Feminists Betray Islamic Women
HUFF POST – THE BLOG: Last week, Afghan girl Mah Gul was beheaded on the instruction of family because she rejected prostitution. Fifteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head by Pakistani Taliban gunmen in the Swat Valley because she campaigned for women's secular education. Absence of outrage by Muslim leaders is shameful, but why are so many Western feminists silent?

In Swat, the Pakistani Taliban systematically restricted girls' education. During 2008, they destroyed about 150 private schools and converted others into madrassas, or religious seminaries. Government schools were closed down, teachers murdered, acid was thrown on to the faces of schoolgirls and several officials were beheaded.

A local Islamist leader explained: "Female education is against Islamic teachings and spreads vulgarity in society."

The attack on Malala and two companions on a school bus has shocked Pakistan, especially in view of the bloody war in Swat fought by the army in 2009 to unseat the Taliban and enforce national law. In Pakistan, more than half the adult population is illiterate and in rural Sindh and Balochistan, femaleliteracy rates are less than 2 percent. "Honor killings," bartering of women for land and animals, domestic violence and rape are endemic.

Many intellectual feminists value cultural practice, but as Afghan women's rights activist Sima Samar asserted, this respect does not apply to traditions that oppress women and violate human rights. Some feminists have joined an unholy alliance with political Islam, disregarding the oppression of women and homosexuals in favor of overarching aims to rid the world of colonialism, neo-colonialism and capitalism. Read on and comment » | Ida Lichter *, M.D. | Wednesday, October 24, 2012

*Author, 'Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices Against Oppression'

Anjem Choudary Leads Muslim Protest in Luton

LUTON TODAY: Anjem Choudary leads Muslim protest in Luton: EXTREMIST preacher Anjem Choudhury led a protest outside Luton Police Station against what he has called the mistreatment of Muslim women. ¶ Counter-terrorist officers from the Metropolitan Police recently raided the home of Mona Thwany, widow of Stockholm suicide bomber Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, and another women. ¶ Extremist group Muslims Against Crusades distributed a leaflet prior to the demonstration saying the women were strip searched during the raid. » | Monday, October 03, 2011

Muslim Women 'Radicalised' in UK
If Muslims cannot live by civilized norms of behaviour, then why should we, the peace-loving majority, accept them here? – © Mark

BBC: On 1 February, a female suicide bomber killed 54 people in north-east Baghdad.

The attack may have happened on another continent, but there are increasing concerns that violent extremism among women may now also be increasing in the UK.

It is believed that the process of radicalisation often takes place at universities.

One Islamist group linked with this practice is Hizb ut-Tahrir.

While not itself connected to any terrorist acts, Hizb ut-Tahrir has courted controversy and politicians have seized on some of its more inflammatory views.

The Conservative Party has said it would ban the organisation altogether.

Nazreen Nawaz is a spokeswoman for the group. She became a member while studying medicine at King's College London.

Today, sitting at her dining table in south London, she teaches her four-year-old daughter how to spell and explains her decision to join.

"The philosophy of Hizb ut-Tahrir offered me a view of Islam that could solve many of the problems in the Muslim world," Dr Nawaz says.

"We don't advocate that British Muslims go over and fight in Palestine and occupied countries.

"What we say is that people in lands such as Afghanistan, Iraq and occupied countries have the right to defend themselves."

'Naive'

There are concerns that hundreds of British Muslim women have been radicalised, many while being students.

Recent intelligence reports about terror plots involving women, and the growing trend of al-Qaeda's use of female suicide bombers, have ignited concerns that some may turn to violent extremism in Britain. >>> Rahila Bano, BBC World Service | Thursday, February 04, 2010

The Devil’s in the Lipstick!
Muslim women in Kota Baru, Malaysia, are forbidden to wear bright lipstick
CNN/Asia: Authorities in a northern Malaysian city have forbidden Muslim women from wearing bright lipstick and noisy high-heeled shoes, saying the directive is intended to prevent sexual assaults and "illicit sex."

The national news agency, Bernama, said the directive was issued by the municipal council of Kota Baru and is aimed toward Muslim women working in restaurants and other businesses in the city. It said the ban will safeguard the morals and dignity of the women as well as thwart rape.

"It states that Muslim women are forbidden to wear thick make-up, like bright colored lipstick and high-heeled shoes that gave a tapping sound," the news agency said.

"For those who insist on wearing high heel shoes, they can do so but with rubber heels." Malaysian City Bans Lipstick for Muslim Women >>> | June 24, 2008

THE GUARDIAN:
Malaysian City Tells Women to Drop Lipstick and High Heels >>> By Ian MacKinnon, south east Asia correspondent | June 24, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers

Hymenoplasty: The New and Growing Trend Among Muslim Women in Europe to 'Restore' Their Virginity
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: PARIS - The surgery in the private clinic off the Champs-Élysées involved one semicircular cut, 10 self-dissolving stitches and a discounted fee of $2,900.

But for the patient, a 23-year-old French student of Moroccan descent from Montpellier, the 30-minute procedure represented the key to a new life: the illusion of virginity.

Like an increasing number of other Muslim women in Europe, she had a "hymenoplasty," a restoration of her hymen, the thin vaginal membrane that normally breaks during the first act of intercourse.

"In my culture, not to be a virgin is to be dirt," said the student, perched on a hospital bed as she awaited surgery Thursday. "Right now, virginity is more important to me than life."

As Europe's Muslim population grows, many young Muslim women find themselves caught between the freedoms that European society affords and the deep-rooted traditions of their parents' and grandparents' generations.

Gynecologists report that in the past few years, more Muslim women are asking for certificates of virginity before marriage.

That trend in turn has created a demand among cosmetic surgeons for hymen replacements, which, if done properly, they say, will not be detected and will produce tell-tale vaginal bleeding on the wedding night. The service is widely advertised on the Internet; there are medical tourism packages to countries like Tunisia where the procedure is less expensive.

"If you're a Muslim woman growing up in more open societies in Europe, you can easily end up having sex before marriage," said Hicham Mouallem, a doctor in London who performs the surgery. "So if you're looking to marry a Muslim and don't want to have problems, you'll try to recapture your virginity." For Muslim Women in Europe, a Medical Road Back to Virginity >>> By Elaine Sciolino and Souad Mekhennet | June 10, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

German Court Rules Muslim Girl Can’t Skip Swimming Lessons
FOX NEWS: A German court on Wednesday ruled that a Muslim student cannot skip co-ed swimming lessons because her religion prohibits form-fitting clothes that do not cover her body, The Local reported.

The 12-year-old girl’s parents sued a school in the northern city of Remscheid after it refused to let the girl skip the lessons.

The court sided with the school, saying that the state’s responsibility to educate the girl outweighed an infringement on her religious freedom.

Last year the girl’s parents rejected an offer from the school saying she could swim in leggings and a T-shirt. They argued that her body still would be visible through wet clothes, The Local reported.

The court concluded that because the swim lessons take place in water, there would be very little time that her body would be seen.

The parents’ attorney said the family will appeal the decision. [Source: German Court Rules Muslim Girl Can't Skip Swimming Lessons] | May 8, 2008

Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Taschenbuch)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Gebundene Ausgabe)

Simply Amazing! - Dutch Women Revert to Islam

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)