From: ys3359@thor.albany.edu (Yazmasterj)
Subject: Re: Women and Burqa: Analyzing the recent discussion
Organization: State University of New York at Albany
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 92 01:45:04 GMT

In article <mirza.702779089@mira.sce.carleton.ca> mirza@sce.carleton.ca (Murad A. Mirza) writes:
>assalam alaikum hyder
>no sidetracking or any sort of tracking was meant and have you read Miss
>Sohrawardy's original article?
>everything which i wrote is correct (my belief) in practical world, i
>hope that inshallah you will convince or atleast make her think about
>the position of women in islam.
>you are obviously it seems more qualified than me to talk on this matter.
>
>Yasmin always articulates herself well, but as you have mentioned a serious
>discussion is due with her and you have taken the initiative so lets see
>if she takes the other point of view seriously or not.

Assalamoalaikum

	The only reason I posted an article about women and hijab
	was due to other articles I had seen on the subject.  I just
	wanted to clarify a few things about the vagueness of the
	source of hijab.  For those who would like to get a feminist
	perspective on the status of women in Islam, I recommend
	*The Veil and the Male Elite* by Fatima Mernissi.  If I could
	read 2 books by Maulana Maudoodi to get a view of the other side
	of the argument about hijab, I doubt those who want a
	balanced perspective on hijab and women would want to dismiss
	this book.  
	I have been involved in many discussions on the status of women
	and am in fact currently involved in an e-mail discussion 
	on the subject.  I really don't want a serious discussion
	directed towards me.  I just have been told to keep to my female
	place one too many times.  Now I see posts which want to explain
	to me the woman's position in Islam and the true social structure
	and atmosphere for Muslims.  To tell you the truth, I was born
	and raised in New York City.  I am a practicing Muslim but I 
	just don't put any stock in the female underneath their men
	aspect of life.  My parents have three daughters and no sons
	and they have always encouraged me to reach for the sky.  In
	addition, I believe in an integrated community of different
	religions and races living together without any state sponsored
	religion.  Please don't try and make me see the light.  I am
	just not going to reach for the burqa.
	I am sorry if this letter seems a bit standoffish but I just
	don't understand why so many men are preoccupied with keeping
	women under some sort of constraint.  Why not just treat people
	like people?  Women, men, blacks, caucasians, asians, hindus
	muslims, etc.  People are just people.  No one is inherently
	superior.  No one has the right to curtail the basic rights of
	another.  This is my basic belief.  That said, I really don't
	want to get into a prolonged war over the subject.

Khudahafiz

Yasmin  

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*                                   *                                    *
*  Yasmin Sohrawardy                *  "Only Nixon can go to China"      *
*                                   *                                    *
*  Internet:  ys3359@csc.albany.edu *            - Ancient Vulcan        *
*                                   *              Proverb               *
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