Let me explain about Aisha. Some fool government official in Yemen explained that since the Prophet married his wife, Aisha, when she was six, but didn't consummate the marriage until later, then how can the Yemeni government raise the age of marriage (currently set at 16 but routinely flouted and not enforced)?
That official is forgetting something. The Prophet didn't consummate that marriage until later, for one thing. Secondly, that was legal and culturally acceptable at that time. Life spans were far shorter than they are now. Thirdly, it was a different world at that time. Europeans were doing the same thing at that time. It is estimated that the Juliet character in Shakespeare's famous play was probably around 12 years old. Europeans evolved in terms of this issue, people living on the dark continent did not, apparently.
The other thing that the official forgot is this -- a Muslim woman must give her non-coerced consent in order to be married. Sure, a girl who is constantly nagged by her family will probably give in. Therefore these folks may be following the letter of Islam, but they are not following the spirit of it. They are using semantics to say justify their actions and sell of their children.
Anyway, back to my own story.
I had many stereotypes to deal with. I had heard all the stories of the Taliban and of Saddam Hussein's rule. They were Muslim. They oppressed women, big time. The Taliban was horrible...making women wear head to toe veils but that certainly was the least of their worries under that extremist, insane government. The Saudis, in my opinion, aren't much better. They have enshrined desert culture and they pervert Islam to justify it.
Mack told me more about Islam. He is a Quranic Muslim. That means he only does what is in the Quran. He doesn't do many of the things that the self-appointed Muslim priesthood thinks he should. He reads the Quran and interprets it for himself. He suggested that I study the Quran. I wanted to learn, at the very least in order to know my loved one better and understand him. So I started reading about it. I discovered that there is no priesthood in Islam. There are no fancy rituals. Like the 12 steps, Islam is about fostering a direct connection between you and God. No intermediaries. You search out the will of God and you try and follow that will.
The Prophet is dead. We do not worship the Prophet. We worship God. The Quran has never been altered since it was revealed to the Prophet. Two original copies exist - one is in Turkey and I forget where the other is. They are proof that the Quran has not been altered. It's still in its original text. This is a true miracle of God. Personally, I believe that man has probably corrupted the Bible.
After reading about Islam, meeting many, many Muslims, praying in the Muslim way, I decided that Islam would be a good religion for me, a good way to express my faith. I like the Muslim belief in charity, the practicality of Islam, the belief in equal rights for women (yes they do believe in that). What was revealed to Muhammad in the Quran was way, way beyond Muhammad's time, and I don't think he could have come up with it himself. I also feel that it closely resembles what Jesus preached - tolerance, equality for all, etc.
So, I haven't been kidnapped. I haven't been brainwashed. I'm not wearing an oppressive set of clothes - not walking around unrecognizable in yards and yards of fabric. If I decide later on to wear hijab, then I will. I haven't finished reading the Quran, though, and I have yet to come upon the passage stating that I need to do this. Mack has told me that the priesthood has 'embellished' the requirements for dress for women; making them the same as in desert cultures and then calling it Islam. We'll see.
Most importantly, I have a faith that works for me. To me, that is the function of religion.
No comments:
Post a Comment