09-15-2004, 04:02 PM
JohnDoe,
Yes you mentioned your road before, how about taking a new one for a while? Just to test, out of curiosity?
So it is not really what you said, the Qur'an does not forbid me from driving a car or whatever I fancy? That means that you did not tell the truth, didn't it? Oooh I see... the Islamic culture forbids. What has it to do with the Qur'an? If I may put it a bit roughly. I follow the Islamic TEACHINGS not culture or tradition. It is VERY IMPORTANT to distinguish between them. That is why this kind of unnecessary statments has to be gone through over and over again.
What I know I can leave my house without a mahram IF I need to or must. To ask permission may seem strange to you, but then you forget that men and women have different ROLES in Islam, that does NOT mean that we differ in equality, only if you want to interpret another way than Islam tells, then it is up to you. But anyway the womans responsibility, her ROLE, is to in firsthand take care of the husband and children and the home. Just to go out for no reason whatsoever and maybe leave the husband and the children without cocked food for example only to think of herself in firsthand, that is not acceptable. As a wife and mother your family always must come first. (Reminds me of Bush that says that America always must come first, no matter who is stepped on along the way, just compare the expression...) As well as the husbands responsibility in first hand is to have the economical responsibility for the family. That is his role. If he disregard his responsibility the family will suffer and if the wife will disregard her responsibility the family will suffer. So it is really a question of TAKING responsibility for ones duties.
Since women are allowed to go to work, that is also a responsiblity to take care of, so I think that is a good reason to go out. The point with this is that you don't go out for no good reason, only to 'hang around' in the street corner to look at people passing by for example. That is not a good behaviour at all. So when we go out, alone or with mahram "that we don't gaze but lower our looks'. EQUALLY for both sexes. Besides it is a question of trust between the husband and wife too. You tell your wife or husband where you are going. I think the ones that don't appreciate sharing this kind of information, do have something unethical in mind.
About beating, one page you can read is http://www.jannah.org/sisters/end.html.
Yes, really, RACISM is one of the biggest problems today in my mind. I have met it with my hijab and without it before that. Most of it does of course not result in hitting and cutting and murdering, but many enough do.
You tell me what you mean with equality, THEN I will discuss it. You already said you cannot do it, but I'll be generous, I give you one more chance to make a definition of 'equality'. And HOW it is lived by practically outside Islam to be worth the name 'equality'.
Regards