Sex for Peace

Aliaa Elmahdy: Why I posed naked

2011-11-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

Elmahdy: Most Egyptians are secretive about sex because they are brought up thinking sex is something bad and dirty and there is no mention of it in schools. Sex to the majority is simply a man using a woman with no communication between them and children are just part of an equation. To me, sex is an expression of respect, a passion for love that culminates into sex to please both sides.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/19/world/meast/nude-blogger-aliaa-magda-elmahdy/

Nigerian terror suspect was 'depressed and lonely'

2010-01-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

Not surprising to SFP, all Nigerian terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab really needed was some action. Sadly, rather than following the common path and dating some Nigerian cuties, he found another way to got hot action into his underwear.

LAGOS, Nigeria — Internet postings purportedly written by a Nigerian charged with trying to bomb a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day suggest a fervently religious and lonely young man who fantasized about becoming a Muslim holy warrior.

Throughout more than 300 posts, a user named "Farouk1986" reflects on a growing alienation from his family, his shame over sexual urges and his hopes that a "great jihad" will take place across the world.

To quote Farouk himself:

First of all, i have no friend. Not because i do not socialise, etc but because either people do not want to get too close to me as they go partying and stuff while i dont, or they are bad people who befriend me and influence me to do bad things. Hence i am in a situation where i do not have a friend, i have no one to speak too, no one to consult, no one to support me and i feel depressed and lonely. i do not know what to do. And then i think this loneliness leads me to other problems. As i get lonely, the natural sexual drive awakens and i struggle to control it, sometimes leading to minor sinful activities like not lowering the gaze.

Farouk, I don't know how you were brought up, but where I come from blowing up 300 innocent people ranks a bit more sinful than not lowering your gaze.

source: huffingtonpost, AP

image source: timesonline

Iran vs. US Sex education

2009-01-11T18:02:00.000-08:00

Recently, reading a few articles about Sex education in the US (e.g., here), we got so depressed that we decided to see what they're doing about this taboo topic in Iran. Not very surprisingly, it seems that their Sex education is more advanced than what's going on in many parts of the US (see detailed tables of teen pregnancy here).

Iranian Girl and Condom - These bloopers are hilarious

Proper Protest in Gaza

2009-01-11T15:21:00.001-08:00

source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFveoAjtiHc

Iran's Hottest Porn Video

2009-01-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

A hidden camera catches an Iranian cleric committing adultery, and the video rockets around the blogosphere, where a new generation can finally skirt state censorship.

read more here

you can also find more info in our previous post on Iranian Porn

image source: here

Sex and sexuality in Islam

2008-07-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting article, although from a rather bias source (islam-watch). Most of the points it makes are factual, but are interpreted in a negative light. It is worth a read, as long as you take it with a grain of salt.

Handling of sex by a society reflects its level and maturity. At times Islamic aspect of human sexuality overlaps with" Status of Women," but the two are not the same. Compared to other social/religious systems of the world, Islam gives sex and sexual "purity" an extraordinary importance with inherent contradictions/conflicts so much so that we may safely say that Islam is over-obsessed, oversensitive and over-apprehensive about sex.

This essay is an attempt to expose the hypocrisy, double standard, unfairness, absurdity and sheer irrationality of Islam when it comes to sex. It also examines the barbaric rules that Islam inflicts on innocent people for having a simple sexually satisfying relationship whether one is married or not that Islam unjustly and illogically construes as 'haram.' One must not forget however how crucial sex is in our life. In the first place, without sex, none of us will be in this world for sure. Darwinian evolution would have stopped eons ago! So think about it for a moment.

source: here and here

Dubai - Sex on the beach might end in prison

2008-07-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

Two Brits are facing up to six years in prison after having sex on a beach in Dubai. As expected, the story also involves large amounts of alcohol. I guess the real problem is the weather... Dubai in July... you can really lose your mind.

source: daily-mail, timesonline

Study shows that involuntary celibacy can lead to anger and depression

2008-07-26T09:22:00.001-07:00

Certainly, some persons are celibate because they have chosen this lifestyle for religious or personal reasons. Others, however, would like to have sex but lack a willing sexual partner. For them, celibacy is not a choice. Since involuntary celibacy is a relatively new area of inquiry within the field of sex research, few studies have dealt with the dimensions, etiology, and consequences of this phenomenon.

...

Regardless of celibacy status, however, our respondents overwhelmingly perceived their lack of sexual activity in a negative light. In all likelihood, the relationship between involuntary celibacy and unhappiness, anger, and depression is a reciprocal one. Involuntary celibacy can certainly contribute to negative feelings, but these negative feelings probably also cause persons to feel less self-confident and to be less open to sexual opportunities when they occur. In fact, the longer the duration of the celibacy, the more likely our respondents were to view it as a permanent way of life. Virginal celibates tended to see their condition as temporary for the most part, but the older they were, the more likely they were to see it as permanent.

A quote from the study:

It makes me feel like everyone else is going through some mythical gates into "grownup land" while I sit out in the courtyard with the children. So it makes me feel resentful sometimes and I feel childish and inadequate at times.

There is a dissertation to be written on extending the conclusions of this study from the personal level to the level of whole societies. The involuntary celibacy of teenagers in a traditional society is an interesting phenomenon. Its connection to the overall violence levels in these societies is an interesting avenue for future research.

It is interesting to note that the existence of prostitution in these societies does not provide a real outlet for the frustrated celibate teenagers. To quote from the study:

My lack of any sex has had some very serious effects upon me. Obviously, I could get a prostitute any time, but I haven't done that. It would be no different than glorified masturbation. It is the fact that no woman has ever wanted to be sexual with me (and as far as I can tell, even considered sex with me) that I find so painful.

link to the article

Shameless!

2008-07-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

Recently, I found the following message in my mailbox

Al salamu Alikum,

May Allah the most grateful and the most merciful be with you, I write
this letter with utmost concern for our Muslim values and the
teachings of the Holy Koran to uplift and defend our religion at all
times. I am motivated to write this letter to you after much
consideration and with total submission to the will of Allah the most
grateful and most merciful.

I am Hajia Jemila Mohammed, the wife of Dr. Abdul Mohammed who was the
patron of Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) till he became ill and
died of cancer on 13th Feb 2005. Until his death we are a devoted
Muslim family with the fear of Allah in every thing we do knowing that
our reward is not on earth but with Allah. Our marriage was not
blessed with any child despite our 30 years of marriage. I have only
my husband's brothers who became unbelieving converts because of the
pressure on Muslims after July 2005 bombings in U.K. They have
abandoned the Muslim faith with the teaching of Islam and have turned
their lives into waywardness...

Now, I've seen some Nigerian Scam emails before, but this one seems to be specifically targeting Muslims, and using the Holy Koran as part of the scheming message. Inshallah, they will get the punishment that they deserve.

Nine face stoning death in Iran

2008-07-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

The group, convicted of adultery and sex offences, could be executed at any time, lawyers defending them say.

The lawyers have called on the head of Iran's judiciary to prevent the sentences from being carried out.

The last officially reported stoning in Iran last year drew strong criticism from human rights groups and the European Union.

The eight women sentenced, whose ages range from 27 to 43, had convictions including prostitution, incest and adultery, Reuters news agency reported.

The man, a 50-year-old music teacher, was convicted of illegal sex with a student, reports said.

more...

source image source

Muslim Personals

2008-07-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

They sure don't make it easy to pick the girl of my dreams... reminded me of this.

Sexual Terrorism

2007-08-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

A site with a noble mission:

Our mission for this campaign is to increase awareness on forced prostitution in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. While this issue remains a major one, it lacks the publicity required for people to take the necessary actions in order to decrease the amount of forced prostitution in this region and beyond.

Through this campaign, our goal is to provide as many accurate resources as possible and to encourage journalists from various networks to report on these cases. We would like the issue of forced prostitution to make it through our media’s gatekeepers. It is something the public desperately need to be aware of and as a result, take action against.

source: Sexual Terrorism

Arabs and Muslims against honor killings

2007-08-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

source: Arabs and Muslims against honor killings

Gay Islamic Clerics! pedophile Islamic clerics?!!

2007-08-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

An interesting post by Midesat Youth - Thinking Ahead.

It’s confusing, right? sounds to me! as I grow up in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) after revolution - an extreme Islamic country – so it was taboo even questioning about gay concept to detail!
Just in school they taught us about a story from Quran and how people with same-sex marriage which all punished by God and the get killed so badly!

source: Mideast Youth - Thinking Ahead » Blog Archive » Gay Islamic Clerics! pedophile Islamic clerics?!!

The Dinah Project

2007-08-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

Another blessed initiative:

The Dinah Project promotes free choice over one's sexual expression and fulfillment as a basic human right, barring when it harms others. This website is designed to encourage respectful interaction between people everywhere, on the norms of human sexuality, pooling their cumulative knowledge and experience, with the facilitation of professionals.

source: The Dinah Project

Arab princesses kicked off British Airways plane

2007-07-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

Three Arab princesses were thrown off a packed British Airways flight after refusing to sit next to male passengers they didn't know.
...
The princesses, wearing traditional Arab dress, were returning from a day's shopping in Milan. They arrived at the city's Linate airport and boarded Heathrow-bound flight BA 563, which was due to take off at 4pm on Thursday.
...
Cabin crew tried to rearrange the seats but passengers travelling together refused to give up their allotted places. The captain tried to mediate but after more than two and a half hours of wrangling he ordered the bulk of their royal party off the plane.

read more here

Female circumcision a problem in Britain

2007-07-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

LONDON - Female genital mutilation, commonly associated with parts of Africa and the Middle East, is becoming a growing problem in Britain despite efforts to stamp it out. London's Metropolitan Police, Britain's largest police force, hopes a campaign beginning on Wednesday will highlight that the practice is a crime here.

read more here.

Ayatollah Khomeini on Sex

2007-05-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

This is kind'a wacky, and I wouldn't expect it to be any other way given the source.
However, some claims seem to be at least factually correct, and so we cite it here.

Let me begin with a quote from a fatwa by the late and unlamented Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran.

"A man can marry a girl younger than nine years of age, even if the girl is still a baby being breastfed. A man, however is prohibited from having intercourse with a girl younger than nine, other sexual acts such as foreplay, rubbing, kissing and sodomy is allowed. A man having intercourse with a girl younger than nine years of age has not committed a crime, but only an infraction, if the girl is not permanently damaged. If the girl, however, is permanently damaged, the man must provide for her all her life. But this girl will not count as one of the man's four permanent wives. He also is not permitted to marry the girl's sister."

Read more here, if you dare (warning: this source goes well above the "hate site" bar.)

Suicide Bomber Barbie

2007-05-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

The gang here in SFP is against gender stereotyped toys. We are therefore proud to offer not only the fashionable Bruka Barbie but also the more affordable and practical Suicide Bomber Barbie.

source: http://parangaricutirimicuaro.blogspot.com/barbiebomber01.jpg

Arranged Marriage = Terrorism (?)

2007-05-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

An interesting post by Bill Maher:

Sunday's 60 Minutes featured an interview with Hassan Butt formerly with "The Network," a web of radical Islamic organizations loosely affiliated with al Qaeda. The Network recruited the four British citizens that perpetrated the London subway bombings. Hassan Butt was a fundraiser and recruiter for The Network and said that the ringleader of the London bombings told him he first became attracted to radical Islam because he saw it as "a way out" of an arranged marriage.

Heba Kotb: Sex. Don't be afraid.

2007-05-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Dr. Heba Kotb is tackling a taboo in the Arab world unlike anyone else: She's talking about sex openly on a show broadcast all over the Middle East.

It's a big first in these parts of the world, and Kotb leaves little uncovered.

"We talk about masturbation ... sex over the Internet. We talk about sex and Ramadan. We talk about the wedding night," said Kotb. Entitled "The Big Talk," the show is broadcast once a week over a satellite channel from Cairo, Egypt.

To quote from her website:

It is to be known that magnificent sexual life is a completely attainable goal for just cbout everyone. Sex classes are designed to help everyone enhance his/her communication and love-making by telling some specific sexual techniques and knowledge to reach complete sexual satisfaction. Sex classes allover the world has helped thousands of couples improve their love lives and build happier marriages.

Actually, the problem is bigger for women; the vast majority of whom do not have satisfying sex lives. Women want sexual fulfillment but are sometimes unsure about how to express their needs or improve their sex lives. This also promotes a climate of honesty, caring and awareness that deepens the connection between men and women.

sources: CNN, Heba Kotb
(you can also check her dissertation on Sexuality In Islam.)

The Muslim Marriage Guide

2007-05-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

We feel that as part of our mission, we should help brothers improve their education on how to form a religious and loving home. The following is an excerpt from the highly recommended book The Muslim Marriage Guide. Unlike other books that shy away from discussing sex in Islam, this book makes a frontal assault on the matter.

So here are a few samples from that excellent book:

"Women shall have rights similar to the rights upon them; according to what is equitable and just; and men have a degree of advantage over them." (Quran, 2:216)

What is the magic ingredient that turns sex into sadaqa, that makes it a matter of reward or punishment from Allah? It is by making one's sex life more than simple physical gratification; it is by thought for pleasing Allah by unselfish care for one's partner. A husband that cannot understand this will never be fully respected by his wife.

According to all four orthodox jurists, it is incumbent upon the husband to keep his wife happy and pleased in this respect. Likewise, it is essential for the wife to satisfy the desire of the husband. Neither should reject the other, unless there is some lawful excuse.

Now, it is fairly easy for a woman to satisfy a man and make herself available to him, even if she is not really in the mood. It is far harder for a man to satisfy a woman if he is not in the mood, and this is where an important aspect of male responsibility needs to be brought to every Muslim man's attention, and stressed strongly.

A Muslim wife is not merely a lump of flesh without emotions or feelings, just there to satisfy a man's natural urges. On the contrary, her body contains a soul no less important in God's sight than her husband's. Her heart is very tender and delicate, and crude or rough manners would hurt her feelings and drive away love. The husband would be both foolish and immoral to act in any way unpalatable to her natural temperament, and a man selfishly seeking his own satisfaction without considering that of his wife is a selfish boor.

Egyptian Modest Fashion Magazine

2007-05-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

Read more and order it here.

source: Precious Modesty (which is a great modest fashion source in general.)

Pointless Family Photo

2007-05-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

This is an old one that just hit my mailbox again. No matter where you stand on the issue of modest clothing, you have to admit that this is quite pointless.

source: old

Match your Hijab and Makeup for Summer

2007-05-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

Read more, and see many more samples here.

Things are getting tight in Iran

2007-05-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

Here's something we bumped into on Yahoo! Answers:

I live in Iran and s e x in internet is filter who can send s e x y photo my email address?

Looks like the poor chap is not aware of proxy sites or of cold showers.

Capsters

2007-05-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

As a service to our readers, here's another way to cover your head in style.

Created by young Dutch designer Cindy van den Bremen, Capsters are sleek head coverings made from comfortable, stretchy fabrics, and come in a variety of styles to match different activities and sports looks: aerobic, outdoor, skate and tennis. Covering a woman's head and neck as stipulated by Islamic or cultural tradition, they make it possible for women to participate in sports and physical activities without having to worry about their headscarves shifting.
Van den Bremen came up with the idea after learning that many Muslim girls were skipping gym classes because there wasn't a viable alternative to hijabs, which were deemed unsafe for sports activities. Capsters are priced from EUR 20-25, and are sold through the company's website.

source: springwise

Passion for Fashion

2007-05-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

The "increasingly common" practice in Tehran, Iran, between commercial sex workers and shopkeepers of trading sex for no-cost or discounted fashion clothing is undermining efforts to fight the spread of HIV in the country, according to health education workers, London's Guardian reports.

One business owner in north Tehran's "affluent" Tajrish district said that about 50% of shopkeepers in the mall had accepted sex in exchange for clothes, the Guardian reports.

Another worker in the same mall, who admitted to accepting sex for clothes, said that the sex workers provide their phone numbers and services in exchange for an increased discount on clothing.

source: News-Medical-Net
image: iPlot

Lady in Red Brings the Wrong Tune

2007-05-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Iranian Foreign Minister Manucher Mottaki exchanged pleasantries with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during regional talks in Egypt this week, but reports suggest that he didn't stay for dinner Thursday night because of concerns about the way a female violinist was dressed.

"I have been told by one of the U.S. State Department officials, who did not want to be named, that as soon as Secretary Rice walked in, Manuchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, left. But then [Mottaki's] excuse was that there was a lady violinist who was wearing a sexy red dress -she was wearing a shawl on it - but he was objecting to the fact the lady was wearing a revealing red dress," says Mahtab Farid, a reporter with Radio Farda, a U.S. government-funded radio station that broadcasts in Farsi.

source: USA Today
image: completely not related

Kiss and Tell

2007-05-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is being accused of "indecency" by ultra conservative members in the government after publicly embracing an elderly woman who used to be his schoolteacher.

The incident comes while Ahmadinejad was celebrating Iranian teacher's day on Tuesday, during which he kissed the woman's hand and clasped her arms.

Despite the fact that the teacher, who has not been named, was wearing thick gloves, a headscarf, and long black coat to prevent skin contact, Ahmadinejad's kiss still generated anger among Iran's hardline elements.

The ultra-conservative Hezbollah newspaper blasted Ahmadinejad for his actions, saying the kiss violates Sharia law, which forbids a man to have any physical contact with a woman to whom he is not related.

source: AHN

University Female Students Rebel Against Veil

2007-04-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

Female students at Tehran Polytechnic University, where students protested against Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a visit last December crying 'dictator go away' and throwing firecrackers, are staging a major protest against new regulations enabling police as of 21 April to arrest women who do not abide by the Islamic dress code.

Read more here.

Source: dhimmiwatch
image: jackandhill

Minister gets fatwa for hug

2007-04-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

ISLAMIC clerics have issued a fatwa against Pakistan's Tourism Minister after she was photographed hugging a Frenchman.

Clerics of Islamabad's Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, said Nilofar Bakhtiar had acted in an "obscene manner" and brought "disgrace" to Pakistan and all Muslims.

"She has committed a great sin," said the fatwa, issued on Sunday by two clerics at the mosque's department of edicts.

sources: NTN

image: AP Photo

back from the dead

2007-04-04T05:03:00.000-07:00

due to technical problems, this blog went into zombie mode at blogger, making us unable to post or edit it... we are now back, with a vengeance ;)

Ahmadinejad watching women dancers

2006-12-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

Asian games does it again, yesterday SFP mentioned the folks who are using this event to watch some skin, but now it turns out that the much beloved Iranian president is also enjoying the view.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, who flaunts his ideological fervour, has been accused of undermining Iran's Islamic revolution after television footage appeared to show him watching a female song and dance show.
The famously austere Mr Ahmadinejad has been criticised by his own allies after attending the lavish opening ceremony of the Asian games in Qatar, a sporting competition involving 13,000 athletes from 39 countries. The ceremony featured Indian and Egyptian dancers and female vocalists. Many were not wearing veils.

source: TheGuardian

Thank god for National Honor

2006-12-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- When Salim Al-Nabit and his friends went to see beach volleyball for the first time, they left their wives home.
Al-Nabit said he would watch the bikini-clad women, but he certainly wouldn't want his wife to do so. He was there, he added, because it was a matter of national honor.
"We don't see this a lot in Qatar," Al-Nabit said. "I think most people think it is outrageous. But we accept it because it is important for our country. We want others to see us as a generous and hospitable people, willing to accept their ways, even if we don't agree."
Beach volleyball's penchant for bikinis has touched off a bit of a cultural clash in this conservative Muslim city, which by hosting the Asian Games, a regional sports extravaganza, is trying to bolster its bid to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to the Middle East.

Salim is probably also reading playboy for the articles. C'mon Salim, "national honor"? You can do better than that... remember, "patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels".

read the full article here.

Saudi king to papers: Stop showing photos of women

2006-12-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

King Abdullah has told Saudi editors to stop publishing pictures of women as they could make young men go astray, newspapers reported Tuesday.
The king's directive, made in a meeting with local editors, caused surprise as the monarch has been regarded a quiet reformer since he took office in the ultra-conservative country last August.

I'm totally with the king on this one, for several reasons. First, economically speaking, this is a huge waste of ink, all these large black blots. Second, from the journalistic point of view, this adds no information to the story, you might as well use the same identical picture of the same woman for all stories. Last but not least, aesthetically speaking, such pictures are not very pleasing.

But really Abdullah, lets be real here, how likely is it for a young man (or an old man for that matter) to be led astray by this:

This looks more like a Rorschach inkblot test than anything sexually stimulating (if you're being "led astray" by a Rorschach inkblot, well, I guess you have some serious problem there).

You really want to sell newspapers here? Want to make Saudi Arabia a better place to live in? Hell, you want to make the world better? SFP has the right pictures for you, so warm up your print presses Abdullah, here we go.

Sources: AP, wikipedia, zombietime

Guess Where...

2006-12-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple guessing game... where in the world is the following report coming from:

Recently some anonymous group who personify itself the Just Swords of Islam has come out with a warning to the native women folk, which asserts that they are not suppose to go against the norms and traditions of Islam and so are not to be dressed in an ‘immodest’ manner.
The ‘immodest’ manner targets to not wearing of the ‘burqa’. They reveled that last week they threw acid on a girl’s face who was not in the ‘hizab’.

If you guessed Saudi Arabia, Iran, or any other one of your favorite "liberal" countries, you are dead wrong. This is Gaza we're talking about. Good luck to all Palestinian readers, looks like this is really getting out of control.

Source: TMW
Image source: Alhediya (you can also use the link to buy this fashionable Burqa)

Saudi Girl Sentenced to More Lashes Than Her Rapists

2006-12-03T18:43:00.000-08:00

Title is somewhat misleading as most of her rapists got more severe punishments than her, but still, she was indeed sentenced to 90 lashes...

AL-AWWAMIYA, Saudi Arabia (Nov. 21) - 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 story of the Girl of Qatif, as the alleged rape victim has been called by the media here, has triggered a rare debate about Saudi Arabia's legal system, in which judges have wide discretion in punishing a criminal, rules of evidence are shaky and sometimes no defense lawyers are present.

In the case of the Girl of Qatif, she was sentenced to 90 lashes for being alone in a car with a man to whom she was not married - a crime in this strictly segregated country - at the time that she was allegedly attacked and raped by a group of other men.
...
That night, she said, she had left home to retrieve her picture from a male high school student she used to know. She had just been married - but had not moved in with her husband - and did not want her picture to remain with the student.

While the woman was in the car with the student, she said, two men intercepted them, got into the vehicle and drove the couple to a secluded area where the two were separated. She said she was raped by seven men, three of whom also allegedly raped her friend.

...

Read the full article here.

Source: AP, AOLNews

Iranian Porn

2006-12-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

TheMuslimWoman notes that Porn DVDs are a hot commodity in Iran these days:

Clandestinely filmed pornographic DVDs are hitting markets and interne sites of Iran consequent upon which, Esmail Ahmadi Miqadam, the chief of Iranian police has blamed the shop owners by saying that they are intentionally fixing the spy cameras in the places where women undress, like fitting rooms, gyms and swimming pools.
Zahra Amir Ebhrahimi, a famous television actress has come under the envelope of suspicion after a private film supposedly showed her having sex was circulated.

In a way, this is old news, as even a few years back BoingBoing cited a report by an Iranian blogger indicating that the most popular websites accessed in Iran are soft-core porn sites:

If you need a proof that Iranian youngsters don't have any interest in politics, you must see this stats report for the most popular Iranian websites. You see that a website called Jeegar is on the top with over 100,000 visitors everyday. It's content: links to mainly soft porn material on the Net. The next website is Gooya, a simple but old and lucky directory of popular Iranian websites; next is Baztab, a political news website close to the center of the right; then is Dalghak, an entertainment portal without any particular content; and Gooya News is next which is the most popular news site close to the reformists and the left in general, with only 30,000 visitors.(...)

What can I say -- boys will be boys.

source: TMW

Soft Arches Theory - revisited

2006-12-01T18:55:00.000-08:00

Could it be that Lebanon is so crazy that it even refutes the Soft-Arches theory of conflict prevention? Let's hope not.

An excellent post by BP noting the craziness of Lebanese politics.

A Christian chick and follower of Aoun draped in the Hezbollah flag. That's the definition of irony right: a low waist wearing Lebanese chick with a tattoo above her buttocks draped in a Hezbollah flag.

Read it here.

Iran hangs man for sodomy

2006-11-22T19:29:00.000-08:00

An Iranian man convicted of sodomy has been publicly hanged in the western town of Kermanshah, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The man, identified as Shahab Darvishi, was charged for "moral corruption, battering and sodomy".

The public hanging drew hundreds of cheering people, it added.

At least 117 people have been executed in Iran this year, according to an AFP tally based on press and witness reports.

source: sbs, afp

2006-11-18T17:33:00.000-08:00

A Woman Harrassed at Cairo Stadium Gates

Seriously running behind my posting schedule. The SFP todo list is way too long these days.

Free Kareem! Now!

2006-11-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

Somewhat off topic of this blog, but important enough to justify it.

http://www.freekareem.org/

source: SM

Raped and punished

2006-10-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

On June 6, 2005, 28-year-old Imarana was raped by her 69-year-old father in-law Ali Mohammad. Since then the case has raked up heated issues like uniform civil code, the role of panchayats and Shariat in India.

Soon after a Muzaffarnagar district court in Uttar Pradesh convicted and sentenced the father-in-law of Imrana for raping her, clerics say her husband should leave her.

read the full article on TMW.

Dear (Holy) Abby

2006-10-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a lot of Fatwas lately, and in particular did some research on Fatwas appearing on Islamweb. After going through quite a lot of readers' questions, I noticed that the questions relating to marriage, divorce, and sexual relationships take up a considerable percentage. I went back to the index pages of Islam web, checked the numbers, and produced the table below. As you can see, "women and family" related questions take 23%. If you add up the "eqiquetta and morals" category (huge portions of it related to sexual/relationship morals), you get up to more than a third of readers questions.

WOMEN AND FAMILY

2199

23.0%

ETIQUETTE, MORALS AND FORMS OF DHIKR AND DU'A

1126

11.8%

FIQH OF TRANSACTIONS AND INHERITANCE

937

9.8%

SALAH (PRAYER)

912

9.6%

AQEEDAH (ISLAMIC CREED)

688

7.2%

MEDICAL ISSUES, MEDIA, CULTURE AND MEANS OF ENTERTAINMENT

497

5.2%

TAHARAH (RITUAL PURITY)

477

5.0%

FOODS, DRINKS, CLOTHES AND ADORNMENT

442

4.6%

RELIGIONS, SECTS AND DA'WAH (CALL TO ISLAM)

360

3.8%

HOLY QUR'AN

357

3.7%

SAUM (FASTING)

250

2.6%

ZAKAH (OBLIGATORY CHARITY)

245

2.6%

NOBLE HADITH

227

2.4%

MERITS AND VIRTUES

180

1.9%

HAJJ AND UMRAH

179

1.9%

FUNERAL SALAH AND RULINGS ON FUNERALS

140

1.5%

SEERAH (BIOGRAPHY OF THE PROPHET)

1.0%

ISLAMIC POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

1.0%

JINAYAT (CRIMINOLOGY) AND ISLAMIC JUDICIAL SYSTEM

0.9%

MISCELLANEOUS

0.5%

total

9547

Looking further into the top category of Women and Family, you will notice that roughly 20% of questions are on how to get into a marriage, and 20% are on how to get out of a marriage.

First Steps to Marriage

459

20.9%

Separation of Spouses

442

20.1%

Fiqh of Women

356

16.2%

Rights of Children

267

12.1%

Marriage Contract

215

9.8%

Marital Rights

203

9.2%

Social Problems

4.2%

Women Forbidden in Marriage

4.0%

Means of Birth Control

2.0%

Expenditure and I'asar (Insolvency)

1.1%

Misconceptions about Muslim Women

0.5%

Family in Islam and in Non-Muslim Societies

0.0%

total

2199

A large portion of the fatwas are inline with common sense, and are quite moderate. The questions posted by readers, however, are fascinating, and shed a lot of light on what's bothering parts of the Ummah. Some notables are: husband watches porn and masturbates, husband spits in wife's face, divorcing a wife that cannot cook, wife wants to strike husband in self defense, and the cross-cultural/global cheating husband, attracting the spouse, and the bad influence of in-laws.

Whom to marry: the more religious or the more beautiful

2006-10-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

Beauty should be taken into account when marrying; a beautiful woman could help her husband in keeping his chastity. Nonetheless, this
beauty should be considered only if the woman is religious and has a
good moral conduct, and it is for this reason that Islam urged us to
marry a woman who has these qualities.

...if the learned girl is ugly, to an extent that you fear that
marital life with her will not last for long, or that you will not
achieve the purpose of marriage with her, then you may look for another woman as there are so many.

source: islamweb
image source: deviantart

I did not have sex with that woman

2006-10-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Q: I would like to know, if a man is young and is not married and if he does Zina with a prostitute, after doing such evil act he tries to do good things and move to right path of Islam and fear from Allaah, then is he still needed to be punished for 100 lashes.

If this person now marries to a woman which is nice and decent and pray 5 times a day. Then should this man tell that lady that he had Zina, before getting married or he should tell after marry or should he keep quiet...

A: Zina (fornication or adultery) is among the great major sins, whoever commits it has to repent immediately and should not inform any one. Confessing in order to get the punishment applied to him is not compulsory. See the details in Fataawa 500 and 2296.

A Muslim is not allowed to disclose his sins even to his wife as we mentioned in Fataawa 2932. However, it is not allowed for a Muslim man or woman to marry a fornicator unless the later repents sincerely. See the Fatwa 2056.

And another Fatwa mentioned above hammers this point even further...

Q: I'm going to get married, what if the girl I'm going to marry asked me if I committed adultery before and what if she asked me to swear to God?

A: Dear brother, as long as Allah has covered you, you must cover yourself with the veil of Allah and do not inform anyone what you have committed. This is the Prophetic guidance who said: "Whoever was inflicted by (committing) any of these dirts (prohibitions such as Zina, drinking wine, …), he should hide himself and cover himself with the cover of Allah. Whoever reveals to us his wrong action, we apply the prescribed punishments as stated in the Book of Allah against him" . [Imam Malik ].
The woman you intend to marry her does not have any right to ask you about your previous acts as mentioned in your question and you should not answer her as mentioned above.

Performing Ghusl after having illegal sex

2006-10-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

As a service to our readers, SFP brings another useful fatwa.
Our previous applicable posts are here, and here.

Q: I would like to know if there is any point performing the ghusl bath after fornication since fornication itself is unacceptable.

A: First of all, it should be mentioned that fornication is one of the great major sins, and whoever committed it is obliged to sincerely repent to Allaah immediately and should not inform any one about it. Allaah Says (which means): {And come not near the unlawful sexual intercourse. Verily it is a faahishah (i.e. anything that transgresses its limits; a great sin) and an evil way (that leads one to Hell) unless Allaah forgives him/her.}[Quran 17:32]. Therefore, whoever committed this sin is obliged to repent sincerely to Allaah fulfilling the conditions of a true repentance... As regards your question, when a person is in a state of sexual defilement, he is obliged in religion to perform Ghusl (i.e. a ritual bath). Allaah Says (what means): {If you are in a state of Janaaba (i.e. had a sexual discharge), purify yourself (bathe your whole body).}[Quran 5:6]. Allaah did not differentiate between the performance of Ghusl to when a person is in a state of sexual impurity in a legal way or to when he is so in an illicit way. If a person who got in sexual defilement in a legal way is obliged to perform Ghusl, then it is more appropriate for a person who got in sexual defilement in a forbidden way to perform Ghusl.

source: islamweb

Desire Shackles

2006-10-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

Somewhat contrary to yesterday's post, some people do desire shackles. Sad as it is, we will just have to find another beautiful Egyptian actress to take the place of the now completely covered Hala Shiha.

sources: BP, yallabina
image source: ahram

Desire No Shackles

2006-10-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

Last year, outrage from Muslim students led Harper College, located just outside Chicago, to remove an exhibition of works by Amir Normandi depicting the oppression women suffer in many Islamic countries. Partly in response, Normandi, an Iranian-born Muslim, has curated a new exhibition of works by local and international artists entitled, 'Desire No Shackles/ Imagine No Borders', to examine oppression, and the notion of borders in Islam and other contexts.

SHUKR: Quality, Fashionable Islamic Clothing

2006-10-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

Maybe you have been to Muslim retail shops before, looking for decent Islamic clothing, only to be disappointed by either its lack of availability or by the poor quality and styles of what limited selection there is. Forced to buy from mainstream clothing outlets, you probably had to hunt around for quite a while to find anything remotely appropriate for a Muslim to wear. Muslim ladies undoubtedly know this problem all too well, but even the men have often been frustrated.

We at SHUKR believe that you deserve the opportunity to buy quality, stylish garments which meet the requirements of modesty which we abide by. For too long now, we have had to put up with poor standards of Islamic clothing or compromise with inappropriate secular fashion trends. SHUKR, dissatisfied with the current state of affairs, did something to change it. Our plan and aim was to serve the Muslim communities living in the West by providing quality, fashionable Islamic clothing which Muslims can wear with pride. And that's where our story begins…

source: SHUKR

“Matrimonial Banquet” held for single U.S. Muslims

2006-10-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

Because dating is prohibited in Islam, American Muslim leaders developed a new way to introduce single people to each other in the presence of elders, according to an article on the International Herald Tribune.

Last month, Muslim leaders organized a dating session for all young Muslim people attending the Islamic Society of North America’s annual convention in Chicago.

To encourage people to join the “Halal” dating session, organizers gave the event a more respectable name; “Matrimonial Banquet”.

"If we called it speed dating, it will end up with real dating," said Shamshad Hussain, one of the organizers.

There were two banquets held during the conference, with a maximum of 150 men and women taking part each day. They all stayed with their parents on the same table to get to know each other better. At the end of the event, participants were allowed time to exchange phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

For those who are afraid to try dating sessions, organizers narrated success stories and told participants that some 25 marriages have taken place through such events over the past six years.

"Where else can you meet 300 Muslim girls in two days?" said Dr. Arif Shaikh, 30.

source: islamonline

Marabo - your style, your values, yourself.

2006-10-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

Brooke Samad, the 27-year-old lass wishes to fill the wardrobe of the Muslim women with some chic apparel.

From the company's website:

"It shouldn’t be impossible for Muslim women to be stylish and comfortable. Marabo clothing is designed for Muslim women by a Muslim woman. We understand the struggle between your Islamic values and your eye for fashion and are here to rescue you from the endless search for "conservative chic" in malls and department stores. Marabo clothing gives the Muslim women options with a fun, fresh and young clothing line built to offer something for everyone."

read the full article at TheMuslimWoman

source: tmw, APP, marabo

UK: Sister is stabbed to death for loving the wrong man

2006-10-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

A BUSINESSMAN is facing a life sentence for stabbing his sister to death in front of his two young daughters in a so-called honour killing.
Azhar Nazir, 30, and his cousin, 17, used four knives to cut Samaira Nazir’s throat and repeatedly stab her after she fell in love with an asylum-seeker from what they saw as an unsuitable caste.
Miss Nazir, 25, had rejected suitors lined up to meet her in Pakistan and had been summoned to the family home in Southall, Middlesex.
The father, also called Azhar, Nazir and the youth launched the attack and at one point dragged her by her hair back into the property.
...
She was articulate and well-educated and had studied travel and tourism at Thames University. She was described as the brightest in the family.
She clashed with her family when she told them that she wanted to marry Mr Mohammad, who become known to the family after he came to the country illegally.
...
She received 18 stab wounds and three cuts to her throat.

Rest in peace Samaira Nazir, may Allah handle your murderers appropriately.

source: timesonline.

UK: Mother is denied Pill by Muslim pharmacist

2006-10-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

...she was denied the pill at a Lloyds Pharmacy near her home in Thurcroft, Rotherham, she asked why and says she was told the pharmacist was a "deeply religious Muslim".
She said: "I am a 37-year-old woman, not a daft girl who doesn't know what she's doing, and the chemist has no right to tell me whether I can or can't take the pill...
"It's my choice, not his. It's his religion, not mine. He's a dispensing chemist and his job is to dispense drugs."

read the full article here.

Abducted and raped, young Christian women and girls are driven to suicide in Iraq

2006-10-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

Baghdad (AsiaNews) – Young Christian women and girls have been abducted and released after ransom money was paid only to commit suicide because of the shock, violence and shame they experienced. This is happening in Baghdad where kidnapping has become a growth industry. Criminal gangs are lining their pockets as the number of victims grows and the line-ups at border posts grow even longer with people trying to flee the country.

Christians from any denominations, clergy or laity alike, are one of the preferred targets in the capital.
Often incidents do not end with the prisoner’s release. In one case in Baghdad, the victim committed suicide after the ransom was paid and she went home because of the torture and sexual violence she suffered.

In another case, a young woman talked to her family by phone (the kidnappers allowed her to speak to her family to reassure them that she was alive) and told them: “I’m dead” (referring to being gang raped). She eventually committed suicide whilst still in the hands of her tormenters.

read the full article here.

Is that even news anymore? another "honor" killing

2006-10-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

A RELIGIOUS feud between a Muslim father and his teenage daughter may have sparked a bloody domestic dispute on the Gold Coast which left the man's wife dead and him fighting for life in hospital.

Police are investigating suggestions the violence erupted after the 17-year-old girl told her father she wanted to opt out of the Islamic faith and convert to Christianity. The girl's mother is believed to have stepped in to protect her daughter, only to be fatally stabbed with a kitchen knife.

This is Australia we're talking about! read the full story here.

sources: LGF, couriermail

Kenyan couple jailed for having sex in mosque

2006-10-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

NAIVASHA, Kenya - A couple found having sex in a mosque during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a Kenyan court on Monday.
The pair, Peter Kimani and Jennifer Wairimu, were discovered in flagrante delicto on October 3 by a worshipper who investigated the strange noises he heard emanating from a dark corner in Abubakar Mosque in Gilgil, 100 kilometers (63 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi.

During Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, Muslims are expressly forbidden to eat, drink, smoke or engage in sexual intercourse during the daylight hours for the length of the 30-day fast.

How could you get more haram than that?

source: khaleej Times

Jordan: brother confesses to murdering and burning his sister

2006-10-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Natasha writes about yet another "honor" killing.

“He told investigators he tortured his sister after medical examinations proved she was not a virgin, then strangled her,” the source said.
Initial investigations indicated that the suspect drove his sister from Irbid to a deserted area near the Queen Alia International Airport, beat her up, then strangled her.

The suspect then drove to Karak and dumped his sister’s body in the canal and tried to set it ablaze to conceal his actions and get rid of the body.

Initial reports indicated that other family members were also involved in the woman’s murder.

sources: Natasha, Jordan Times
image source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/language_tips/2006-03/07/content_539958.htm

2006-10-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

Just for fun

Bumped into this one. Worth your 52 seconds. A very encouraging sarcastic angle. Enjoy.

2006-10-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

The difference between men and women

This is a video of Sheikh Jassem Al-Mutawah using a computer to explain the "difference between men and women". I think the respectable Sheikh demonstrates nothing but his backwardness.

Stand Against Iranian Women Being Stoned to Death

2006-10-05T22:19:00.000-07:00

Feministe pointed SFP to the original post by Ali.
Eight Iranian women have been sentenced to death by stoning.
You can help prevent that horrific act by voicing your protest as described in Ali's post.

Educated women more likely to have orgasms

2006-10-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

From the Globe:

A new study suggests that women may be learning more in the corridors of academia than what goes on in the classroom.

According to revealing new research, heterosexual women with post-secondary degrees are more likely to reach orgasm than their less educated counterparts. There is also a higher incident of orgasm in women who speak English at home, have a higher household income or hold a managerial or professional job, the Australian study found.
...

There were much greater associations between socio-economic factors and female orgasms, however. Higher levels of education and income were associated with a greater prevalence for climaxing in women. Women were also more likely to reach orgasm if they used sex toys, or had sex more than twice a week in the month before they were surveyed.

We wrote about the illiteracy rates of women in the Ummah earlier. Now we have some evidence that this illiteracy may be more damaging than we thought.

Why the middle east is in deep shit?

2006-10-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

source: http://www.ljplus.ru/img2/m/a/mamoto/This-is-why-Middle-east-in-a-big-shit.jpg

Nikah Mut'ah (Mut'ah marriage)

2006-10-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Some more answers from the Supreme Leader.

Q: What is mut‘ah marriage? Is her father’s permission necessary?
A: Temporary marriage like permanent marriage is permissible and requires a marriage contract. Moreover, there is no difference between permanent marriage and temporary marriages except in some aspects of the law, such as there is no divorce in temporary marriage - it terminates with the expiration of the period. Likewise, neither spouse in a temporary marriage inherits from the other. In both permanent marriage and temporary marriages, she should not have another husband and not to be in ‘iddah for marriage with another man. If she is virgin, the permission of her father/paternal father is required.

To those who never heard of mut'ah marriage, here's another definition:

Mut'ah is a type of Nikah until an agreed time. It can be for a day, two days, a month, one year, three years etc.
Waheed ad-Deen az-Zaman. Sunan Ibn Majah. Volume 2, p. 76

And you can guess how is this loophole being exploited (even by Sunnis):

In Morocco, a predominantly Sunni country, Mut’ah marriage is widely practiced. Young men and women enter into Mut’ah marriage in great numbers, and it is said that many Saudi men (mostly followers of Hanbali sect), go to Morocco for Mut’ah marriages. A Moroccan woman is recognized as having entered Mut’ah marriage by the heavy gold jewelry she sports given to her by her Saudi husband.¹³ These days Saudi men enter into “Mesyar” or marriages of convenience because, as one young man put it: …”proper marriage is such a big step, and I just can’t handle the responsibility at the moment.” ¹⁴ Another Saudi young man said: “The traditional marriage is very expensive these days. But I don’t have much money at the moment, so for the time being a Mesyar marriage is the only thing for me.”¹⁵ Shakespeare said: What is in a name? A rose by any name is as sweet. So, Mut’ah by any name is just as desirable by the very people who consider it unlawful!

To Masturbate While Fasting

2006-10-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

The Supreme leader is occupied with great questions indeed.

To Masturbate While Fasting
Q: If somebody masturbates during the month of Ramadan but without any discharge, is his fasting invalidated?
A: if he do not intend masturbation and discharging semen and nothing is discharged, his fasting is correct even though he has done a ḥarām act. But, if he intends masturbation or he knows that he usually discharges semen by this process and semen really comes out, it is a ḥarām intentional breaking fasting.

I'm not an expert on Hadith, but what about women masturbation? They certainly do not discharge any semen, so maybe they are on the clear?
Another intriguing question is how exactly can you masturbate while "not intend masturbation"?

Even more on the kind treatment of wives

2006-10-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

Picking up where we left in our previous posts on wife beating, here's a piece from Spain.

In his book "Women in Islam," published four years ago, Mr. Mustafa wrote that verbal warnings followed by a period of sexual inactivity could be used to discipline a disobedient wife.
If that failed, he argued that, according to Islamic law, beatings could be judiciously administered.
"The blows should be concentrated on the hands and feet using a rod that is thin and light so that it does not leave scars or bruises on the body," he wrote.

Thank you so much Mustafa. So far, we've only heard theory (e.g., here), but you're finally giving us a practical perscription. (SFP sources report that an electric wire is commonly used to "achieve the desired results" and is readily available in a hardware store near you.)

Mr. Mustafa, SFP wishes you many happy nights in jail, and hopes that you will be getting a taste of your own medicine.

More on the kind treatment of wives

2006-10-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

We wrote about the "kind treatment" of wives before (also here).
It is always interesting to revisit verse 34 of Surah an-Nisa... This time, we bring you an alleged ly modren interpretation from themodernreligion.com. This article was originally published in Al-Ummah, Montreal, Canada, and is Copyright Dr. Ahmad Shafaat.

...the suggestion to use beating is made specifically to deal with nushuz on the part of the wife, that is, to deal with her deliberately nasty behaviour that poses a threat to the marriage. Beating is to be done after due admonition and separation in beds and therefore by husbands who have some moral standards and have sufficient control over their sexual passions. Moreover, this beating is not to go on and on but is to be tried as a last step to save the marriage.

According to some traditions the Prophet said in his famous and well-attended speech on the occasion of his farewell pilgrimage that the beating done according to the present verse should be ghayr mubarrih, i.e. in such a way that it should not cause injury, bruise or serious hurt. On this basis some scholars like Tabari and Razi say even that it should be largely symbolic and should be administered "with a folded scarf" or "with a miswak or some such thing". However, to be effective in its purpose of shaking the wife out of her nasty mood it is important that it should provide an energetic demonstration of the anger, frustration and love of the husband. In other words, it should neither seriously hurt the wife nor reduce it to a set of meaningless motions devoid of emotions.

Save your marriage now with these devices, guaranteed to shake the wife out of her nasty mood.

Googling Sex on Ramadan?

2006-09-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

An excellent post by The Big Pharaoh on Googling sex and Ramadan.

The Truth is One - "A Logical Proof"

2006-09-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

I found the following in ismlamreligion.com, shamelessly published under the category "Evidence that Islam is True > Logical Proofs". I'll let you see for yourself what kind of logic is involved here.

If we were to say that no religion in the world today is correct, then this would entail believing that God is unjust because He left us to wander about on earth in sin and transgression without showing us the right way to do things, and this is impossible for a Just God. Therefore the only logical conclusion is that there is One True Religion, which contains guidance in all spheres of life, religious, moral, societal, and individual.(1)
How do we know what this one true religion is? It is upon each and every human to investigate this matter. Humans were created to fulfill a great purpose (2), not just to eat, sleep and go about finding their daily sustenance and satiate their desires. In order to fulfill this purpose, one must try to find what their purpose is, and this can only be done by investigation. If one believes that there is a God, and that God must not have left humans to wander in misguidance, then they must search for the religion and way of life which God revealed. Furthermore, this religion would not be hidden or hard for humans to find or understand, for that would defeat the purpose of guidance (3). Also, the religion must contain the same message throughout time, since we mentioned that everything returns to one absolute truth (4). Also, this religion cannot contain any falsities or contradictions, for falseness or contradiction in one matter of the religion proves the falsity of the religion as a whole, since we would then doubt the integrity of its texts. (5)
There is no other religion which fulfills the conditions mentioned above except for religion of Islam (6), the religion which is accordance to human nature, the religion which has been preached by all prophets since the dawn of man.

OK, I had to mention some points here. These points are not exhaustive, they are just random points I took down while reading this article. This article is such a joke, and full of so many holes, that an exhaustive list going to be very long.

(1) other possible logical conclusions: there is no god, god is unjust, "the truth" is not available for the masses as a central religion, etc.
(2) and this is to be taken as an axiom?
(3) the leap from "purpose" to "religion" is somewhat mysterious. Also, should all humans have the same purpose (or same religion)?
(4) the message of the religion may (and should) probably depend on the current conditions. This does not contradict it being a message of absolute truth.
(5) contradictions according to whom? to the mere mortal analyzing the text?
(6) there are contradictions a plenty in all of the major religions, and Islam is certainly included. Just check the various interpretations given to parts of the holy Quran.

Kind Treatment of Wives

2006-09-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

The following is taken from islamreligion.com. Read it carefully.

Conflict in marriage is virtually inevitable and it leads to lot of anger. Although anger is one of the most difficult emotions to manage, the first step toward controlling it can be learning how to forgive those who hurt us. In case of conflict, a husband should not stop talking to his wife and emotionally hurt her, but he may stop sleeping in the same bed if it will improve the situation. Under no circumstance, even when he is angry or somehow feels justified, is a husband allowed to malign her by using hurtful words or cause her any injury.

This particular choice of words is indeed consistent with what we know about the "kind treatment". Devout brothers, watch this instructive video on how to discipline your wives without casuing them injuries. A few highlights from that video:

If the husband wants to use beatings to treat his wife
he must never ever do it in front of the children.
It must remain between him and her.
It must be done according to the following conditions:
He must not cause bleeding or bruise her body.
He should avoid her face and other sensitive parts
of her body.
As we've said, the limitations on beatings are:
They must not cause bleeding,
they should not break any bones,
they should not be on the face,
and they should not bruise her.

Reasons Why Islam Permits Polygamy

2006-09-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

You just have to love this explanation. I've heard it so many times, but every time I see it is like meeting an old beloved friend... just warms my heart.

Islamic polygamy addresses the social problems of prostitution and extramarital affairs common in the West. Instead of cheating - infidelity is one of the top reasons for divorce in the West - Islam allows a man to marry more than one wife, with full recognition of the rights of both of them. The basic principle in Islam is that men are held responsible for their behavior towards women just as women are responsible for their behavior towards men.

The number of women in the world exceeds that of men. The surplus is a result of men dying in wars, violent crimes, and women outliving men.[1] The upsurge in homosexuality further increases the problem. Bertrand Russell wrote, “And in all countries where there is an excess of women, it is an obvious injustice that those women who, by arithmetical necessity, must remain unmarried should be wholly debarred from sexual experience.”[2] Polygamy, then, is the only responsible solution for this predicament.

Words of wisdom indeed. However...
Should I remind you, my brothers, that cheating is not unique to men (men do have to cheat with some women, despite the "upsurge in homosexuality"). It immediately follows from your logic that women should also be allowed to marry more than one men... at least as far as cheating is concerned. Something leads me to believe that you will not be that supportive of this idea.

As for "men dying in wars, violent crimes...", here's a thought for you --- rather than cultivating suicide bombers and spiraling in blind hatred, try to prevent these wars and violent crimes. Maybe then, and only then, you can starting talking about "responsible solutions".

sources: islamreligion, bbcimage
Technorati Tags: islam, polygamy

University of Bahrain passes "Decency Act"

2006-09-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

Sandmonkey points to an interesting article in AlArabia.
Since my attempted translation is more lame than SM's, I bring the first few lines of SM's translation here:

Clothes must not be transparent as not to show the body, must not stick to the body as to show the detials of its shape, or be so tight as to hint at the shape. Clothes must also not be short. This includes shirts and tops as well as dresses, skirts and pants...

You can read the rest on SM's post.
What SM did not translate, however, are the talkbacks to the AlArabia article. Most of them are (surprise?) supportive of the act. Here are a few highlights (pardon my lame translation):

Khalil Osman | 29 / 09 / 2006, 17:16 (Saudi Arabia)
This is the solution for deterring prostitution in Arab universities and God Bless this decision.

Abouabdallah | 29 / 09 / 2006, 17:48 (Saudi Arabia)
It would have been better to separate women from men and have two separate colleges, even if it does not satisfy the West.

Sjm2@hotmail.com | 29 / 09 / 2006, 18:36 (Saudi Arabia)
Yes, this is the right decision... God protect our daughters from indecency.

You can find many more of these by going to the original AlArabia article.

Burka Barbie Banned

2006-09-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

We wrote about the Burka Barbie before, now it seems that even a doll in a Burka is too much for parts of the Ummah.

TUNIS — No sooner had as the new academic year begun in Tunisia than security forces raided soft-toy shops across the country to withdraw Fulla, the doll, which inspired millions of Muslim girls worldwide, eclipsing the American and world's best-selling Barbie.

"Security forces have cracked down on shops and confiscated all goods bearing Fulla's photo," Tunisian shoppers and merchants told IslamOnline.net Friday, September 22, on condition of anonymity.

Ahmadinejad Jacket

2006-09-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

Passion for Nukes and Fashion.

He is wearing blue-gray trousers, black loafers and the trademark tan jacket that even he calls his "Ahmadinejad jacket." He mutters something to himself as he settles into an aging leather chair with bad springs. For a moment, he seems irked by the chair, perhaps because it makes him seem even smaller than his 5 ft. 4 in., but soon he's smiling, prodding, leaning forward to make his points.

IranPressNews reports:

AFTAB, the regime-run site reports that recently clothing manufacturers in Iran have begun marketing a new style of jacket, referred to as Ahmadinejad Windbreakers. Around the old bazaar in the south and central Tehran, street vendors selling these jackets can be heard sounding off: “We got Ahmadinejad jackets, Ahmadinejad jackets over here.” The jackets are only $5.

Apparently a group of the high-ranking directors as well as the middle-management employees of the regime have embraced “the look” and have all begun to dawn these jackets as well. It is said that these jackets are also being manufactured so that they can be worn year-round.
The Salesmen say that by wearing the jacket one’s business in governmental bureaus and organizations is handled more courteously and efficiently.

I can already imagine the sales pitch here: "Getting babes is not that easy at 5'4"... with the Ahmadinejad jacket(TM), you are guaranteed to have plenty of babes... if you can't get laid with this jacket, you can always find comfort in your nukes."

source: TIME Magazine interview with Ahmadinejad, Debbie

First penis transplant patient hated it

2006-09-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

OK, this is not really "on topic" in this blog, but I just had to share it.

A Chinese accident victim who became the world's first successful recipient of a transplanted penis psychologically rejected it and asked for its removal.

Surgeons at Guangzhou General Hospital said it took 15 hours of microsurgery on the unidentified 44-year-old man to attach the 4-inch organ donated by the family of a younger brain-dead patient.

"Because of a severe psychological problem of the recipient and his wife, the transplanted penis regretfully had to be cut off," said Dr. Weilie Hu.

It was not known if the man would have been able to have sex, The Guardian reported.

Doctors have been successful at time in reconnecting a man's own severed organ but this was the first apparent success at using a second-party penis, the newspaper nsaid.

Now really, accident or no accident, would you accept a second-party penis measuring 4 inches and connected via microsurgery?

(For your convenience, the mean penis length for Asian and others can be found here.)

source: here

Justice Iran Style: 16-year-old Atefeh Rajabi Hanged from a Crane

2006-09-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

Additional information on SFPs previous post regarding Atefeh Rajabi.

The Iranian judge who had sentenced Atefeh to death was left unmoved as he personally put the noose around her neck and signalled to the crane driver.
Kicking and screaming, Atefeh was left dangling for 45 minutes from the arm of the crane as the crowd sobbed and - under their breath - damned the mullahs.
Atefeh's crime? Offending public morality. She was found guilty of "acts incompatible with chastity" by having sex with an unmarried man, even though friends say Atefeh was in such a fragile mental state that she wasn't in a position to say no.
Life was never easy for Atefeh, who was brought up in the industrial town of Neka, 250 miles from Tehran and close to the Caspian Sea. Her mother died when she was a child and her father Ghasseem, a heroin addict, left her grandparents to bring her up. She suffered from bi-polar disorder, which led to severe mood swings from hyperactivity to depression. Worried parents told their children to stay away from her - something many regret now. "Perhaps we should have helped her instead," said Hamid. "I think the death of her mother had a devastating effect. Before that, she was a normal girl. Her mother was everything to her. After she died, there was no one to look after her."

source: here

Paki Bikini Sparks Outrage

2006-09-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A prize-winning bikini competition contestant who claimed to represent Pakistan, sparking some outrage in the Muslim country, says she wanted to project the nation as a modern one.
...
Pakistani authorities said they might take up the issue with China, and might also withdraw from Moten privileges offered to people of Pakistani descent such as visa-free travel to Pakistan.

from Miss Pakistan World:

Mariyah Moten was born in Karachi, Pakistan on January 18. After moving to the U.S. her family moved around a lot, which gave her an opportunity to meet numerous people with different backgrounds at a very young age. She is currently majoring in Hotel Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. She would like to work in the hospitality industry on an international level where she can meet people from all walks of life. Mariyah Moten says, “When I started watching pageants I realized that it wasn’t just about physical beauty. The winners of these pageants have grace, elegance, intelligence, and a lot of knowledge about the world. One thing I noticed about all the international pageants was that they never had any contestants that represented Pakistan. I wanted something that would help me represent my culture and community in a positive way.

Good luck with that Mariyha, you certainly have SFP's blessing.

source: here , here

Somalia: No More Love Songs

2006-09-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A Somali radio station closed by Islamists for playing local love songs deemed to encourage immorality returned to the airwaves on Monday after pledging to stop broadcasting music... Local Islamist leader, Sheikh Mohamed Mahamud Abdirahman, went alone to the station to convey the message on Saturday."He said the music encourages immorality, we had no option but to close down," Afrah said, adding that the station would have to adjust its programs to fill the time.

My first instinct was to strongly protest against this ridicolous Islamist action. But considering the following verses I bumped into, I am willing to support the Islamists in this case.

I could have met you in a sandbox
I could have passed you on the sidewalk
could I have missed my chance and watched you walk away

I'm tired of being alone
so hurry up and get here
so tired of being alone
so hurry up and get here

("Love song for no one" / John Mayer)

sources: here, here

Christian Sex Shop

2006-09-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

The twenty-second book of the Bible is Song of Solomon. We believe that God intended that such love, as spoken of in Song of Solomon, be a beautiful and normal part of marital life. Unfortunately this gift from God has been grossly distorted and abused by both ancient and modern people. Book22 is offering quality products to enhance the intimate life of God's children. Our hope is that our products will serve as intimacy enhancers for your marriage.

Amen. Get your holy fix right here.
You can read more about it in Joy's blog.

Fatwa: A Divorced Woman Using a Vibrator?

2006-09-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

A very interesting Fatwa from Islam Online.
(this fatwa is no longer available from the IO site, the link is to a wayback copy).

Title of Fatwa	A Divorced Woman Using a Vibrator (Artificial Penis)
Topic Of Fatwa	Sexual Relations
Question of Fatwa	The questions are: 1) Does Islam allow a divorced Muslim woman to use a vibrator in order to satisfy her sexual desire instead of committing sex with another man? 2) Is it allowed in Islam for a married woman to use a vibrator as a sexual aid with the permission of her husband?
Name of Mufti	Islam Online Fatwa Committee
Content of Reply	... Sheikh `Abdel-Khaliq Hasan Ash-Shareef gives the following answer: Highlighting the attributes of true believers, Almighty Allah says in the Qur'an: "Those who guard their sexual organs except with their spouses or those whom their right hands possess, for (with regard to them) they are without blame. But those who crave something beyond that are transgressors, (Al-Mu'minoon: 5-7) In this verse, Allah, Exalted be He, outlines the way sexual desires are satisfied, and regards any other form of satisfying sexual desire (such as masturbation) as transgression or violation of Allah's Bounds. This applies to both men and women, although women are supposed to be more bashful and modest than men. The majority of scholars consider masturbation Haram. Imam Malik bases his judgement on the forgoing verse arguing that someone who masturbates is one of those who "crave something beyond that." On the other hand, it is reported that Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal regards semen as an excretion of the body like other excreta, and permits its expulsion the same way bloodletting is permitted. Ibn Hazm holds the same view. However, the Hanbali jurists permit masturbation only under two conditions: first, the fear of committing fornication or adultery, and second, not having the means to marry. Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi comments: We are inclined to accept the opinion of Imam Ahmad in a situation in which there is sexual excitation and danger of committing the Haram. For example, a young man has gone abroad to study or work, thereby encountering many temptations which he fears he will be unable to resist, may resort to this method of relieving sexual tension provided he does not do it excessively or make it a habit. Yet, better than this is the Prophet's advice to the Muslim youth who is unable to marry; namely, that he seeks help through frequent fasting, for fasting nurtures will-power, teaches control of desires, and strengthens the fear of Allah. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is reported to have said, "O youth, whoever of you is able to marry, let him marry, for it spares one looking at what one should not, or lapsing in adultery. And if he cannot marry, let him observe fasting, for it is a shield against evil." (Reported by Muslim.) (Quoted from The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam.) Thus, a divorced Muslim woman is allowed to use a vibrator to satisfy her sexual desire if it is the last resort � instead of committing fornication. But a married woman (if there is no dire necessity to warrant it) is not allowed to do so, since she will be regarded as one who "craves something beyond that," which is condemned by the aforementioned verse. Allah Almighty knows best.

Muslim, divorced, and lonely? Follow This Fatwa Now.

Hijab + Hood = Hijood

2006-09-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've got to hand it to the Muslim fashion industry --- they are always one step ahead of me.
Whenever I think of a ridicolous idea, a few google clicks later, I find that reality goes way beyond my limited imagination. This was the case with the Burka Barbie, but this one here is much more impressive.
Hold on to your seat boys and girls... I give you the... The Hijood.
I swear I'm not making this up.

The Ahiida Hijood is a Hijab shaped like a hood, connected to the garment that is closely fitted around the face and chin, which creates ease and comfort for todays active Muslim female.

The Ahiida Hijood is designed to give you the freedom and flexibility to move without any restrictions.

The Ahiida Hijood can be worn on it’s own whilst playing sport or with your favourite headwear accessory.

The new practical way...Ahiida Hijood.

Indeed, nothing says "freedom and flexibility" more than the Hijood.

Aussie girl entering a beauty pageant condemned by Islamic leaders

2006-09-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is rather old news, but since we're eagerly tracking our beautiful sisters, we thought it's still worth a mention.

A MELBOURNE Muslim girl condemned by Islamic leaders for entering a beauty pageant has defied protests to be shortlisted for the Victorian final.
Ayten Ahmet, 16, advanced to the top 26 of Miss Teen Australia yesterday despite an outcry from some of Victoria's senior Muslims.

The year 11 student said she entered the pageant to fulfil her modelling ambition, and was surprised by the objections.

Parents Salih and Sarah Ahmet said their daughter was a typical teenager, and her faith was irrelevant to the contest. Ms Ahmet, from Craigieburn, beat hundreds of hopefuls at an open casting session at Federation Square.

A spokesman for Melbourne cleric Sheik Mohammed Omran this week branded the competition, which involves swimsuit parades, as a "slur on Islam".

And Victorian Islamic leader Yasser Soliman said the contest did not conform with the teachings of the Koran.

The Fashion Police - #3

2006-09-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Adding to our previous posts on the fashion police (here, here), TheMuslimWoman reports on additional incidents.

Ahmad should be SFP-ied

2006-09-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

From: "Ahmad Fawaz" safawaz@comcast.net
To: dschlussel@yahoo.com
Subject: how is the clergy
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 22:08:44 -0400

Debbie
Too bad you're so evil because you look like you could be a wild one in bed.
I would have loved to have you for my 4th wife

P.S 4 wives is better then little boys (how is the clergy)

Love
Ahmad Youssef Mohamed Chebli Fawaz

Read the complete story here, including detailed information Debbie got on Ahmad.

We don't all wear burqas

2006-09-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

Miss England Hammasa Kohistani Says, We Don't All Wear Burqas.
...she all of sudden forced by her impulse went for the Miss England Beauty Pageant and ended up winning the crown and thereby becoming the First Muslim women to have won the title.

The people here at SFP want to congratulate Hammasa for her well-deserved crown.

Victory vs. Viagra

2006-09-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

Victory over the west, especially a military one, is supposed to restore the much-talked-about "lost dignity" of the Muslim Ummah. SFP thinks that since Viagra is perfectly legal in the Muslim world (see fatwa mentioned below), the path to treating the national ED is wide-open, and may restore lost dignity with zero casualties.

Viagra (Sildenafil Citrate)

A fatwa given by Shaikh bin Baz on 26/06/98 in Riyadh when questioned as to whether the drug Viagra(Sildenafil Citrate) which is currently being used for treating erectile dysfunction was permissible to use.

The Shaikh said "Using the drug that helps sexual intrecourse is permitted and there is no legal Islamic prohibition provided it did not contain ingredients that may harm health or an intoxicant material" quoted from Okaz newspaper.

source: viagra

Technorati Tags: islam, viagra, sex

One is rewarded for fulfilling one’s desires in a lawful manner with one’s spouse

2006-09-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

The beauty of SFP is in its simplicity. Sex is a basic human need and desire. Sex could and should be a beautiful thing, and is viewed that way by most major religions.

Below is a real discussion, provided as a service to our lawful Muslim readers. This is brought almost verbatim, modulo omittions for the sake of brevity. Emphasis is mine.

Question: I look for ways on the internet to have better and pleasurable sex with my wife. This does not include naked pictures at all, these are general discussions. I look for different sex positions. Am i being a pervert when i do this. Am i allowed to do research on such stuff. Sometimes i feel that i am too obssessed with having sex with my wife. I mean only my wife. I dont think about anybody else. I want to please her both sexually and morally. We both are trying hard all the time to be better practising muslims. Our only source of entertainment is visiting people and sex. We dont have TV in our house, we dont watch movies, We do go out to eat and parks. Play with our children. But thats it.

Answer:

There is nothing wrong with sex. In fact, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) himself explained that one is rewarded for fulfilling one’s desires in a lawful manner with one’s spouse.

It is permitted to read ‘respectable’ discussions of sexual advice. The condition for the permissibility of reading such matters is that:

a) The content not be of a perverse or inappropriate nature;

b) One does not look at the unlawful;

c) One does not think about that which is haram (such as individuals other than one’s lawful spouse); and

d) It does not lead one to do the haram (such as masturbate, even if later).

Many medical sites have good material that does not contravene the first 2 conditions. The other two return to the individual.

While some material on SFP is humorous, it is not intended to offend or disrespect any of our readers. Some of our posts are actually serious, and we do really believe that some of the problems in the Muslim Ummah could be alleviated by liberating women, and treating sex as the natural beautiful thing it is.

source: http://www.themodernreligion.com/misc/sex/reading.html

Technorati Tags: islam, sex, advice

Women Literacy in the Middle East

2006-09-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

It is interesting to observe the Women literacy rates in the Middle East. Below is a small table summarizing the information I collected from the CIA's World Factbook.

The table is sorted in decreasing-gap order, where Iraq is leading with a gap of 31.5% between male and female literacy (the "gap" number itself does not mean all that much). It seems that there's strong correlation between being a modern nation and having a high literacy percentage for women.

Another concrete SFP offer

2006-09-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

While we are getting wide support for the SFP initiative, it is still very encouraging to get the concrete direct and full support of young women. In the spirit of SFP, another brave young woman, Limor Degani, is offering to settle the regional hostilities by love and sex. This is the letter she sent directly to the prime minister of Lebanon:

It roughly translates to:

Dear prime minister of Lebanon,
First, I'd like to send you my best wishes.
I am writing this letter to improve the relationship
between Israel and Lebanon, to discuss the recent developments
in the middle east, and raise the possibility of solving the regional
dispute in terms of love and sex.
Best Wishes,
Limor Degani

While Ms. Degani is far from my personal taste, I think that Sinyora should not be quick to dismiss her offer. At the very least, he should take her for a short spin.

image source: http://www.nrg.co.il/online/7/ART1/438/547.html, http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/473/661.html

Technorati Tags: sex, peace, lebanon

Saudi Arabian rules out national women crew

2006-08-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

Saudi women will not be part of Saudi Arabian Airlines' team of flight attendants, crew members, or ground support staff in the near future.

Non-Saudi women are to replace Saudis in these jobs, said a report in the Jeddah-based Asharq Al Awsat newspaper.

'We are studying the employment of women, but I do not think it would be as stewardesses or as employees working at airports,' said another report in the Arab News quoting Saudia director general Khaled Al Mulhim.

I wonder if this is just a scheme designed to replace the pious Saudi stewardesses with more liberal stewardesses

Is that a bomb in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

2006-08-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

If you had any doubts about the close connections between terror and (challenged) sexuality, here's another one for you... this story has it all: airport security, alleged bomb, honor, a concerned mother, and a sexually challenged chap.

A Chicago man told airport security he had a bomb in his luggage - because he didn't want his mom to know it was a penis pump.

Mardin Azad Amin, 29, was questioned after security at the city's O'Hare Airport discovered a suspicious-looking object in his bag.

Amin, who was set to fly to Turkey, told security the object was a bomb, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. In fact, he was trying to disguise the fact that the black object was a component for a penis pump.
Amin faces up to three years in prison if convicted...

Good move Amin! This was a great plan to divert any unwanted attention to your penis pump. Given your (now public) shortcomings, I'm sure you'll get extra-nice treatment in jail.

OK, to be honest, this is not really related to terror, but it was amusing enough to mention it anyway.

(source: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1967117.html)

The Fashion Police - The Sequel

2006-08-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Police in Iran's capital, Teheran, have stopped almost 64,000 women and warned them against breaching strict Muslim dress codes in the last month alone.

The authorities have chosen the height of summer for a new crackdown to ensure that women cover their heads with veils and their bodies with long, heavy overcoats whenever they can be seen in public.

August, in Teheran, covered in black?
Still wondering why they're so angry?

(source: Telegraph)

The Fashion Police

2006-08-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

Tehran's Imam Khomeini mosque hosted the country's first Islamic dress fair, in which ankle-length manteaus, or overcoats, and all-covering black chadors supplanted the sexually daring styles favored by European designers. The 10-day event is being organized by Iran's police force along with the commerce ministry and the state broadcasting corporation, IRIB, to promote the idea of women dressing stylishly in line with the values in the Qur'an.

The exhibition was a response to recent trends among many young Iranian women towards short, tight-fitting manteaus and headscarves pushed back to expose elaborate hair styles. Earlier this year Tehran city council ordered a police crackdown against women whose dress was deemed insufficiently Islamic.

Hamid Reza Moniri, the exhibition's executive secretary, said it had been organized to help stem a cultural invasion from the west. "We believe that dressing in recent years has been influenced and damaged by non-Iranian fashions," he said. "Some international designers and television news channels have invaded our culture and influenced the morality of our youth and our nation..."

Well guys, you cannot crush yearning for freedom. These girls are smart enough to satisfy your Draconian dress code, and still look relatively fashionable. You can put on a conservative fashion show, you can order a police crackdown, but at the end, you will not be able to continue depressing these free young spirits.

(image source: AdventureDivas)

Technorati Tags: iran, fashion, islam

OFEW: Join us to save the Lives of two women sentenced to stoning

2006-08-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

OFEW: Join us to save the Lives of two women sentenced to stoning

We are gravely concerned about the lives of two Iranian women Malak Ghorbani and Ashraf Kalhori sentenced to death by stoning by the Islamic Republic’s authorities. Asharf Kalhori, who is currently in Evin prison in Tehran, and Malak Ghorbani who is imprisoned in the city of Orumieh.

These women are awaiting the most brutal form of execution only because they chose to exercise their basic rights and freedom and have sexual relationships with the men whom they wanted. In the case of Ashraf she tried to divorce from her husband, but the court did not approve her plea for divorce.

We urgently call all freedom- lovers and defenders of women’s rights to join us to save the lives of Ashraf and Malak. Please write protest letters and urge the IRI’s authorities to immediately cancel the execution of Ashraf Kalhori, and Malak Ghorbani, a woman imminently sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery in the name of Islam. We are concerned that such an unacceptable and inhumane punishment is being applied to a women who herself is a victim of the justice system, as such a precedent would only confirm misunderstandings about Islam.

The Organisation for Emancipation of Women

www.rahai-zan.org

Please send your letters to:

Leader of the Islamic Republic: Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei,
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street, Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 251 7 774 2228 (mark "FAO the Office of His Excellency, Ayatollah al Udhma Khamenei")
Email: info@leader.ir
Head of the Judiciary: Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: (mark "Please forward to His Excellency Ayatollah Shahroudi") via the judiciary website: www.iranjudiciary.org/feedback_en.html
Salutation: Your Excellency

President: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 6 649 5880
Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir / via website: www.president.ir/email

Minister of the Interior: Hojjatoleslam Mustafa Purmohammadi
Ministry of the Interior, Dr Fatemi Avenue, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: ravabetomomi@moi.gov.ir (Email often problematic)
Fax: +98 21 8 896 203
+98 21 8 899 547
+98 21 6 650 203

A Sister Theory: The Babe Theory of Political Movements

2006-08-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

The Soft Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention has an older sister, so it seems.
We just bumped into this excellent post by WILLisms that explains the theory by P.J. O'Rourke, and demonstrates it with various examples.

The essence, as stated in P.J.'s book Parliament of Whores is:

"Best of all, there were hardly any beautiful women at the [Housing Now!] rally. I saw a journalist friend of mine in the Mall, and he and I pursued this line of inquiry as assiduously as our happy private lives allow. Practically every female at the march was a bowser. "We're not being sexist here," my friend insisted. "It's not that looks matter per se. It's just that beautiful women are always on the cutting edge of social trends. Remember how many beautiful women were in the anti-war movement twenty years ago? In the yoga classes fifteen years ago? At the discos ten years ago? On Wall Street five years ago? Where the beautiful women are is where the country is headed," said my friend. "And this," he looked around him, "isn't it."

And as Will summarizes it:

Look for the babes, and that's where the social action is, that's where the success will be.

What can I say... Hizbollah's days are numbered.

(image source: cmylebanon)

2006-08-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Of Honor and Killing

2006-08-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Most of us see it as obvious. There is no link between Honor and Killing. Killing, in the Western society, is considered shameful. Possibly, the greatest shame of all. Yet, there are societies where it is different. Surprizingly enough, some of those societies are Muslim.

I'll start with a disclaimer: This DOES NOT apply to all Muslim societies. I hope it does not apply to MOST of them. It bothers me that it applies to ANY of them.

Suppose you have a younger sister, and that sister is, well, "friendlier" with the opposite sex than you would like. One of these days, someone walk up to you and says "Hey, listen, not that I wanna cause a fight or anything, but that guy has been telling me your sister is quite good in bed! Surely, better than his sheep!". Everybody has a decent laugh, but you feel that sting Marsellus Wallace was talking about. That's PRIDE fucking with you.
This is where the plot diverges - In the 'normal' part of humanity, you go home, you ask your sister about the guy. If she denies - you go, and beat the shit out of the guy who mocked you. If she says it's true, you go and beat up the guy who's spreading nasty shit about your sis. If she says it's true and you're in the midwest, well, you take daddy and a shotgun and go to pay your soon-to-be-brother-in-law a visit. But that's where it ends. At least in the normal part of humanity.
In the 'less-than-normal' part, you go home, and go by the words of Eli Wallach - "If you want to shoot, shoot. Don't talk!". Because in these parts of humanity, your sister tainted your honor, and you must clean it all up. So you go home, take a knife, grab her by the hair and but her throat. Or better, wire the washing machine so that the next time she uses it - she gets electrocuted and dies. Way to go, sis. Death by washing machine. On another occasion, the woman was brainwashed (get it - washing machine, brainwashed. sorry. not funny) to perform suicide bombing in order to be forgiven.
The point is, no matter who tainted your honor - it's the woman who pays the ultimate price. You can use your dear daddy, or uncle while you're doing it, but it's the family's obligation to take care of it.

The roots of this man-loving custom are, according to some (surprise!), in the Muslim writings:

"A woman came to the prophet and asked for purification by seeking punishment. He told her to go away and seek God's forgiveness. She persisted four times and admitted she was pregnant. He told her to wait until she had given birth. Then he said that the Muslim community should wait until she had weaned her child. When the day arrived for the child to take solid food, Muhammad handed the child over to the community. And when he had given command over her and she was put in a hole up to her breast, he ordered the people to stone her. Khalid b. al-Walid came forward with a stone which he threw at her head, and when the blood spurted on her face he cursed her."

Some may ask "What if the poor girl was raped? Or what if the guy really wants to marry her, but is not Muslim? Or what if her lover is actually a women?". Well, you can guess the answer yourselves - death, death and death. The latter, homosexuality, is punished similarly when it is between men. Who said men and women are treated unequally under Islam? Needless to say, adultery is punished by death for the woman. After all, honor is not a think to be ridiculed.

I can hear you thinking "There must be some kind of punishment to these horrible people!". I wish there was. Sadly, however, in Jordan, for example, it's not punished. Gladly, there are more and more voices in the Islamic world denouncing this. Maybe there is hope, that the hyperactive pride sense of the people of the Middle East will settle down. Surely, it can't harm the political situation there.

Psychosexual Development

2006-08-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

We're no psychologists, but we started SFP because we believe that something is deeply broken in the way the Muslim Ummah is treating women and sex.
Phyllis Chesler, Ph.D., Nancy H. Kobrin, Ph.D. are psychologists (albeit Jewish ones) and they believe the same. In their (admittedly biased) article Psychological Roots Of Islamic Rage (found it by google), there are several interesting points being made.

In Dr. Chesler’s 1978 book, “About Men,” she posited that the paternal abandonment of, and cruelty toward, sons may be a crucial component in mother- and woman-hating. Dr. Nancy Kobrin, in her forthcoming book The Sheik’s New Clothes: The Naked Truth About Islamic Suicide Terrorism, suggests that the absolute degradation of Arab and Muslim women by a shame- and honor-society means that sons must perpetually rid themselves of the “contamination” that contact with women represents; and that sons must psychologically abandon their mothers even as they experience abandonment by their mothers. Many such sons are trained to mistrust, police, routinely batter, and sometimes even murder their female relatives.

Dr. Kobrin believes that such psychological dynamics may play a crucial role in contemporary Islamic terrorism.

While girl- and woman-battering and honor murders are increasingly normalized in Islamic culture, the enemy-outsider, who must also be scapegoated, has been increasingly eroticized. Israel-hatred and Jew-hatred have achieved a level of political-erotic obsession among jihadists that may even surpass that of the Nazi era.

Europe 2006: Honour Killing

2006-08-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

Italian police were searching yesterday for a man suspected of involvement in the killing of a Pakistani woman after her father and uncle were charged with slitting her throat because she dated an Italian man and refused to conform to an Islamic lifestyle.
Investigators believe the third suspect helped the father and uncle kill Hina Saleem, 21. The woman's body was found buried in the family's garden in Sarezzo on Saturday. Her father and uncle were taken into custody on Monday.
The Milan daily Corriere della Sera reported that the victim's father had applied for Italian citizenship two months ago. Applicants must convince authorities that they also embrace "fundamental" rights, including the right of a woman "to choose her own life", said the interior minister, Giuliano Amato.

Doesn't it make you hope real hard that there is a moral god, and thus these people are going straight to hell? May Allah have mercy on your soul Hina Saleem, may he pay back the ones who brutally murdered you.

Strangely enough, I always hear about women being killed in honour of the family. I don't recall any men being killed for the same reason. Ideas?

I think the issue of "honour killing" deserves a more elaborate discussion as it is not just this one single sporadic incident. We'll get back to this issue at some later point.

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,,1851875,00.html