Women banned from swimming
In Mogadishu Somalia, an Islamic court banned women for swimming at the northern Mogadishu Leedo beach in Somalia's capital. It is one of the latest steps that imposes strict religious rule. I feel that this universal religion of Islam has been taken too far, and is suppressing the rights and progress of women. A member of the Islamic court explained the reasoning for this ban: "We stopped women from swimming because it is against the teaching of Islam for women to mingle with men, especially while they are swimming." For one thing, the women of that region swim fully clothed, and also they are usually on vacation with their families. Shouldn't they "mingle" with others in their families? Among with the bans against swimming, the Islamic group has also banned movie veiwing and publicly lashed drug users and broke up a wedding celebration because a band was playing and women and men were socializing together. I think that what the Islamic group has been doing is cultural imperialism.Women banned from swimming
posted by Anonymous @ 10/20/2006 11:51:00 PM
5 Comments:
So, are you saying that you don't agree with the teachings of Islam or you are against radical and extremists Islam?? I can't really respond to you unless thats clear! Sorry.
Like I said before, I can't respond to her until she posts more about her thoughts. But, I can respond to you. You're right, most people view Islam as a suppressive religion that discriminates against women, suppresses the rights of its followers, etc., etc. But, these accusations are based on the actions of people, not on the actual religion. Yes, there are many radical Muslims who think they are doing Allah's work, but many Muslims in the world disagree with what they are doing. Any religion that goes to the extreme poses a problem.
"Frank Gardner:
Andrew Miller, Scotland: Would you agree that many of those who are called "Islamic extremists" are just extremists who happen to be Muslim? Aren't many of these people anti-the Western because of the political and economic situations of their countries, rather than their religion?
Hamza Yusuf:
That's what I was just saying. I think these are human problems. If you get Jewish extremists, Hindu extremists and Muslim extremists in the same room - they all seem to look very similar, think very similar and have an inability to have a civil discourse, not just between themselves as different faiths, but even amongst each other. So I think you're dealing with psychology, you're dealing with a pathology. Extremism is a human problem. We have secular extremists, we have Christian fundamentalist that go and shoot abortion doctors - they're terrorists, that's terrorism. They're arrogating to themselves something that is not for them to do, which is to take life. "
Also, you contradict yourself by saying that Islam is outdated yet it is growing. The word outdated is used to describe something that is no longer in use or that is old-fashioned. Like I said, you contradicted yourself, if Islam was outdated, it wouldn't be the fastest growing religion in the world, and you failed to mention that Islam is the most recent of the Abrahamic religions.
You go on to say that the growth of Islam could "pose a problem for future generations who don't want to be living in a suppressive society." Well, the reason Islam is growing is because people all over the world are converting to Islam. They aren't just converting for the heck of it, they are converting because they have faith and believe the teachings of Islam.
This is obviously a controversial topic , so please don't be offended by anything I say, but many people have misconceptions about Islam. There are hundreds of great websites on Islam that you should peruse if you want to get a better grip on the concepts of the religion. Check out Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, he is a convert to Islam and is very influential in the Muslim community.
sunnipath.com
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6057297
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfEIGw8NtNA (Maybe this video will instigate some discussion. Check out some of his other lectures too :))
llcool, you completely missed my point. I was explaining how any religion taken to the extreme can be dangerous....
Why do you think it's ABSURD?
singyoursong, are you saying that the point of swimming is exposing your body to the opposite sex? And also, just to clarify, I believe the term you are looking for is MUSLIM, not islamic. Anyway, I think people are ignoring the fact that the restrictions put on Muslim women are for their safety and also you are disregarding that there are in fact restrictions put on men too. Of course, they may not seem as strict, but there are obviously reasons for that.
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