Asra Nomani's back in PBS's 'The Mosque in Morgantown'

As a Muslim American woman, I have to say that Asra Nomani has done a major disservice to the decades of effort put forth by the rest of mainstream Muslim American women. While watching this broadcast with my husband, I frequently erupted with such anger and frustration over every step Nomani took to break down all the work the REAL Muslim feminists have done for Muslim American women in our communities over the years. I believe it is my duty to make clear, and in no uncertain terms, that she does not speak for Islam or Muslim American women, and is not doing anyone any favors.

After viewing this documentary, her lack of knowledge and understanding of Islam, Islamic history, Islamic teachings, Islamic beliefs, Islamic texts, and the Muslim community in general was glaringly obvious. Her ignorance coupled with her confrontational attitude at every step of the way, evident in the documentary, is strong proof that her "movement" is doomed to fail from the start. I'm glad she's not really getting the attention she craves and lives off of, so the rest of us who ARE actually accomplishing something for Muslim American women's rights may get back on track and continue fighting the good fight.

As to the comment above, the verses mentioned briefly in the documentary require proper context and study to be understood, which was not provided to you as a viewer.

With regards to domestic violence against women, please see here:

In Islam's holiest scripture, the Qur'an, verse 34 of Surah an-Nisa (abbreviated as 4:34) concerns the issue of marital relations in Islam. This verse is frequently interpreted as giving women complete control over their own income and property, while obliging men to be responsible for maintaining their female relatives. A small minority of Muslims interprets the verse as meaning men have an everlasting superiority over women, and thus the authority to beat women with few regulations. This interpretation, however, is neither mainstream nor supported by any prominent Muslim religious leader.

For proper context of the verse highlighted, please see here:
http://www.islamicperspectives.com/Quran-4-34.htm ; and
http://web.youngmuslims.ca/online_library/tafsir/chapter_introduction_of_Quran_Maududi/i004.htm ;

and finally, also see this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXJBj7Rj0yg&feature=player_embedded.

This is just ONE of the many issues Nomani so blatantly misunderstood. She also said erroneously that the headcovering is not mandated in Islam. False. Really, I could go on but this would require several lengthy essays to provide an adequate explanation. In the amount of time I spend writing that up, I could be using my law degree and making a REAL difference for my Muslim sisters.

This is going to be a very interesting program and I am going to do my best to view it. I will view it if it is the will of Allah. God's laws do not change, but man laws do. I try to adhere to the laws of Allah and not man. Look what type of chaotic and unsafe country we are living in because we have become to liberal and have changed many of Allah's laws. Many of us have to place iron bars at our windows trying to secure safety. May the peace and blessing be upon all men and women kind and let's adhere to God's laws and not man's.

It is very sad to see the real Faith of Islam percieved as a Faith of oppression and backwardness.Every religeon has its share of Social issues and so does Islam.These issues are very diversified and complex in their nature accordinging to different situations.

To become a role modle one has to undergo a tranformation not just outwardly but internally as well.The tranformation means not a sudden change altogather but a slow process that also compels to understand more what seems to be visible.I am sure that Mst.Asra Nomani has the required knowledge to lead a cause specially in the premisis of a Faith called Islam.It took forty years of our Prophet(May peace be upon him) to attain a position in the Arab society,to establish himself as person whose Honesty,Intregrity and dignity could not be questioned by even his staungest enemies.We all know that it was not easy task where he had to endure every hardship with patiantce and scrafice of the highest degree.Ms.Asra please revisit the Life of Holy prophet(May peace be upon him)and compare where you stand at the measurement table and ponder what a small and insignificant cause you have choosen to get misled and mislead our Sisters in religeon.

I dont know Ms.Asra Nomani as a person but as I read more about the cause is represent I find her a very disturbed,misled and contradictory person.I wish I might be wrong but that is how I find her.It is very easy to start a "Cause" it is very difficult to be a "ROLE MODEL".Irrespective of all that she represnt I still wish her well and a speedy recovery.

i agree with 'your name' that asra nomani is not only a misled person, she is also trying to mislead others and for that she will be answerable before Allah (SWT).

There are at least two posts here named “Your Name,” but they were not written by the same poster. The second post (June 17, 3:59 PM) appears to be written by a Muslim, but the first one (the very first post, June 16, 12:16 AM) was written by me. I meant to use the name “Observer,” and I apologize for the confusion. I am a Christian.
For “Sumi J”: Don’t be too sure that “her movement is doomed to fail,” especially because of her “ignorance.” The Christian faith has suffered terrible damage from many folks who were ignorant of the Bible (and also from folks who knew very well what the Bible says but chose to ignore it). There are now “Christian” churches that have women pastors and homosexual pastors, in spite of the Bible’s extremely clear teaching in these areas. There are many churches that have adopted many worldly practices in their worship, including rock music, in spite of the Bible’s teaching, and many church members wear immodest dress to worship in many churches. In these cases, it wasn’t the leaders of these “progressive” movements who were ignorant; it was the ignorance (or perhaps apathy) of those who should have defended the faith.
I read the page by A. Shafaat about “beating” or separating’ or “coining’ or “traveling” or whatever. Interesting that he goes to such lengths to say the word doesn’t mean “beating,” and then the rest of the comments (several paragraphs) are about beating!
But the comments about leaving the wife alone in bed and separation are all reasonable – but they fall far short of God’s standards. I think the Christian Bible is far superior to the Quran in these areas:
1) Instead of beating, the Bible emphasizes love (“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it…” Eph. 5:25).
2) The Bible counsels spouses to never deny each other sexual love (“except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer..” 1 Cor. 7:5)
3) Instead of separation, the Bible emphasizes forgiveness (in all relationships, not just marriage): “…be ye kind…, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Eph. 4:32)

To Observer
Your opinion on which holy book or which way of dealing with marital problems and relationships is superior is colored by your faith as is ours.
Why did you omit the injunction about wives being obedient to their husbands? There is a balance in every situation and love is not always reciprocated and any violence on an indivdual basis or between nations has to be measured with the goal of achieving alasting peace based on justice.
There can be forgiveness for past sins or overlooking of faults but continuous violations must be dealt with in a manner to change behavior that is unsuitable for the indivdual as it is for society or nations.
There can be no absolute arithmetic equality as responsiblities are different. While we cannot accept a total patriarchial approach we also may not wish a role reversal even though sharing is ideal as long as the unique contributions that males and females make to the marital relationship are preserved and nurtured.
The " turn the other cheek" admonition cannot be implemented continually and the Qur'anic one of acting towards enemies with goodness in order that they become like bosom friends also depends on the response that one receives. "Tough love" is sometimes necessary for those who can only know love through discipline.
Demonizing Islam as a violent religion without love is part of the fundamentalist Christian missionary agenda and the human faults of Muslims is not the fault of Islam but misapplication or misinterpretaion by those who selectivly choose to apply based on a narrow agenda.Wisdom must go hand in hand with knowledge and a sincere struggle against our selfish ego.
We all need some humility in dealing with controversial matters as Allah Knows Best.

To Observer: i have tried to answer some of the misconceptions about Islam that you have in mind. May Allah help you understand it.

Islam emphasizes upon harmony, love and kindness in the marital life as in other relationships of society. The home is the center in a society; if there holds complete understanding, love and care between spouses and they lead a satisfying life, that puts positive effect on the children as well, thus helping in the transformation of society.

The holy Quran says:
“And it is among His signs that He has created for you wives from among yourselves, so that you may find tranquility in them, and He has created love and kindness between you. Surely in this there are signs for a people who reflect.” (30:21)

“For them (women) are (rights) similar to those on them, according to the beautiful standard, though for men there is a step above them. Allah is Mighty, Wise.” (2:228)

“Deal with women correctly and with kindness. If then, you dislike them, then it is possible that you dislike something while Allah has created abundance of goodness in it.” (4:19)

“If a woman fears ill treatment or aversion from her husband, then, there is no sin on them in entering into a compromise between them. Compromise is better. Avarice is made to be present in human souls. If you do good and fear Allah, then, Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” (4:128)

“O you who believe, it is not lawful for you that you should forcibly take women as inheritance. Do not hold on to them so that you may take away some of what you have given them, unless they commit a clearly shameful act. Live with them in the recognized manner. If you dislike them, then it is quite likely that you dislike something and Allah has placed a lot of good in it.” (4:19)

The holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) has also emphasized this in his various sayings:

“The best among you are those who are the best toward their wives.”

“The Believer (husband) should not harbor enmity for his wife. If he dislikes something in her, then surely, he will be pleased with another quality in her.” (Muslim)

“The Believer with the most perfect faith is one who has the best character and who is the kindest to his wife.”

“Allah loves a man who caresses his wife. Both of them are awarded reward because of this loving attitude and their sustenance is increased.”

“When a man enters his home cheerfully, Allah creates, as a result of his happy attitude, an angel who engages in prayers of forgiveness on behalf of the man until the Day of Judgment.”

“Be kind to women, for verily they have been created from a rib. The most crooked rib is the uppermost one. If you seek to (entirely) straighten it, you will break it and if you leave it, it will remain crooked. Therefore, be kind to women.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

“A woman is like a rib (crooked). If you straighten her, you will break her. If you derive benefit with her, you will derive it from her while there is crookedness in her.” (Bukhari)

“Do not assault her and do not abuse her.”

The burden of financial responsibilities is placed on men by Islam and not on women. A husband is responsible for his wife, a father for his unmarried daughter, a son for his mother when she grows old, and a brother for his sister to look after her if there’s nobody else for her.

When asked what the right of wife is over the husband, Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) replied:
“He should feed her when he eats; he should clothe her when he wears and he should not separate from her (in wrath) except in regard to the bed…”

A husband can not force his wife to go outside of her home and earn for the family. It is totally outside her range of duties, and she will be acting perfectly within the scope of her rights by refusing to comply with her husband’s wish or order for her to earn for the household or for her own provisions. A man should understand that if he is annoyed by his wife’s refusal to accept any of his unlawful commands, his annoyance is in fact directed against the Command of Allah the Almighty.
The Quran says:
“There is no obedience for creation in disobedience to the Creator.”
The husband has to take into consideration the standard of living his wife enjoyed in her parent’s home. It is his duty to keep her comfortable and happy by spending on her within his means. In making available these provisions, the husband should not feel that he is making too much of a sacrifice. When a man brings a woman - someone else’s daughter - into his home as his wife, he must understand that he has not engaged a servant. He has brought her for love and comfort which he expects of her and she of him. The Quran describes this mutual love and comfort of husband and wife most beautifully in the following verse:

“They (women) are a garment for you, and you are a garment for them.”

A wife too goes out of her way to make him comfortable. Despite her weaknesses and indiscretions, she has her husband’s rest and pleasure uppermost in mind.

Although equal rights have been assigned to women and men, men have been given a rank higher not because of their piety, or their being more close to Allah, but for the administrative purpose only.

“Men are caretakers of women, since Allah has made some of them excel the others, and because of the wealth they spend (for the maintenance of women). So, the righteous women are obedient, (and) guard (the property and honor of their husbands) in (their) absence with the protection given by Allah.” (4:34)

While they have been held responsible for the maintenance and administration of a home, men will also be answerable before Allah if they mistreat any of their household members, or do not pay attention to their needs and rights, or not take part in their proper training , just like a ruler is responsible for the efficient functioning of the affairs of a society. Prophet (PBUH) has said:

“Everyone of you is a shepherd and everyone of you will be questioned about his flock.”

While men are being commanded to treat women well, wives are also being directed about their behaviors. Prophet (PBUH) has said:

“The curse of Allah is on a woman who is angry with her husband.” (Dailami)

“A woman who dies whilst her husband is pleased with her, will enter Paradise.” (Ibn Majah)

“A woman who asks her husband for divorce, the fragrance of Paradise becomes unlawful for her.” (Tirmizi)

“When the husband calls his wife to bed and she refuses, causing him to sleep displeased (with her) then the angels curse her until the morning.” (Bukhari)

“The best of women is the one who makes her husband feel happy when he glances at her; she obeys him when he instructs and she does not oppose him in regard to herself and her wealth by doing what he dislikes.” (Baihaqi)

Unlike the western society where a woman has become an object of display and pleasure for the whole society, Islam regards a woman with respect. She is a precious being and a queen of her home in Islam. Do not look at the illiterate Muslim societies of today to get a picture of true behavior of Islam. The Muslims today are not aware of the teachings of Islam anymore, and that’s why we see a chaos in Muslim societies where they are trying to blindly follow the west in all their shortcomings as well. Either they mistreat women because of ignorance or they follow the west and force their women to become an earning member of society as well as do all the household chores - men do not help them in any of those responsibilities, however they have overburdened them with their own responsibilities also.

Divorce:

Islam discourages divorce to the last extent. Prophet (PBUH) said:

“The most detestable of things made lawful by Allah is divorce.”

“Allah has not created anything on earth more detestable to Him than divorce.”

The holy Quran says:
“If you fear a split between them (the spouses), send one arbitrator from his people and one from her people. If they desire to set things right, Allah shall bring about harmony between them. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (4:35)

However, if disputes have come to an insoluble stage and separation has become inevitable, then Islam allows both the spouses to separate ‘gracefully’, instead of their trying to adopt ‘illegal’ ways to escape out of the wedlock.

“If they separate, Allah shall, through His capacity, make each of them need-free (of the other). Allah is All-Embracing, All-Wise.” (4:130)

“The divorced women deserve a benefit according to the fair practice, being an obligation on the God-fearing.” (2:241)

Islam also prohibits men from taking back what they gave as gifts to their wives during the ‘good times’. As Quran says:

“If you want to take a wife in place of the one (you have), and you have given her plenty of wealth, then do not take any of it back. Would you take it through imputation and open sin? How can you take it when you have had access to each other and they have taken a firm covenant from you?” (4:20-21)

Thank you, Beezam, for your detailed reply. But apparently you are assuming that, just because I’m Christian, that I have “misconceptions” about Islam. If I do, they haven’t appeared yet in my posts. Then “Your Name” threw me in with the Christians who are “demonizing” Islam, but I did no such thing. I hope this type of knee-jerk reaction to a Christian is not typical of Muslims. My comments were limited to Surah 4:34, and I merely said I thought that it addressed marital problems far less effectively than other ideas. I quoted a couple Bible verses that show the better ideas. I have an open mind. If you (or a Hindu or a Buddhist or an atheist) can show me something better than the verses I quoted, I’ll adopt them. No one has yet shown me anything better.
However, I agree with many of the Quran verses Beezam listed, but some of the comments express deficient ideas. I hope these don’t have the authority of the Quran. (But Islam is not alone: some Christian commentators on the Bible have said some erroneous things.)
Just one example: the “crooked rib.” Men are crooked too; we’re ALL crooked. But God can straighten us without breakage.
But God did not create divorce. Divorce is an evil idea from the corrupt human mind. There is no evil in God, and He did not create the evil in our hearts or Satan’s heart.