You can regain your virginity? Ew.

This is so sad, but unsurprising... In all cultures there is a double-standard when it comes to men's and women's sexual histories. But in Arab culture, and in the wider Muslim community, it's so pronounced as to lead to something known as a "hymenoplasty."

My husband--who is from the Middle East--told me that a lot of Arab guys will sleep with their girlfriends and then refuse to marry them. Because, they reason, if she is willing to sleep with him, who's to say she won't sleep with someone else? Of course, the same reasoning does not apply to HIM.

Sitting in a cafe near the Champs Elysees, the 26-year-old French-born woman of Algerian descent looks like any other Parisian. But two months ago, she did something none of her friends have done.

She had her hymen re-sewn, technically making her a virgin again.

(snip)

Sitting in the same cafe, a 19-year-old Moroccan studying in Paris who asked to be called Amel spoke just before her first consultation with Abecassis.

"I dated a boy when I was 15 and I didn't even realize what had happened," she said, referring to her first and only sexual experience. "I didn't understand what I did."

Her parents introduced her to a young man earlier this year, and they plan to wed when she returns to Morocco in June. But he would not accept a non-virgin, so she needs the operation soon.

click here for full article

Also, can someone explain to me why there is a picture of Muslim women in full hijab attached to this article? The women they interviewed here are self-described non-practicing Muslims.

Why She's Not a Moderate Muslim

This sister makes some points here that I've never thought of before... When you call yourself a "Moderate Muslim," as I do, that implies that those who are--as we call them--"extremists" are in fact following Islam to the letter, whereas whose of us who are not extremists only following it.. moderately. This validates the claims of people like Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Wafa Sultan, who contend that Islam is broken and fundamentally flawed. That the only good Muslim is a non-practicing one.

In reality, while the behavior of "extremists" is indeed extreme, it does not reflect the extremity of Islam, but that of evil and madness. Extremists of any faith negate the fundamental message of that faith, twisting it beyond recognition to serve a temporal end.

I run a club where I live called "Moderate Muslims." I should really consider changing the name to something less divisive.

In the aftermath of September 11, much has been said about the need for "moderate Muslims." But to be a "moderate" Muslim also implies that Osama bin Laden and Co. must represent the pinnacle of orthodoxy; that a criterion of orthodox Islam somehow inherently entails violence; and, consequently, that if I espouse peace, I am not adhering to my full religious duties.

I refuse to live as a "moderate" Muslim if its side effect is an unintentional admission that suicide bombing is a religious obligation for the orthodox faithful. True orthodoxy is simply the attempt to adhere piously to a religion's tenets.

click here for full article

The Middle Path... NOT!!

Isn't it interesting how religious extremists work? The nitpick the little things, but when they mess up, the mess up BAD. It reminds me of some Muslims who come to America and oscillate between being really, really opressively strict... and total abandonment of any religious practices (drinking, womanizing). Taken to the level of REAL religious extremism, you get this:

When the Taliban ordered Afghanistan's fields cleared of opium poppies seven years ago because of Islam's ban on drugs, fearful farmers complied en masse.

Today, officials say the militia nets tens of millions by forcing farmers to plant poppies and taxing the harvest, driving the country's skyrocketing opium production to fund the fight against what they consider an even greater evil — U.S. and
NATO troops.

(snip)

"Originally they said 'It's bad for you, it's against Islam,' but when they realized how much money they could make off of it they said it was OK to grow but not consume it."

click here for full article

Dressing Like A Muslim Doesn't Have To Suck Anymore!

I just read this great article in the NYTimes about fashion choices for Muslim women. This beauty blog did a nice writeup on the article (thanks for the tip, mama!).

FOR Aysha Hussain, getting dressed each day is a fraught negotiation. Ms. Hussain, a 24-year-old magazine writer in New York, is devoted to her pipe-stem Levi’s and determined to incorporate their brash modernity into her wardrobe while adhering to the tenets of her Muslim faith. “It’s still a struggle,” Ms. Hussain, a Pakistani-American, confided. “But I don’t think it’s impossible.”

The article lists a couple of interesting links: Artizara.com is a really chic Islamic clothing site (dare I say, even more so than shukronline.com?), hijabshop.com is a lot more hip than your average hijab store, and... my favorite, Muslim Girl Magazine! This is looking like Azizah for Muslim teens and preteens. So great.. One thing to look forward to when I (Insha Allah) have daughters.

I'm not racist, but MAN, those Blacks and Jews!

In the grand tradition of whitewashing one's bigotry by prefacing one's bigoted remark with a declaration that said person is not a bigot...

"I think that it's important that we are tolerant as a people of all faiths, but that doesn't mean we have to endorse all faiths, and that was my decision."

This was Republican (notice that it's always Republicans that do stuff like this?) Texas State Senator Dan Patrick, explaining why he boycotted the first prayer delivered in the Texas Senate by a Muslim cleric, who then then praised religious tolerance (eh?) and freedom of speech in an address at the end of the day's session.

That reminds me of something very similar that happened in my former home of Washington State.

In the latter case, letters sent to the Honorable legislators resulted in apologies from both. Perhaps we should send Senator Patrick a few reminder emails that he represents Texans of ALL faiths, not just the Evangelical Christans.

Compromising Religion?

Muslim cashiers at Target stores refused to scan customers' pork products on religious grounds. Target had them flag another employee to do the scanning, but within days of news reports and hours of talk radio devoted to the topic, Target changed its policy. Cashiers who refuse to ring up pork products are given other positions, a policy already in place at other area grocery stores.

This article about religion on the job has has brought up a couple of issues for me. First of all, are those particular Muslims being reasonable in their demands? Does Islam, for instance, actually prohibit us from selling someone a packaged pork-based item that they bought from the business that employs us?

I, personally, would not have a problem with it. I would feel weird about selling someone alcohol at that same establishment, though. What's the difference? I'm not sure. Maybe I feel that way because it is much more obvious what damage alcohol can do to you. But what is the reason we abstain from these things? We could list all the reasons we want, but the bottom line is that we as Muslims believe the Qur'an is the word of God, and we obey the teachings of the Qur'an out of obedience to God.

Intentions are important, and I guess a Muslim working at Target would have to decide whether handling packaged pork products violates the word and spirit of what is written in the Qu'ran. In addition to being a sin, would it make the money you'd earn from such a job no longer halal? In that case, you'd have to say, if the business you work in makes money from selling haram products, and they pay you with its products, your income is not completely halal anyway.

So the bottom line for me--as I've mentioned before--is, that if you can't fulfill the job, you should find another line of work. That may sound harsh, but I believe that you if you try to find something that will not make you compromise your faith, God will provide a way. When one door closes, another one opens.

Get a boob job for Islam

The other day (don't ask me why), I decided to peruse various online "Islam Q&A" columns, which are usually titled "Ask the Imam" or something like that. Most of them are pretty terrible, written by self-styled "Sheikhs" giving crazy fatwas about everything under the sun.

Ok.............. I just remembered why I was searching for these websites.

When I was a new Muslim, I remember reading one particularly crazy site, in which a woman said that she was a new Muslim, married to a born Muslim. She lived with his family and wore a burqa. She said that, although her brother-in-law lived in the same house, she has never met him. This is how strict the separation was for this family that she married into! The "Imam" told her that this was appropriate, and that she should continue to not ever see, be seen by, or communicate with her brother-in-law who lives in the same house.

This same Imam was asked a question by another woman. She said her husband wanted her to get a boob job. And the Imam's response was: "HELL, YEAH!"

Ok, those weren't his exact words, but basically he said yes she should do it, particularly out of obedience to her husband.

Let's pray the husband never asks her to jump off a mountain.

I was searching for this particular column so I could make fun of it on my blog, but I couldn't find the link. So I made fun of it from memory.

What I DID find, however, was this. I'm not even going to read it to you.

*sigh* Crazy internet Sheikhs.