My feedback to Auntie...
Congratulations on an interesting and well-balanced — well, relatively well-balanced -- story on “Muslims in Amsterdam”!
It was good to hear from Muslims who, for once, did not play the “victimhood” card too aggressively and did not try to foist on us the old furphy that “ Islam is a religion of peace which has been hijacked by extremist elements”, or similar farragoes of nonsense. Thank goodness for such mercies...
Of course there was a bit of avoidance and defensiveness. For example, Zeeburg Mayor, Fatima Elatik, (“... veiled, but with bright red lipstick...”) says at the end of the program that domestic violence is a “power play between men and women” and nothing to do with Islam.
Of course, it has everything to do with Islam. The “Prophet” countenanced beating of wives and male domination of women, as recorded both in the Hadith and in the Koran (eg, 4.34*). That’s why domestic violence is so prevalent in Muslim households, after all. (“...domestic abuse in the Muslim world seems to have become a way of life”. Al-Jazeera editorial, Feb 28, 2009).
It would have been really, really nice — and radical, and brave — if Elatik had had the courage to take that next step: to face her religion square on, pointing out that it had these problematic areas, instead of saying she “hated, really hated” talking about Islam. (Why? because she can’t face its violent aspects?). How else can she solve the problems she identifies in the Muslim community — eg, “’Mohammad’ doesn’t get the job because the previous ‘Mohammad’ screwed it up” -- if she doesn’t know or face what the real problem is: violence in the scripture, enabling and encouraging violence against women.
Yours, etc...
(*) [4.34] Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great.
