WHAT NON MUSLIMS (IN MYANMAR AND ELSEWHERE) NEED TO KNOW - ISLAM

AND WOMEN
By
Han Maung
August 25, 2014

Islamic laws and cultural customs impact various stages of a Muslim women's life,
including her education, employment opportunities, rights to inheritance, female
circumcision, dress, age of marriage, freedom to consent to marriage, marriage
contract, mahr, permissibility of birth control, divorce, sex outside or before
marriage, her ability to receive justice in case of sex crimes, property rights
independent of her husband, and when salat (prayers) are mandatory for her.

INTERFAITH MARRIAGE

It is not lawful for Muslim women to marry non Muslim men of any faith. Muslim
men may marry Jewish or Christian women.

Quran 2:221 "Do not marry unbelieving women (idolaters), until they believe. A slave
woman who believes is better than an unbelieving woman, even though she allures
you. Nor marry (your girls or women) to unbelievers until they believe.

Quran 5:5 "This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of
the People of the Book [Jews and Christians] is lawful unto you and yours is lawful
unto them. (Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are
believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book, revealed before your time,-
when ye give them their due dowers, and desire chastity, not lewdness, nor secret
intrigues if any one rejects faith, fruitless is his work, and in the Hereafter he will be in
the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good)."





JOYS OF MUSLIM WOMEN

An essay Joys of Muslim Women circulated in the internet and attributed to author
Nonie Darwish, a woman born in Egypt, states:

In the Muslim faith a Muslim man can marry a child as young as 1 year old and have
sexual intimacy with this child. Consummating the marriage by 9.
The dowry is given to the family in exchange for the woman (who becomes his slave)
and for the purchase of the private parts of the woman, to use her as a toy.

Even though a woman is abused she can not obtain a divorce. To prove rape, the
woman must have (4) male witnesses. Often after a woman has been raped, she is
returned to her family and the family must return the dowry. The family has the right
to execute her (an honor killing) to restore the honor of the family. Husbands can beat
their wives 'at will' and he does not have to say why he has beaten her.

The husband is permitted to have 4 wives and (for a Shia) a temporary wife for an
hour (prostitute) at his discretion.

The Shariah Muslim law controls the private as well as the public life of the woman.. In
the Western World (Canada, Australia, United States and Britain) Muslim men are
starting to demand Shariah Law so the wife can not obtain a divorce and he can have
full and complete control of her. It is amazing and alarming how many of our sisters
and daughters attending American, Canadian, Universities and British Universities are
now marrying Muslim men and submitting themselves and their children
unsuspectingly to the Shariah law.

Darwish denies that she is the author of the essay although she considers it accurate
to a large extent. Below are a sample of the quotes from Quran that lends credence
to the essay. Note that men or man below refers to Muslims only.





Men are in charge and women must obey men. A woman can be beaten.
Quran 4.34. Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to
excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women).
So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As
for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart;
and scourge (beat) them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them Lo! Allah
is ever High Exalted, Great.

A woman is worth less than a man. Women get half the inheritance of men.
Quran 4.11. Allah chargeth you concerning (the provision for) your children: to the
male the equivalent of the portion of two females.

The hijab was imposed by the Koran (see suras 33.53, 33.59, and 33.3233) and
also: 24.30-31. Enjoin believing women to turn their eyes away from temptation and
to preserve their chastity; to cover their adornmentsexcept such as are normally
displayed;to draw their veils over their bosoms and not to reveal their finery except
to their husbands.

Rape victims are often punished by Islamic courts as adulterers. Under Islamic law,
rape can only be proven if the rapist confesses or if there are four male witnesses.
Women who allege rape without the benefit of the act having been witnessed by
four men who subsequently develop a conscience are actually confessing to having
sex. If they or the accused happens to be married, then it is considered to be
adultery. Islamic law rejects forensic evidence (such as DNA) in favor of testimony.
Quran (24:13) - "Why did they not bring four witnesses of it? But as they have not
brought witnesses they are liars before Allah."

Men can marry up to four wives. A man is permitted to take women as sex slaves
outside of marriage. Note that the verse distinguishes wives from captives (those




whom they right hand possesses), whom men can have sex with (rape).
Quran 4.3. And if ye fear that ye will not deal fairly by the orphans, marry of the
women, who seem good to you, two or three or four; and if ye fear that ye cannot do
justice (to so many) then one (only) or the (captives) that your right hand possesses.
Thus it is more likely that ye will not do injustice.

JIHAD AND RAPE

The Quran allows rape, as captive women; even in the unlikely case of agreeing to
sexual intercourse, would still be having that intercourse under duress. In jihad,
muslim men are permitted to have sex slaves. Since jihad is perpetual, all non
muslim women captured by muslim men can be raped.

Quran 23:5-6 "..who abstain from sex, except with those joined to them in the
marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess, - for (in their case)
they are free from blame

Men are allowed to take married captives as sex slaves
Quran 4:24 Also (prohibited are) women already married, except those whom your
right hands possess (captives)..