killing in Basra

The girl was a 17 year old student at the University. She was killed by her father and her two brothers, because she was seen talking to a foreign soldier. Her father’s only regret is, that he did not kill her right after birth. He was arrested, congratulated by police officers and released after 2 hours.

“I don’t regret it. I had the support of all my friends who are fathers, like me, and know what she did was unacceptable to any Muslim that honours his religion”

“I have only two boys from now on. That girl was a mistake in my life. I know God is blessing me for what I did”

After his release he was given money by a local politician to dissapear for some time, until the case will be forgotten. This became a custom for the last 30 honor killings since January 2008.
His wife and mother of the girl, decided to divorce her husband and is in hiding, fearing for her life. She was severly beaten by her husband, after delivering the news about wanting a divorce, her arm is broken as an effect.

“Now, my lovely Rose is in her grave. But, God will make her father pay, either in this world … or in the world after.”

I thought that the honor killings are executed only in the case of adultery, fornication, but not after a talk. if the same law would be measured toward the man in Islam, there would be real shortage of men. The craziest thing is that the whole society is set for these types of situations, so the murderers will not be persecuted, but protected by others, including government officials. Somebody do something!!!

The whole article here.

Read more: Facebook can kill you

Update from Ellen R. Sheeley in the comments below: the mother of the victim was murdered in the mid May.

prostitution behind the veil

Again Iran, again women, again hopeless. It’s a story about 2 young mothers, heroin drug addicts, trying to survive in a male dominant, Allah prescribed society. The world is full of stories of prostitutes who can’t come out of the circle of addiction, and are trapped in the hell of prostitution. What’s the difference here then? Well, neither the government, neither Allah is opposing what’s happening to the young girls, being exploited beyond belief.

Iranian revolution started as a dream for the society, but became another dictatorship system, operating under religious laws.

The reality of a “temporary marriage” (sighe), blessed by Allah, which can last from 10 minutes to 99 years is shown in this documentary in a very disturbing way. Perfectly legal contract, where a man owns a woman for a certain time, and pays her money. Legalized prostitution, I call it. The girls are treated by the law as grown women in Iran, since they are 9 years old, and they can be married, permanently or temporarily, at this age. They are often abused physically, raped, beaten and after the legal time of marriage is over, left alone in a society, where a woman can’t survive.

This documentary was made by an Iranian woman, Nahid Persson,who escaped right after the revolution begun and lives now in Sweden. She came back 17 tears later to witness the changes in her country and was shocked of what she has found so far.

Watch it here. You will see incredible footage, nothing you can expect in an “official” documentary.

women in 20th century Iran (under Shah Pahlavi and Khomeini)

I like to know about any recommendations for the books which are a “must” from others. I do read book’s reviews at Amazon and other sites (especially homeschooling stuff, it saved me from purchasing many over-marketed books), then I check them out from the library.

The last 2 weeks I’ve read 2 books, memoirs written by Iranian women who lived throughout the Shah and Khomeini times. You will become familiar with the culture, traditions and customs of the people of 20th century Iran as well as meet 2 women who went against the flow of the times, had to learn how to survive, live and tell the story.

“Prisoner of Tehran: a memoir” by Marina Nemat, tells you a story of a girl imprisoned as a teenager, surviving execution, forced to be married to her captor. Fascinating and powerful, one night read. You can’t put it away, every chapter draws your attention to the next. Vividly portrays the prison life, emotional and spiritual turmoil, painting them on the canvas with the background of her life before. As a Catholic believer, she was under even greater scrutiny, but her faith gave her courage and she had few encounters that clearly proved her God to be the One who loves, cares and remembers.

“Persian girls: a memoir” by Nahid Rachlin, starts as a story of a girl who was given by her mother to her barren aunt, and then taken back. She takes you through her family’s events, rather tragic, through the moment that changed her life, going to school in the USA. She struggles to keep her identity and to fit into her new lifestyle, which she expected to be different.

Both of these books dismantle the idea that Shah’s western ways of life, promoted so heavily during his reign, were of a help to the Iranian women. You see the position of a women coming from an era of superficial freedom under Shah, who controlled the society for his personal benefits, to the place of religiously imposed laws, not giving them any other options to chose from.