From: trh@jack.sns.com (Al Trh)
Subject: Re: Women in Islam
Organization: Systems'n'Software
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 92 18:11:07 GMT

In article <Dec.12.01.25.35.1992.23814@pilot.njin.net> hubey@pilot.njin.net (Hubey) writes:
 ....[deleted text]

>in their teens whose Englis is better.
>
>Let's continue.
>
>Here's a little joke. This is an Arab joke and I'll give the source
>right after I write it.
>
>A zealous preacher is giving a heated sermon in a mosque. He is
>of the type who thinks that there's an Islamic way to do
>everything.  He is giving a sermon on the role of cleanliness and
>how important it is in the eyes of God. At one point he goes
>further and says that the pubic hairs must be clipped no longer
>than a grain of barley. At this point, a man who has sneaked 
>into the women's side of the mosque dressed as a woman--and is
>hiding behind his veil--leans over to his side and whispers to
>the woman; "Sister, can you please check mine to see how short it
>is?". She reaches down, and shocked, she screams. The preacher 
>is elated. "You see, how the words of God have touched her 
>heart!" he exclaims. The woman shrieks; "It did not touch my
>heart, preacher, it touched my hand."
>
>
>Now, for all those who want to check, this is from the book
>of Ibn Fadlan, who lived sometime around the 10th century.
>He belonged to the upper classes and was learned. Furthermore,
>by all accounts in the book, he was a pious Muslim. He was
>sent as an emissary north--probably to seek an alliance with
>the Baskirs. He was apparently also a good friend of the Caliph.
>
>The account of Ibn Fadlan's travels can be found in English.
>Anyone who is interested should check the library. I think the
>copy I read was written by Crichton.
>
>Now, here's the real question. If learned and pious men at that
>time could tell each othere stories like this--and Ibn Fadlan
>makes clear that it was a well-known story at the time--during
>the Golden Age of Islam, why is it that so many of today's
>Islamists are so full of intolerance and closed-mindedness ?
>
>What would happen to a man who told this story (joke) in public
>today in Iran or Saudi Arabia ??? What would happen to the man
>who wrote this story in a newspaper in those countries?
>
>I'll go even further, has anyone heard anything like this in
>an enlightened and Muslim country like Turkey ?
>
I'll tell you what might happen with what really happened to the
Imam of Fatih Mosque several years ago.

The imam wrote a book on sexuality according to Islam (I can not
remember the exact title.) The book became a best-seller. Then the
"pious" strted to complain that it is "too explicit", "against Islam"
, etc. The book was banned by the Office of the Religious Affairs!
I think the imam lost his job...

AToprak
D
P.S. When the imam was interviewed by a lady journalist, he wouldn't shake
her hand...

....[deleted text]


>
>	mark	
>
>
>   hubey@pilot.njin.net                   hubey@apollo.montclair.edu
> ...!rutgers!pilot!hubey                  hubey@logos.montclair.edu


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