Please...

Submitted by Nasiruddeen Ahmad Tariq (United States), Dec 28, 2006 at 18:25

Anne,

Please don't take the actions of people as the teachings of Islam. The extremists have perverted the teachings of Islam for their own desires and wishes and have no fear of God. For example, I can give you a few examples about what Islam says about women, which you will see holds women in higher esteem than other religions' scriptures such as the Holy Bible.

Consort with them graciously... (Ch. 4, v. 20)

They are a garment for you, and you are a garment for them. (2:188)

So their Lord answered their prayers saying, I will not allow the work of any worker from among you, whether male or female, to be lost. You are from one another (3:196)

This passage shows how Islam views marriage. It is a relationship of harmony where one compliments the other. A husband and a wife serve as garments to each other and hide each others' weaknesses and protect them just as clothes hide your nakedness and protect you from the weather. The second passage points to the equality of man and women, they are from one another and their efforts will not go without reward.

The Prophet Muhammad is known to have said:

'He who brings up his daughters well, and makes no distinction between them and his sons, will be close to me in Paradise.'

'The best from among you is one who behaves best towards his wife.'

'Paradise lies under the feet of mothers.'

'The pursuit of knowledge is a duty to every Muslim, men and women.'

Common misconceptions regarding the treatment of women are put to rest with these pieces of advice from the Prophet Muhammad. If people follow these guidelines there will be no problems. Extremists have hijacked Islam and have made the religion look bad. The fact of the matter is that the media is not helping the situation by only showing these 'bad guys' and rarely showing the 'good guys' or the normal Muslims. They concentrate on sensational journalism instead of the good of the general public and have no care in what reprucussions their presentations may have. This is truly bad taste, and in regards to the Muslims who know that what the extremists are doing is wrong, the media has become a broken record to them.

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