Help Make Women's Rights Universal

TODAY, March 8, 2009, is International Women's Day, an appropriate time to bring up the most plentiful source of women's rights violations around the world: Shari'a law. The human rights organization, REAL, is holding a rally today in Washington, D.C. to address the challenge of the women oppressed and killed, even in America, because of Shari'a law.

Something can and should be done about it. And you can help. Here's more about the event from REAL's web site (as well as a petition you can sign):

We will be holding a Washington DC rally on March 8 at the front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool beginning at 1 PM to address the global challenge of women oppressed and killed in the name of Islamic supremacism. We will demand that our legislators recognize the threat to women around the world by this supremacist ideology. (Note that Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, and the rally is at 1 pm DST.)

Sign the Save Women Now Petition demanding that U.S. government and United Nations representatives recognize the ideology of Islamic supremacism as a source of oppression and violence to women in America and around the world.

Sunday, March 8 is International Women’s Day, and we seek to make a public statement that calls for our representatives and world bodies to acknowledge that Islamic supremacism threatens women today and that its leaders and supporters use Islamic supremacism as an institution to legitimize violence and hate against women. We call for national and international action against Islamic supremacism to Save Women Now, and defy those who believe that mutilation, oppression, and murder of women is an Islamic supremacist “right.”

For directions to the March 8 Save Women Now rally, see the map of the Capitol compound and nearby Washington DC metro stops. Federal Center SW and Capitol South subway stops are the closest to the Capitol reflecting pool, but the Smithsonian subway stop walking along the national mall is also a pleasant stroll. This weblink provides a 360 degree view of the area in front of the Capitol reflecting pool; you can move the image by clicking on it and dragging it with your mouse.

Read the rest of the article here: Save Women Now Rally.

In an article about the rally, WorldNetDaily had this to say:

A human rights organization says it's not enough for Americans to adopt "resolutions" opposing violence when Islamic girls are stoned for being victims of gang-rapes and warns that such violence already has moved into the United States, with beatings and murders – including a recent beheading – documented.

The result is a plan for a public rally on March 8, International Women's Day, at the Capitol Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., according to the organization Responsible for Equality and Liberty.

"Every day, women are under attack by Islamic supremacism that supports and approves of oppression, mutilation, and murder of women. According to leaders and followers of Islamic supremacism, they have the right to commit violence against women. Islamic supremacism views oppression of women as a legitimate 'right,' violence against women as a legitimate 'right,' and murdering women as a legitimate 'right,'" the organization announced.

On the same subject, CSPI has just started a new bulletin called Bulletin of the Oppression of Women. Here's the latest issue:

Fallujah, Iraq February 15, 2009 An al-Qaeda terrorist implicated in the rape of four Jordanian women has been arrested.

Paris, France Feb 10, 2009 (Reuters) A Pakistani man is on trial in France for setting his ex-girlfriend on fire after she refused to marry him.
Update February 13.

Jedda, Saudi Arabia February 11, 2009 Saudi judge sentences pregnant gang-rape victim to a year in jail and 100 lashes for committing adultery.

Buffalo, NY February 17, 2009 The founder and CEO of Bridges TV, a Muslim TV channel, is charged with a gruesome murder, the beheading of his wife.

Ankara, Turkey February 12, 2009 A daily Hurriyet website poll shows that four out of ten Turkish women are victims of physical abuse by their husbands and only a fraction report it to authorities.

Amman, Jordan AP, February 11, 2009 A Jordanian man has been arrested for stabbing to death his elder sister because he thought she was having an affair.

Queens, NY February 14, 2009 Afghan diplomat Mohammed Fagirad was charged with beating his wife “like a dog” for more than 15 hours.

Murrieta, Calif. February 13, 2009 Muslim polygamist Mansa Musa Muhummed gets life terms for torturing his families.

Watford, UK January 12, 2009 Ibrahim Mansouri has been sent to jail for repeatedly raping and stabbing a pregnant teenager.

Hamburg, Germany February 13, 2009 A German Afghan man was sentenced to life in prison for an 'honour killing' of his 16 year old sister.

Somerset, UK February 14, 2009 A Muslim girl who wanted to be baptized a Christian was fleeing an arranged marriage in Pakistan.

Sana,Yemen The new law that moves to reduce child marriages is not consistent with Islamic Sharia law contends Yemini deputy.

Lahore, Pakistan February 14, 2009 Each year an estimated one million pregnant Pakistani women are physically abused at least once during pregnancy by their partners says Prof. Unaiza Niaz, president of the Women Section of World Psychiatric Association and director of the Institute of Psycho-Trauma Pakistan.

Karachi, Pakistan February 23, 2009 A man gave himself up after axing his sister to death in an honor killing. He accused his elderly sister of having illicit sexual relations.

Kuala Lumpur February 15, 2009 Muslim women around the world are facing a crisis over violence against them.

Yemen October 23, 2008 Yemini Muslim cleric Abd Al-Majid Al-Zindani defends the inferiority of women.

What can you do? The first and most important thing that needs to be done is to raise awareness. Most people do not know this is going on. If more people were aware of it, international pressure would follow naturally. So one thing you can do right now to make a difference is send this message to everyone you know. And sign the Save Women Now petition and urge everyone you know to sign it too.

Let's end the oppression of women. Everywhere.

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Things Have Changed In Iraq

Jihadis are against it and would never allow this if they could stop it, but in a free, democratic nation, women are allowed to pursue their dreams. In this case, 70 volunteer Iraqi women this week have just completed their training course and will begin working as security officers in Iraq.

"We see female police in America," says Shahla Hassan Alwan, one of the new security officers, "and we want to be like them. It is a dream we want to make true. We want to use all the power we have to help our country."

The most constructive and positive way to defeat the forces of jihadism is with an equally epic but opposite force — a cause and purpose of equal or greater grandeur — to help the climb toward freedom for all people. Religious freedom, freedom of the press, and freedom to pursue happiness.

Creating a democracy is a difficult goal. And inching toward greater and greater freedom within an already-established democracy is a never-ending struggle. Jihadism is a barricade against this grand purpose. And if you want to breach the wall at its weakest point, you would concentrate your forces on gaining human rights for women in Islamic countries. Islamic statesmen insist women in their countries already have rights, but most governments run by the principles of Islam have a long way to go.

Constant pressure from outside their country on their oppressive governments will help. And that kind of pressure is best attained by a widespread understanding of the terrifying brilliance of the Islamic memeplex. When the principles of Islam are well-understood by non-Muslims around the world, the pressure on oppressive Islamic governments will be irresistible, as it was on the South American government when apartheid became well-understood by a critical mass of people.

You can help this great cause right where you are. Educate your friends and family, gently and with finesse, but thoroughly. Tell your friends what you know (like this). The more people who understand it, the more quickly the ideas can spread. The tide will turn and jihadism will go the way of the Ku Klux Klan in America — a disdained, backwater cult in widespread disrepute that is kept in permanent exile from the greater forward progress of the world.

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Women’s Rights and Political Islam, Part One — A Speech by Donna Hughes

The following is a speech given by Donna M. Hughes, Professor and Carlson Endowed Chairperson of the University of Rhode Island Women's Studies Program. Thank you to the URI College Republicans for organizing this week of awareness about a major threat to world peace and freedom. Thank you for inviting me to speak about how this global political movement threatens women’s freedom and rights. I’ll start out by addressing terms. There are a number of terms that are used to refer to the global political movement I want to talk about: Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic extremism, Islamo-Fascism, Islamism, and Radical Islam. I chose the term “political Islam,” a more neutral term, for the title of my talk, not because I think one can equivocate about this global threat, but to emphasize that we are talking about a political movement — a political movement based on selective interpretations of the Koran. I am not talking about all of Islam or all Muslims. Although as with any political movement, it is built on particular traditions, culture and views; otherwise the movement would have not appeal to the base from which the movement leaders want to draw their support. I am talking about a political movement with an ideology, goals, and methods for achieving their goals. The term Islamic fundamentalism seems to imply that we are talking about a conservative or traditional practice of Islam. When I use the term, I am referring, not to conservative or “fundamentalist” interpretation of Islam. I am referring to a political movement. The term Islamic Fascism clearly links the phenomenon that we are talking about to a political movement — fascism. Although the goals of radical Islam are not exactly like those of Mussolini’s fascist movement, it evokes an authoritarian political goal and differentiates the movement from a purely religion one. It does have a more harsh sound to it and it doesn’t roll of the tongue very easily. The term Islamic fascism was coined by moderate Algerian Muslims who were under attack by Muslim extremists who wanted to impose Islamic or Shari'a law in Algeria. Helie Lucas, the founder of Women Living Under Muslim Laws, explains that Islamo-fascism means the “political forces working under the cover of religion in order to gain political power and to impose a theocracy … over democracy.” Islamism is the word closest to what the advocates of this political movement use themselves. Islamism is not the same thing as Islam. Islamism, with an “ism” on the end connotes a political belief system, like feminism, communism, Nazism. And a supporter of Islamism, is an Islamist, as in feminist or communist. This term is by far the easiest to use, but I am hesitant to use it, 1) because it is easily confused with Islam or someone who observes the Islamic faith, and 2) I have Muslim, pro-women’s rights, pro-freedom supporters who consider themselves Islamists. They think that Islam is compatible with democracy. They support a type of political Islam that recognizes the rights and freedom of all people, and they are working to create such as state. I will use all these terms in my talk. The important thing to remember is that I’m talking about a political movement, not a whole religion or all Muslims. I’m talking about a political movement with a set of beliefs and political goals, practices that put those beliefs into action, and methods that impose their rule and belief system on others, whether they are willing or not. SOURCES I want to tell you how I came to understand the threat of Islamic fundamentalism to women, girls, and their rights. This occurred long before 9/11. In 1994 to 1996, I worked as a Lecturer at the University of Bradford in England. The city of Bradford has the largest population of Pakistanis outside of Pakistan. The loudest sound in the city was the call to prayers broadcast from the mosque on the edge of campus. I learned that after Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Religious Leader of Iran (i.e. religious dictator) issued a fatwa calling for the murder of British author Salman Rushdie, there were demonstrations in Bradford is support of the fatwa. Soon after I arrived in Bradford, a young Muslim woman was murdered. She was run down by a car driven by a family member as she was walking on the sidewalk to work. This was what is called an “honor killing,” in which women and girls are killed by family members for disobeying their fathers or for being too independent. She wanted freedom from an arranged marriage and rigid cultural constraints on her life as a woman. I joined an organization called Women Against Fundamentalism. It was formed by mostly Muslim women of Asian descent after the fatwa to murder Rushdie. Its goal was to oppose the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in England and its threat to women’s freedom. At the University of Bradford, I was in charge of a women’s studies major. We had several Asian women, as the Pakistani and Indian women were called, on the course. I soon learned that all of them were being pressured to drop out of school and accept arranged marriages. They were guilt-tripped, threatened, and sometimes beaten. I soon realized that staying enrolled at the university was the only thing that helped them maintain a moderate level of freedom and independence. If they dropped out, they would be forced into marriage. A couple of the women couldn’t resist the constant pressure. They came to my office and told me they were dropping out of school and accepting their family’s plans for them. They tried to put a good face on it. Some women were beaten by their families to force them out of school. I learned how common this was when I made inquiries on how we could help a frightened, exhausted young woman. The University maintained a set of rooms in the halls of residence for women who needed emergency shelter each semester. On a regular basis, I saw the political campaigns of the Islamists. Groups, such as Hizb ut-Tahir, which is now banned, had literature tables in the lobby of the building where I worked. I often stopped and picked up the pamphlets. I was particularly interested in what they said about women and women’s rights. Their goal was, and is, to unify all Muslim countries into one Islamic state ruled by Islamic or sharia law. They predicted that in the near future, they would take over the UK and turn it into an Islamic state. Their literature stated that they would advance women’s rights by protecting them from the kind of harassment and violence that western women are subjected to. Wearing the veil or hijab would protect them from sexual harassment and sexual assault. The political tracts stated that they respected women and would allow women to stay in the home and take care of their families where they would be protected by their fathers, brothers, and husbands. These were not presented as choices for women, but their roles and destinies under Islamic rule. I believe that people mean what they say and write about. I took the Islamists at their word. I showed the pamphlets to my colleagues, asking “Have you read these things? Do you know what they say they are going to do?” Two years ago, when the world learned that the suicide bombers on the London underground were from Leeds, a city just ten miles east of Bradford, I was not surprised, as some were, that the terrorists were homegrown. I had read their literature ten years before. In 1996, my education about Islamic fundamentalism expanded from the local level to the global when I met groups of Iranian exiles living in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. They were survivors of the Khomeini revolution in Iran, which brought to power the first modern theocracy, which means "rule by religious leaders." They (the Iranian exiles) had supported a liberal interpretation of Islam, freedom, democracy, and rights for women. Many of them had been arrested for opposing the rise of Islamic fundamentalists to power in Iran. Some had been tortured. Many of them had friends and relatives who were executed by the Iranian regime. For the past 11 years, I have continued to learn about Islamic fundamentalism from them and have supported their conferences for women’s rights, democracy, and freedom. I learned from them what happens to women when religious fascists — a term used by my Iranian friends — come to power. I have also learned about the fate of women under Islamic fundamentalism from groups like Women Living Under Muslim Laws and the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan. ISLAMIC FASCISTS, POLITICAL IDEOLOGY, AND PRACTICE When Islamic fascists put their political ideology into practice, they use methods we call terrorism — the systematic targeting of civilian populations using violent means. The first place they exert their power is on the local level. I like to say that terrorism begins at home. The first victims are usually women and girls. Islamic fundamentalist ideology rejects universal equality and rights as set out by the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and the basic principles and rights on which democracies are based. The Islamic fundamentalism ideology rejects liberalism, women’s rights, moderate and liberal interpretations and practices of Islam, and promotes discrimination against non-Muslim religious groups, particularly Jews. The political goal of Islamic fascists is to create a religious dictatorship, based on their version of Shari'a or religious-based law. They oppose democracy and the western concept of freedom, claiming that Western democracies and laws are man made, and only the laws of God or Shari'a laws are valid. According to Shari'a law, Jews and other non-Muslims, such as Christians and Hindus, can only have secondary status as citizens. There is no freedom of religion. For example, under Shari'a law, if a Muslim converts to another faith, he or she can be punished by death. Under Islamic fundamentalist ideology and law, men and women are not equal. Women are considered to be physically, emotionally, intellectually, and morally inferior to men. Under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, women were not permitted to go to school or to work or to leave the house unless accompanied by a male relative and had to wear a burqa — a bag-like garment that covers the whole body and has only a mesh opening to see out. In Iran, women are not permitted to run for president or be judges because they are not emotionally capable of making decisions. Women and girls are not permitted freedom of movement or freedom of dress. They are required to wear the covering chosen by the religious leaders. Women and girls are seen as morally weak and must be prevented from having contact with men who are not family members. Sexual misconduct, which can be an act as simple as a girl talking to or meeting a man from outside her family, is considered to be a violation of her family’s honor. The shame she has brought on the family can only be wiped out by killing her. This is the basis of “honor killings.” In Iran, there are official “crimes against chastity,” which includes things such as having a baby without being married. For violations of these laws, a woman or girl can be flogged or even hanged. The most torturous form of punishment in Iran is stoning to death. Currently, eight women are imprisoned, waiting to be stoned to death in Iran. This form killing is not found in the Koran, it is a barbaric form of killing used centuries ago and brought into modern times by Islamic fundamentalists. [Editor's note: While it is strictly true that stoning is not mentioned in the Koran, it is not prohibited, and it says in the Koran many times that Muhammad should be used as an example to imitate, and Muhammad endorsed stoning as a punishment.] Under Shari'a law, all public facilities, such as hospitals, classrooms, and buses, are segregated. These laws make women officially second class citizens without equal rights. A Muslim, Iranian woman coined a name for this system — gender apartheid. This kind of misogyny, or woman-hating, is at the heart of Islamic fascists’ control of a population. If you suppress 50 percent of the population, and systemically punish violators by public stonings, hangings, and whippings, you can terrorize an entire population.

read part two>>

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Women’s Rights and Political Islam, Part Two — A Speech by Donna Hughes

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IS CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISM THE SAME AS ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM?

Frequently, when I speak about Islamic fundamentalism, someone suggests that Muslims may have Islamic fundamentalists, but the U.S. has Christian fundamentalists. The implication being that they are the same. This equivalency is flawed thinking.

The U.S. is a democracy that guarantees fundamental freedoms and rights. The Christian Right is a political movement of conservative Christians. They may have political and social views and goals that you may not agree with, but they operate within a democratic framework. To influence policy and laws, they use their rights as citizens to form advocacy organizations, lobby, and vote.

When adherents to these views resort to violence, such as the bombing of abortion clinics, it is treated as an act of violence, and the perpetrators are arrested and punished. And most leaders of Christian Right organizations condemn these acts of political violence.

I’ve never heard a Christian fundamentalist call for the takeover of the U.S. government by radical preachers or priests, or to have Christian or Biblical law replace the U.S. Constitution.

That’s the difference between Christian fundamentalism and Islamic fundamentalism: One respects democracy, fundamental rights and freedoms, and the democratic process, the other doesn’t, and its goal is to destroy democracy, freedom, and the democratic process.

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Women’s Rights and Political Islam, Part Three — A Speech by Donna Hughes

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read part two

MULTICULTURALISM VS. UNIVERSALISM

I want to talk about why this flawed equivalency between Islamic fundamentalism and Christian fundamentalism has become so popular and why it seems to have become so hard to differentiate between oppressive political systems and practices and democratic political systems and liberal practices.

Today, advocacy for multiculturalism has replaced support for universalism.

Universalism is based on universal principles of human rights, equality, freedom, and democracy, as laid out in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and before that the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Other democracies have their own constitutions and founding sets of documents.

Today, these visions and commitments to universal equality among people have become secondary to advocacy for multiculturalism.

Embedded in multicultural ideology is cultural relativism, the principle that all cultures are equal, must be respected, and cannot be criticized. Or if one does criticize another culture or religious practice, the speaker must immediately point out deficiencies in other cultures and religious practices, or at least those of his or her own, in this case, the U.S.

One cannot advocate for relative rights and freedoms without rejecting universal principles of freedom and rights. If you unconditionally accept and respect other cultural and religious practices, the first group that always loses is women. Most discriminatory attitudes and practices are based on culture, tradition, and religion. Women’s greatest hope for freedom and rights comes with the promotion of universal principles of freedom and rights; then women can claim their equality.

Today, I see students in class being fearful of discussing types of violence against women or the oppression of women. Although they may be horrified by honor killings or female genital mutilation, they feel they have to accept it because it’s someone else’s culture or religion.

They think it is unacceptable to advocate for other women’s freedom and rights because it might violate the others' cultures or religions, and that would be imposing their view on another culture or religion. While at first glance this may sound respectful, it translated into remaining silent and accepting some of the worst human rights violations against women.

Following acceptance of multiculturalism, they withdraw into isolationism. If we must respect all other cultures and religious practices, then there is nothing to do about violations of women’s rights around the world. They often oppose any efforts to improve the lives of women in other countries. They justify this isolationism by saying they have enough work on women’s issues here at home and they should concentrate on that.


WHAT DO MUSLIM WOMEN WANT?

Women join political movements. There are Muslim women who have joined the Islamic fundamentalists. There are women who voluntarily put on the hijab and support the oppression of other women.

There are probably some women who just want to be left in peace to live a quiet life.

But there are also women who want freedom and rights, who strongly reject Islamo-Fascism, and who have organized to oppose Islamic fundamentalism.

I believe we have a responsibility to differentiate between Islamic fascist and pro-democracy groups. I don’t believe there is a moral equivalency between them. I don’t believe it is disrespectful to judge other systems and practices and to condemn human rights violations and the oppression of women. I don’t believe it is "imperialistic" to support other women’s struggles for freedom and rights.

I believe that rights come with responsibilities. The people in this room are among the freest in the world. I believe we have a responsibility to not turn our privileged backs on other women. I believe we have a responsibility to use our freedom and rights to help others.

I believe we should be using our freedom of speech, our freedom of association, and our educations and access to communications technology to assist other women to achieve the same set of rights and standards of well-being.

You can start by learning more about the conditions for women under Shari'a law. You can research how Islamic fundamentalism is spreading and the impact that is having on women. You can research different Muslim women’s groups. You can find out how to get involved in supporting different organizations.

I’ll end with a quote from Maryam Rajavi, a leader of the opposition against the theocracy in Iran. In a text entitled The Price of Freedom, she says:

The Iranian woman is today engaged in the most serious, most difficult and most decisive battle of her destiny … Women are the prime victims of oppression under the clerical regime and they have the highest explosive potential against the regime. The survival of the clerical regime is also intertwined with the suppression of women. … [Women] are humiliated and tortured every day, only because they are women. Yet they have never surrendered. They use every opportunity to voice their protest against the clerical regime and stage demonstrations.

And further, to those who think that Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week is intolerant, bigoted, and anti-Muslim, I will again return to The Price of Freedom by Maryam Rajavi as she describes the process of liberation of women from Islamic fundamentalism:

One must, first and foremost, confront such a mentality, particularly in light of the fact that this interpretation or reactionary spell has a historical precedent for women. It is said that the situation of women has always been like this and that she must be grateful to anyone who offers her compassion and mercy. Only when you rebel against this trap and understand the futility of this spell, the deadlock is broken, the road becomes clear, and you take the next steps. I do believe that a woman’s emancipation begins the moment she breaks this spell and believes that rebellion and resistance against tyranny are her inalienable rights. It is from this moment that no power in the world can prevent the liberation of a woman who has decided to be free.

Donna Hughes' speech (above) was originally published here: Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week Day 3

Read more about Islamic fundamentalism: The Terrifying Brilliance of the Islamic Memeplex

Read more about defeating terrorism through fighting for women's rights: Strengthen Women's Rights to Reduce Terrorism

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Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week

Today, October 22nd, is the first day of Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week. It is a nationwide event, hosting speakers on campuses across the United States. Here's a list of colleges participating: Student Guide. And the calendar of speakers.

The purpose of the Week's events is to make students aware that their college avoids the subject for politically correct reasons. But Islamic fundamentalism is an important human rights issue that should not be ignored. Particularly, women's studies departments turn a blind eye to the egregious human rights abuses in the Islamic world. This shocking oversight (or deliberate disregard) is shown in these studies of university women's studies departments.

One of the activities on the campus is handing out a booklet called The Violent Oppression of Women in Islam. You can read a PDF document of the booklet here: Violent Oppression PDF.

You can read more what goes on in Islamic theocracies, and see a ten-minute video (if you have a strong stomach) here: The Violent Oppression Of Women In Islam. In that same article, you'll see a list of universities participating in the event, and specifics about who will be speaking and when, and in what room. If you've got a college near you, check out the list and participate in the event. It should be interesting and educational.

If all this information motivates you to want to do something about it, check out the last third or so of this article for practical ideas: Women Are More Than Abused In Islamic Theocracies.

In the article I mentioned above, the author finishes with this statement:

More then 100 years ago, the book Uncle Tom's Cabin exposed the indignities of chattel slavery. The educational events of Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week modestly seek to enlighten the nation's youth about the incalculable costs of Islamic extremism. Silence is Islamo-Fascism's greatest ally; after viewing this film, every incensed conscience will scream that silence can no longer be tolerated.

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Women More Than Abused In Islamic Theocracies

AHMEDI BEGUM, a 50 year-old woman, was showing two young women a room she was renting out when police rushed in and arrested the two girls and Ahmedi's nephew, who happened to be standing nearby.

That afternoon, Ahmedi went to the police station to see what could be done to release her nephew and the two girls, when the police arrested Ahmedi too, confiscating her jewelry and throwing her into a room.

In a short time, the two girls, naked and bleeding were thrown into the room too. Then police officers raped the girls in front of Ahmedi. She tried to look away, but they forced her to watch.

Ahmedi herself was then stripped and raped by several officers, and then beaten, and worse. At some point she passed out, and when she woke up, she had been charged with illegal fornication.

The country is Pakistan. Islamic law, otherwise known as Shari'a, has been applied more and more vigorously in Pakistan since the country was formed, but it's still not applied as strictly as it is in Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iran.

Shari'a law says when a woman is raped, she has done something illegal, for which she may be whipped or even stoned to death. This is but one example of the abuses women suffer today in many Islamic states.

Women's lack of freedom and outright abuse is a fundamental feature of Shari'a, which is the system of law many Islamic governments use. Shaykh Ghawhi, a well-known and well-respected (in Islamic universities and throughout the Islamic world) teacher and author of Islamic studies and Islamic law says that according to Shari'a:

1. A woman must only leave her house if she has a real need to do so.
2. Her husband or guardian must authorize her leaving the house.
3. When she is out, she must be completely covered, including her face.
4. When she is out, she must not look left or right but keep her head bowed down as she walks.
5. She must not wear perfume in public.
6. She must never shake a man's hand.
   
7. Even if she is visiting a female friend and is inside her friend's house, she must not uncover herself in case a man is hiding somewhere in the house.

I think criminals under house arrest in the U.S. have more freedom than this!

Women in the Muslim world have been fighting for their rights for a long time. They've won some victories, but they have also lost some freedoms they had once gained, because on the other side of women's push for greater freedom is the religious authority's push for stricter adherence to Shari'a law. Many modern states that use Shari'a law begin to allow some freedoms, but then crack down again, as you can read about here: Fundamentalist Islam Around The World.

Under Islamic law, a woman is forbidden to be a head of state or a judge. She can only inherit half of what a man can inherit. In court, her testimony is only worth half of a man's. She is not allowed to choose where she will live or who she will marry. She is not allowed to marry a non-Muslim or divorce her husband.

Her husband, however, can divorce her with a wave of his hand. And according to Shari'a, he can and should beat her if she disobeys him.

This is beyond abuse. This is legally-sanctioned abuse on a massive scale. Islamic fundamentalists are trying to apply 7th-century law in the 21st century.

And they're not only doing it in Islamic countries, they're trying to impose their laws in the West, and they've been getting away with it because a moral strength of the Western democracies is being exploited by Islamists.

Honor killings are another even more heinous example of legally-sanctioned abuse. The word "abuse" isn't even strong enough. It is legally-sanctioned torture and murder. If a woman "dishonors" her family by falling in love with the wrong man or having an affair, her uncles and brothers are morally obligated to beat her to death. Here's a story of a recent honor killing in London.

The religion of Islam is unique in the world. It is both a personal religion and a political system, and it is part of a Muslim's religious duty to constantly strive toward living in a country that applies Islamic law. They take this seriously. A growing number of Muslims are making a concerted effort to slowly make America and Europe follow Islamic law. Here is how they're doing it.

Islamic fundamentalism is the source of the women's abuse we've been talking about, and it's also the source of most of the terrorism in the world. One way to fight terrorism is to work for women's rights. And one way to work for women's rights is to fight terrorism. The two are linked by Islamic fundamentalism.

Weaken the political power of Islamists and you accomplish both. You can learn more about how to defeat Islamic fundamentalism at CitizenWarrior.com here, at Bruno Wolfgang's site, and at the Infidel Blogger's Alliance. For seven practical actions you can take that will weaken the power of the Islamists, read Halt Terrorism.

Maybe you'd like to do something more specifically about the abuse of women in Islamic countries. Excellent. You can help Amnesty International write letters to put political pressure on Islamic countries so they'll release unfairly imprisoned women. Their letter campaigns have a proven record of success. Here's an example of one of their campaigns.

You can help end the practice of honor killings by participating in the projects of the International Campaign Against Honor Killings.

You can support and promote groups working for women's rights, like the Global Fund For Women, and Madre.

And all these actions will not only help save women from abuse, they will help defeat terrorism around the world.

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Strengthen Women's Rights To Reduce Terrorism

WE ARE AT WAR. Like it or not, some Muslims have declared a holy war against you and me. Many innocent people will die because some fanatics are hell-bent on destroying us. We must fight them or we will lose this war by default. And we must fight them aggressively.

You can afford to use primarily defensive tactics when you fight honorable men; but you cannot afford to sit and wait when the enemy is willing to use sneaky tactics. They hide among the children and in holy places. They exploit our honor and our rules. We have no choice but to seek them out before they kill us.

But we must do more. The trouble with battling evil is it destroys life. It destroys people and families and buildings and futures. Fighting takes time and resources that could have been spent building a better world and wastes it. War may be necessary, but the free world must go one step further.

We have more than the two obvious options (avoid trouble or fight against it). We have the intelligence to do what no other animal can do: We can figure out what good action would eliminate this trouble. What could we build or strengthen that would weaken terrorism?

It is a sound and universally-applicable principle: When you spend time and money building up the good, you make the bad easier to handle. In the case of terrorism, there are many things that could be built to weaken terrorism — democracy, free speech, free enterprise, schools, and maybe most important of all: women's rights.

The most violent cultures are the ones with the least female influence. The more balanced the power and influence of both sexes, the less violent its people. And the more balanced the culture, the more prosperous the people. The cultures that support terrorism have always been the most out of balance. Female rights and influence are missing.

The fewer rights women have, the more violent the men and the poorer the people. When a woman is free to do and say what she wants alongside men, the country grows stronger and saner. Female influence balances men and brings out the best in both sexes.

So although we must fight this war against fanatical Muslim men, it would be in our best interests to also build and strengthen the rights of Muslim women. They fought for forty years in Kuwait for the right to vote. Women in Muslim countries have fought long and hard for a voice in their own world. Their desire to have a voice already exists. We'd be wise to do all we can to support it (we have practical ways for you to offer your support at the end of this article).

The moment women have the vote, their country becomes more balanced and easier for other countries to deal with. The voice of women could restore sanity and balance to countries that sorely need both.

The antidote to terrorism lies in women's rights. Free the women. Give them equal rights and a voice and the power to influence their country. As women grow stronger, terrorism gets weaker.

Very few women wanted to live under the Taliban, but they had no say in the matter. No woman wants to be stoned to death for the way she dresses or the job she works. Inside male-dominated non-democratic countries are millions of women, most of whom are potential allies against the religious extremists. Brave soldiers fight terrorism in this un-asked-for war. But to really win we must do more: We must build more of what works, like free enterprise, democratic countries, and women's rights.

Read what Islamic law says about women's rights.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO SUPPORT WOMEN'S RIGHTS:

The possible ways of accomplishing this are very large. Women should have human rights.

See an excellent movie about how women lived under the Taliban. It is the first movie made in Afghanistan after the Taliban was defeated, and it was made by people who lived through it. Powerful.

Read more about how working for women's rights can help defeat terrorism.

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The Brutal Clash of Two Fundamental and Cherished Democratic Values

Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state applying Shari'a law (as is the custom for fundamentalist Muslims), and it has a shocking lack of human rights for women. Here are a few stories to give you some specifics:

2007, Saudi Arabia Human Rights
The government has tried to appear open and willing to be inspected, but they were hiding their abuses. Even so, Human Rights Watch found the law about women needing male escorts for everyday activities effectively denied them their rights to employment and education.
Sidewalks Segregated By SexSaudi Arabia's religious police are insisting that authorities of Medina, one of Islam's holiest cities, should build separate sidewalks for women, the Kuwaiti Al-Qabas newspaper said Friday. The country's Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV), tasked with enforcing Shari'a law, believes men and women should not be allowed to mix on the streets of the Islam's second holiest place, where the Prophet Muhammad is buried.

Valentine's Day in Saudi Arabia
Valentine's Day is a touchy subject in Saudi Arabia. Introduced by Saudis who had lived in the West, the custom of exchanging romantic gifts became popular, but met with official disapproval. This year, the annual Valentine's Day "debate" began on Monday, February 12. The Riyadh newspaper reported in blazing red headlines that the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the Wahhabi institution better known as the religious militia or mutawwa, would systematically inspect hotels, restaurants, coffeehouses, and gift shops to prevent Muslim couples from giving each other Valentines or other presents. Such items would be confiscated, and those selling them would be subject to prosecution. The mutawwa condemned Valentine's Day as a "pagan feast."

Rape Case In Saudi Arabia
When the teenager went to the police a few months ago to report she was gang-raped by seven men, she never imagined the judge would punish her — and that she would be sentenced to more lashes than one of her alleged rapists received.

The Women Of Islam
Women's rights are compromised the Koran, sura 4:34, that says men are the "overseers" of women. The verse goes on to say that the husband of an insubordinate wife should first admonish her, then leave her to sleep alone and finally beat her. Wife beating is so prevalent in the Muslim world that social workers who assist battered women in Egypt, for example, spend much of their time trying to convince victims that their husbands' violent acts are unacceptable. Beatings are not the worst of female suffering. Each year hundreds of Muslim women die in "honor killings" — murders by husbands or male relatives of women suspected of disobedience, usually a sexual indiscretion or marriage against the family's wishes.

Horrible human rights violations occur constantly, but people in the free world are somewhat paralyzed. We seem confused and hesitant to do anything about it. Why? The reason is important. On the one hand we've got the principle of multiculturalism, which says it is right and good to respect the rights of others to express their own culture and freely practice their own religion.

On the other hand, we've got an egregious lack of women's rights, enforced by men against women's will, but as a form of practicing their own religion and culture. It's enough to cause one's circuits to smoke and sputter and ultimately melt. The end result is an inability to act in any decisive way.

Donna Hughes clarifies this issue well in part three of her speech. She draws the distinction between multiculturalism and universalism. If that distinction was understood by more people in the free world, we would be un-paralyzed. We would take clear and vigorous action to stop the horrible human rights violations in countries using Shar'a law.

What you can do right now is learn the distinction, understand it, and then teach it to everyone you know. When the distinction is well-known, the paralysis and confusion will cease to exist.

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