Hijab - Freedom NOT Oppression : Opinion

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 Nausheen wrote:

  1. There is another category of women, or rather a subtype - women who cover despite their husbands being against the hijab ... sad but true!

>> There are Turkish parents who are against the Hijab in Germany, but their teenage daughters want to wear it because of peer pressure at school. In some schools in Berlin more than 80% of the students are Muslims. So if a girl doesn't wear a headscarf she might be called a slut.

2. Are you sure you are genuinly concerned about us getting enough vit D, and not fooling us into exposing ourselves to UV irradiation? ... just kidding :)
Yes I know how important vid D3 is. But a very short period of sunlight directly on the bones is sufficient to make all the vit D3 one needs. Thank you for your conecers and reminders.

>> It is a serious problem, otherwise medical journals wouldn't write about it.

3. I dont understand what you mean by us not respecting other's dress code. If one is a hijabi - would she be required to appear in certain cultures without a head-cover in order to indicate she is being respectful of that culture?

>> Face veils are considered offensive in Germany. They violate our dress code. Older Christian women sometimes wear headscarves to protect their hair. Nuns cover their hair. 

4. Would you please explain what you mean by tolerating intolerance. I live in a non-muslim society and have non-muslim friends. I follow my religion and respectfully excuse myself out of certain norms/practices which would entail going against my religion. Im not sure how far this might offend others. 

>> I tolerate tolerant people. I don't tolerate intolerant people. I tolerate Muslims who respect Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, polytheists, agnostics and atheists. I don't tolerate Muslims who don't respect Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, polytheists, agnostics and atheists. I tolerate people who vote for conservative parties when they tolerate that I vote for liberal parties. I don't tolerate neo-Nazis, because of their intolerant perverse ideology. I tolerate vegans, if they tolerate that I eat cheese. And so forth. You seem like a very tolerant person. You have non-Muslim friends. Well, there are Muslim fundamentalists who say that the Quran forbids them to befriend non-Muslims. There are several verses that are quite explicit about that. There are Muslim fundamentalists who practice Taqiyya, which mean they pretend to befriend non-Muslims to further the cause of Islam. They are intolerant of other religions. There are several people here on Islamicity who call me an disbeliever and infidel. This is the intolerance I am talking about.

Want to know, do non-muslims really find it offensive if a muslim refuses to drink or dine with them due to their religion?

>> Yes, if they are the hosts and the Muslims are the guests. We had Muslim guests in the past and we chose not to serve pork and there were plenty of non-alcoholic beverages. There was no problem. Many years ago my wife and I visited Egypt. When Egyptians invited us for dinner they would have found it very offensive if we refused because of our religion or world view. Some Germans are vegan extremists and they refuse to dine with people who eat cheese. Most people consider their behavior to be quite offensive.

'Allah hates us. Devout Muslims hate us and we say, oh, that's their culture and we have to respect different cultures.'

Its really sad that you feel this way. And worse if you've picked this impression from muslims who you thought were devout.

>> I was referring to verses in the Quran that are about the hatred of disbelievers and the fight against disbelievers (especially the late Medina Suras). I know that the vast majority of Muslims don't feel that way. But a minority of Muslims does, unfortunately. They think of Christians and Jews and atheists as being inferior and evil. They despise the West. They despise people who eat pork or drink alcohol or listen to music. They despise women, who don't cover their hair. They hate secular laws. They hate homosexuals and so forth. And they consider themselves to be devout Muslims. I know there are plenty of devout Muslims who disagree with them. 

What would you expect from muslims in order to bridge the gap and make our society more respectful and tolerant for all?

>> Cancel the word disbeliever from the vocabulary. Stop talking about the Bible being corrupt and full of lies. Stop talking about the one true religion. Stop talking about superior and inferior religions. Start talking about my religion and your religion. My way and your way. Respect atheists. Respect Muslims who decide to leave their religion. Respect Muslim women want to marry a Christian man. Respect norms and values and dress codes of Western countries. Respect secularism. Give women all the rights that exist for men. End the silly dream of the whole world being ruled by Islam depicting it as some kind of paradise.  Appreciate a diverse colorful world full of mutual respect and tolerance.

Edited by Matt Browne - 27 October 2012 at 10:58am