Well said.
We came to this country 300 years ago to escape religious persecution &
now you invade our user groups (where we come to discuss things like
making furniture) to tell us we have FAITH all wrong, Take your Islamic
beliefs back to Allah or Buda or whoever you pray to & explain to him
why we don't want to hear your crap.
We spend billions & many lives to liberate you & you spit in our face,
ask us to leave your land & call us evil.
why not practice what you preach, be gone & leave us in peace.


_____

From: jtmkma@... [mailto:jtmkma@...]
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2004 6:37 PM
To: furnituremaking@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Furniture Making] Imagine this scenario, for it is real


Where's the part about hijacking several planes and crashing them into
buildings and killing several thousand innocent lives who could care
less about the religion of Islam, as we have our own religions here in
America, and where we are free to practice or not to practice as we see
fit.

In a message dated 7/31/2004 5:30:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time, "poe"
<poe1@...> writes:

>
>Please forgive us for any disturbance, but we have an important subject
>to address to you regarding FAITH, and we Don't intend to overload your
email with unnecessary messages...
>
>
>Woman in Islam
>Sexual Politics
>Imagine this scenario, for it is real: two antagonists locked in a grim
power struggle. And another: two or more other competitors, rivals in a
race for high stakes, a race to determine the course of their entire
life. At race's end, the prizes for winning include compliments, telling
glances, and First Prize, a wedding ring. Unwanted "prizes" along the
way may include physical assault, countless violations of body and soul.
The protagonists of these scenarios are all around us; they are modern
man and modern woman, and woman vs. woman. From time immemorial, against
this harsh horizon of human relations, the "battle of the sexes" has
raged. But never has "Sexual Politics been so virulent as today.
Feminism becomes polarization along gender barriers. To offset increased
competition for a mate, extreme nudity splashes itself unchecked. Fear
and suspicion on both sides lurk; commitments are tepid, or all too
fragile.
>Sexual Balance
>Now conjure this, from the Qur'an, the Book of the Revelation sent to
guide the affairs of mankind; It comes from Allah (SWT - the Deity; One,
Only) to us, His creatures: "Your wives are a garment to you, and you to
them. " (Surah 2:187). As close as the skin to a garment, as essential
as the covering layer which envelops andd protects us from heat and
cold, man and wife are the two halves of humanity coming together in
balanced, mutual protection and care. This is the other veil, the deeper
veil, the real covering and garment of ISLAM.
>
>In days remarkably similar to ours, a new path was taught: the path of
enduring partnership and cooperation in human affairs, to level the
exhausting shifting sands of competition and suspicion. This path was
AL-ISLAM. Islam means the deep submission to God alone, Allah (SWT - The
One, The Deity, "Eloh" of the Hebrews). Fittingly, the name of this
grace-filled, all-encompassing path of balance and harmony for mankind
was derived from "Salaam," the Arabic word for peace.
>
>Peace
>"For Islam is the religion before Allah" (Surah 3:19) ISLAM was not a
new religion, "another" religion; it is the same universal truth that
God has enjoined upon humanity throughout the ages, in its final, most
comprehensive exposition. 1400 years after its Revelation, it stands as
pristine, and as beneficial, as it was on the day Allah (SWT) first
granted it: in a time of upheaval, in a world of unraveling values, in a
society confused and chaotic much like ours.
>
>There Allah (SWT) chose His last Prophet, the Seal of the Messengers,
the Mercy for all mankind. He was an upright, kind and honorable man
living in seventh-century Arabia, at the very fringes of the civilized
world. And when first Muhammad, in his fortieth year, peace be upon him,
heard the Word of Allah (SWT), he was shaken and he was stunned. And he
turned to a woman, his wife Khadija, for counsel: am I mad? he asked.
This true companion knew better. Go, she said, and serve Allah (SWT).
The Revelation of Islam was gathered over 23 often perilous years, in
the Book of Recitation, the Qur'an.
>
>Today, 1/5th of humanity is Muslim, (those who surrender to Allah's,
SWT, Will) and millions more (women in the forefront) are heeding its
voice. For this Voice speaks with irresistible appeal, of the equitable
design for living for all human beings, beyond race, beyond gender: the
sheltering peace.
>
>Freedom
>Islam is freedom; it upholds free will and encourages rational thought;
it recognizes only that virtue or sin which an individual earns through
free action and choice. Within its parameters is a code of behavior, a
complete social pattern for man and for woman, that looks out to the
whole of life through the harmony of a balanced scale. In this system,
based on natural law and innate reason, (the Knowing System of the
Creator Himself - SWT), cooperation is the standard criterion.
>
>Muslims are brothers and sisters in the family of mankind brethren all
under Islam, in the sweet surrender of obedience and worship to Allah
(SWT), Unique and One (Tawhid). Each Muslim, man or woman, chooses to be
a Muslim. Each Muslim is ultimately accountable for his and her actions
to Allah (SWT) alone. Allah (SWT) will call us all to account on the Day
of Reckoning. How easy it becomes, then, to be truly free. For the vain
idols of stone, the enslaving tyrants of greed, of lust, of ambition, of
public opinion crumble to naught. Freedom from the tyranny of man and
man-made conceits: Islam liberates
>
>Parity
>Not one verse in the whole of the Qur'an speaks injustice Not one word
says, men and women are not equal. Everywhere, the Book of Nature and
Creation tells us: equality under God is the only criterion. Under God
in sincere worship, man and woman stand in parity. But this Book is
truth; truth does not shy away from our most basic, indisputable
biological differences. Male and female, quite simply, have distinct and
complementary roles to fill, equally vital for the sustenance of life.
>
>Everywhere, the Qur'an reminds us of the mutual rights humans owe to
one another, in the balance of our relations. "O men! Fear your Lord Who
created you from a single being and out of it created its mate; and out
of the two spread many men and women. Fear Allah in Whose name you
demand your rights (of one another) and heed the ties of relationships.
" (Surah 4:1)
>
>In a time when most women were common chattel, the teachings of the
Qur'an and the practices (Sunnah) of Muhammad, the Messenger(pbuh),
firmly restored to them status, both legal and social; and dignity as
individuals; cemented their right to wealth and property, to
inheritance, to education. In Muhammad (pbuh), women found the champion
to uphold their rights, merciful, sympathetic, unwavering in his
support: women flocked to his call. Budding Islam grew strong on the
depth of their staunch belief.
>
>In a day of social anarchy, Islam reintroduced structure end the
natural order. For it is the stable bond of the family unit that
elevates man from beast. It is its strong foundation, built on
understanding and collaboration, which ripples outward in concentric
circles to the vast social network. It is here that peace and freedom
begin. Islam elevates.
>
>Natural Humanism
>Your body has rights upon you, said the Prophet of Islam. By this was
meant a healthy, clean, Intelligent respect for the body and its needs.
Personal hygiene is one of Islam's most basic requirements Pleasing and
discrete elegance is smiled upon in Islam, the world's great
Civilization of Refinement, in body and soul. And the Prophet said: "God
Himself is graceful and elegance pleases Him."
>
>The Islamic way does not want mankind shut up unnaturally in towers of
ivory, to ruminate endlessly in ascetic withdrawal from fellow begins.
Islam is inclusive dynamism; Useful and graceful action; Improvement and
betterment. Nor does it deny or demean the natural sex drive. On the
contrary, it elevates and liberates it, channeling it for a peaceful,
healthy society: the hectic waves of seduction, rivalry, the "theft" of
physical or mental integrity are banished.
>
>Within the REAL partnership of matrimony, the joining of husband and
wife is legitimized: here sex is no sin, but a form of natural worship.
The Qur'an itself speaks of sexual relations between man and wife,
simple and direct; it teaches the striving toward harmony, the need for
trust and confidence between husband and wife, between life partners, as
it does between all human beings (Surah 66).
>
>Does the nurturer not need nurturing too? The biological imperatives,
Islam meets squarely, head-on, with no coyness; for indeed Allah (SWT)
created us so. Islam addresses the differing needs of man and woman
comprehensively.
>
>The need of woman, in child bearing years, feminism not withstanding,
is sustenance and security. A pregnant woman requires care; a nursing
mother and infant require protection; a wife, mother, sister require
respect: these are their rights. Equal rights, in proportioned measure:
the way of Islam is honest and clear-sighted. To safeguard the one from
the oversights of the other; to remind the one of the requirements of
the other the balanced checks of Islam work in supreme rationality:
>
>"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has
made one of them stronger than the other, and because they spend out of
their possessions (to support them)." (Surah 4: 34) Women have the same
rights as the husbands have on them. But man is the burden-carrying
partner; with the weight of duty and responsibility, comes a measure of
fair recognition "But men are a degree above them (women)." (Surah
2:228)
>
>These are the basic injunctions of Islam concerning women. They revolve
around the rights of women, not their restrictions. Injunctions placing
restrictions on women in the Qur'an, emerge chiefly in connection to the
greater curbs placed on men. For male lust, that primary, but blindest
of drives, is not allowed to become the driving force of society. Thus
the Qur'anic injunctions recommend modesty, for both men and women.
(24:31; 33:35)
>
>Where the parade of enticement and seduction prevails, Islam upholds
the standard of straight forward human dealings, inner mettle to inner
mettle. Sex and beauty stay at home; neither commodity nor potential
incentive in wider social relations, their power is curtailed to
strangers, enhanced to the bonded partner. Where promiscuity runs
rampant, Islam builds a society where children know their fathers, and
fathers are responsible for their wives and children. By severing the
loose ties of lust, Islam restores the lasting ties of partnership.
Where the sexual society objectifies, Islam humanizes.
>
>Hijab, Veil of Pride
>"Let them wear their head-coverings over their bosoms" (Surah 24:31;
33:59). It is the minimum standard of decency. No mention of face
covering, in fact; sexual politics of individual men have seen to that.
A Muslim woman is told: cover your nakedness, do not play with
femininity as a commodity. Be proud and save your intimate best for the
one who stands by you in times good and bad. Speak loud and clear, the
game-and-promise bedroom voice does not belong on the streets, (Surah
33:32); Walk firm and tall: the swaying, jingling advertisement of body
carries a "for sale" sign on it (Surah 24:31).
>
>The Qur'an seeks clarity of heart and intention; Its injunctions
address the deception inherent in teasing and seduction, their signal or
their unintentional message. Hijab is first a reminder far the soul, an
inner code and standard, and only second a physical statement.
>
>Indeed the head-to-toe cloak (chador) is by no means unique to Islam;
but a universal, spontaneous woman's choice throughout time, the dress
of high-born Roman and Byzantine ladies for centuries to indicate their
elevated social status, set apart, "protected" from the laboring throng.

>
>In the Qur'an, verses referring to the veil come in the context of the
early struggles of nascent Islam, when false believers were infiltrating
the infant Muslim community: Muslim ladies would be recognized at once,
wearing a pragmatic veil of conduct affirming their belief in the
Creator's (SWT) laws. Modesty of dress externalizes moderation of
behavior: the inner hijab, the moral affirmation of the bounds of
decency, honesty, self-respect, honor, made visible. The veil continues
to offer recognition and freedom to woman in many ways: it is a signal
sent out which demands respect, and receives it in return. Thus did
Allah (SWT) intend (Surah 33:59).
>
>The Harem
>"Swathed in their veil, locked away": yet this popular image of
extremes has no place in Islam. It is born under specific skies, in
cultural imposition, solidified in misconception, perpetuated in the
rigidity of the narrow-minded or the misguided.
>
>The severe segregation of the sexes is not a Qur'anic injunction. A
Muslim woman is given freedom of thought at all times. And that same
intrinsic freedom of action which does not lead to disharmony, in
exactly the same manner as a Muslim man. Islam does favor the inherent,
the natural division of life-spheres. A woman's familial duty is
foremost, her natural environment is the home.
>
>To those who cry, "Sexism," a word of reminder, and some facts. A woman
will know different spans in one single month; medical science has only
now begun to concede the often drastic influence of very real hormonal
fluctuations in a woman's biology.
>
>The interplay of hormones and emotions is no Sexist Myth. It is Fact.
>
>By the same token, throughout Islamic history, women who, through their
talent must rise in the larger society, have risen. In the time of
Ignorance (Jahiliyah), the Message of Islam came to rectify rampant
polygamy. The criterion, as always, balance and fairness. In cases a man
took more than one partner, it should be done legitimately, within the
norms of fair dealing. No "Second class" categories of relationships. No
one-night stand: a real commitment in marriage. Islam never overlooks
the greater social stability and justice. It will regulate, in its
omniscience, all potential forces at work in the social In point of
fact, the lifelong and monogamous bond of marriage is the actual Muslim
. The partnership endures.
>
>Divorce
>Where it does not, despite the best intentions, here too, naturalness
reigns. Divorce is the most disliked of all lawful things, the Prophet
said. Prevention is the priority. But when the life of the couple has
grown destructive and counterproductive the Qur'an sets strict
guidelines, to forestall haste and whim; terms of transition (Iddat) and
reasonable waiting periods - usually of four months - have been
enjoined, long enough for tempers to cool, for a pregnancy to reveal
itself, for circumstances to change or solidify.
>
>Divorce can be instigated by husband or wife (Talaq and Khula), and by
mutual consent (Mubara'ah). No Muslim girl can be forced to marry
against her will. When estrangement and alienation set in (Ila; Surah
2:226), the partners are directed to bridge their gap within a
reasonable period of time, before that point of no return. For Allah
(SWT) understands and eases the frailty of humans.
>
>Within The Sheltering Peace
>This, then, is the religion of reason, the religion of balance, the
religion of fairness, the religion of peace. This is Islam.
>
>Look around you, across the street, around the world: you will see
Muslim women choosing the veil of their own free will. For they
recognize it for what it was enjoined, an emancipation and a liberation.
The merchandising of the human being profits only that ever-voracious
corporate bottom line. Hijab is a woman's statement, of transcending the
often-abused power of men over their lives. It is a statement of
understanding the real meaning within the Qur'an. It is intrinsic
dignity, unadorned and straightforward, for all: and that is the Islamic
way.
>
>Today, women are tired of selling themselves short. Selling their
"assets" on a false stage, where plastic bodies and fashion kings may
dictate the shape of a life and appearances have taken on the functions
of one's very soul. Hail the freedom of the "liberated woman," unhinged
from the trusting partnership: free to face man-the-enemy, rape, spouse
abuse, abandonment, free to starve herself in the mating game - Starve
in the rat race. Her hard-won rights; her pyrrhic victory.
>
>Now imagine a world where women are the corer of men and men, their
garment and covering. Imagine a world where merit and strength of
character replace the transient, the doomed race after fading beauty;
where the good become beautiful and the beautiful, good. The Prophet
once said, "God does not judge according to your bodies and appearances
but scans your hearts and looks into your deeds." "And on of [Allah's]
signs is that He created mates you from yourselves, that you may find
rest them, and between you He put love and compassion." (Surah 30:21)
>
>Imagine this world where companionship , this sheltering cloak for man
and for woman. Imagine such a world, and you can enter it. This is the
world of Islam.
>
>
>
>For more information about Islam
>http://www.geocities.com/fares2457/1.html
>
>For more Information about Islam contact:
>ado3at@...
>
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>


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