Syed Raffey: More about women and slaves in Islam

Submitted by Plato (India), May 2, 2008 at 00:10

Syed Raffey, you wrote to Danielpipes:

>>Consider your first claim, "Islam is giving privileges to Muslims over non-Muslims". It is more like "Islam is giving privileges to a Just person over unjust person". What specific privileges do you see Islam is giving to Muslims over non-Muslims?<<

Islam is all about giving privileges to Muslims. Start with Allah's claim to be the sole being who has the right to be worshipped, which Muslims accept, but unbelievers do not. This in Muslim eyes means they are ‘just' and non-Muslims ‘unjust'. For this injustice they have to pay a humiliation tax or convert to Islam and become ‘just'.

Privileges given by Allah to Muslims include paradise for killing or being killed (9:111).

>>Your second charge, "Islam is giving privileges to males over females" also requires better understanding of sociological justice. "Islam is giving not privileges but duties to man over woman". To have sociological justice, Islam distributes responsibilities between male and female. Again I need specific example where you see man is more privileged?<<

When Allah says in 2:228 that men are a degree above women does it sound as though He is giving women privileges over men? You make me laugh. Is it sociological justice to let men thrash women if they think their wives are being disobedient, 4:43? The prophet in his last sermon compared women to animals/prisoners: (Tabari Vol 9, page 113)…Treat women well, for they are [like] domestic animals [awan] with you and do not possess anything for themselves. In Ibn Ishaq it is translated as prisoners instead of animals. Give us a break, Mr. Syed Rafey.

>>Finally "Islam is giving privileges to free persons over slaves" requires explanation/example from your side. As far as I see, Islam teaches a Muslim to give your slave what you eat!<<

Read the sentence I have underlined from your statement. It tells me that Islam teaches Muslims that keeping slaves is okay as long as you treat them well. Is Islam telling us that human beings are some kind of pets or beasts of burden who you should treat with kindness?

And just like pets and beasts of burden we can also sell them to another person for profit or in case of need. Does Islam prohibit this, Mr. Syed Hussain??

Regards

Plato

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