Careful, Dr. Pipes...

Submitted by Amjad M. Khan (United States), Aug 24, 2006 at 13:32

Dr. Pipes:

In this weblog entry, you obviously balk at the notion of arranged marriages in Islam (all of which seem "forced" by your logic). In your view, such marriages pose an obstacle to the "successful integration of Muslims in Western countries." This begs the obvious question: what, in your view, should change about Islamic marriage practices for Muslims in Western countries to integrate successfully in Western countries? Dating, free mingling of sexes, prostitution? Perhaps the successful integration of Muslims in Western countries will come when such Muslims have divorce rates at Western levels: over 50%.

I wonder also what's prompted you to have "grown accustomed to the idea of Muslim girls being forced into marriage"? One obscure study and one newspaper article? A few Western films?

Scholars rely on scholarship to advance serious arguments. Polemicists rely on isolated journalistic accounts to do the same.

If your intention is to attack marriage practices in Islam, or to draw gross generalizations from such practices, you can at least do it with the care of a scholar.

Respectfully,

Amjad M. Khan

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