Standing Alone in Mecca by Asra Q. Nomani

Re: # 39

sattar mian,

.......... i agree - it is simply wonderful that such books are being printed and discussed (even if they lack literary value) ......... it is time islam, its prophet, its god and its male followers were put in their proper place .......... nothing is sacred about religion - it should be treated just as you would treat any other cult or group of deviants ..........

Romair,

Such books getting published is not so bad. After all, look at the nonsense from the other side of aisle … heaps of useless books on fiqah and ijtehad, as well as text by Naqshbandi’s sheikh on how to stimulate a woman’s yoni (I’m not making this up!!!). It is a circus of sorts. And if someone is foolish enough to pay for it, surely someone will print, package, and deliver it.

And it can’t be all that bad if it can get Urstruly to ramble philosophically ….

Urstruly, once again you’ve dazzled us. Perhaps you can also explain hadith about return of Jesus. He better show up before ummah’s lesbians take to streets and start demanding equal rights. And if this lesbianism thing catches on, where will I find my second wife??? Or would muttah with one in hopes of turning her bi still be an option…? And if so, what if I fail? Do I still have to pay her meher before I kick her out?

#21 Dost-mittar
It makes you whatever you want to be. :-)

#22 Beej
``This is a well-done review – very well done indeed!``
Thanks

``Yet I also have the feeling that you got too involved into the subject and the author. Indeed, perhaps you did set your expectations too high when you started reading. As always, the (original) author’s intent behind writing the piece must be taken into account. If it’s plain commercialism – that’s one thing, but in this case there appears to be also an effort to enlighten a bit – even though there may be some subconscious selfishness of creating space for herself, as you appear to indicate. Many of the faulty details from the book perhaps could have been easily fixed by running it by a knowledgeable third party.``

Well, Beej, I was a reader of a book and paid money for it. I read most books with some expectations and I had heard so much about Ms. Nomani that I had thought it must be a good book. And yes, most of the little details could have been easily fixed.

``Why involve? Perhaps because people evolve – he at first, with the zeal of a new convert, may not have paused and pondered, as he perhaps did later on! Most people’s thinking represents a certain degree of contradiction – usually they can not see it themselves.``

The author`s father was not a new convert. He is a Muslim, originally from Hyderabad. And yes, I agree that most people evolve. Perhaps the author did not make this evolution very clear.

``Government policies are often more reflections of geopolitical realities than based on aspirations of domestic populations.``
I can buy that. But, if an author praises (or over-praises) the wonderful humanitarian record of a particular nation, then I, as a reader and reviewer, do have the right to point out the rest of the picture for that country.

``What would be your suggestion to the original author regarding how to address that contradiction?``

Beej, if I could figure that out I guess I would write a book and have other hacks (such as myself) drive others crazy by reviewing it.

``Some people have expressed similar opinion of this web site.``

Have they? I`m sure they must have.


#28 Nadia_Zehra
``Hazrat Hajra wife of Hazrat Ibrahim was not a concubine but legally bonded with him.``

Was she married to him? What was this legal bond, then? Perhaps there is another word I can use if concubine is offensive, but it would be basically, a woman in some kind of relationship with a man, living with him, bearing his child but without the benefit of marriage.

``Similarly Hazrat Khadija was from banu Hashim with Islam practising ancestors. She can also be not termed pre-Islamic example. ``

So. then the world and the people in it was always Islamic? I am sure that is open to interpretation but I think I side on the side of those who consider that Islam (with pre-Islamic roots and pre-Islamic prophets) was born with the revelation of the Quran. Certainly Hajar and Khadija became the women they were much before the surahs about women in Islam were revealed.

``Had it been unislamic then Muhammed should have renewed his wedding according to shariah upon his revelations at the age of 40 where theformal Nikkah at first hand was read by Abu Talib who is also believed in history as died as Kafir. How come Muhammed remained his Nikkah read by a Kafir and keep it forever. Shouldn`t it be considered `Batil`.
Muhammed however upon revelations of `Wahi` gained strength by Khadija`s advice.``

I have no idea why the prophet did or did not do something. Not my place to answer.

#35 Hamidm
I admit the thought of the mullahs running around is a most attractive prospect...for that Ms. Nomani does indeed deserve kudos.

More later.

Re: # 34

...okay, so it is not the same as the ``tand da gawa dadoo``............. tand - pool/puddle of water ...........

........... urstruly, if i believed in prayers being answered i` d pray for a woman like this to descend on your masjid so that you can pull out your remaining hair ........... what the heck, i will go ahead and pray anyway - it can`t hurt anything !

#30 by Romair on September 14, 2005 11:17am PT


Though, even Rushdie wouldn’t be half as well known, had it not been for the controversies he created around Islam.


Rushdie didn`t create a controversy around Islam...the people who put a fatwa on his head and the people who were screaming for his blood did...

go asra , go !

http://www.asranomani.com/freedom/archives/2005/02/the_morgantown.php

......... can you imagine all those bearded mullahs in morgantown running around in their nightgowns trying to figure out what to do with this woman ! ............ just love it ! ........ i call it divine retribution .........

dullahbhatti

The word Tattoo used in the proverb means an ass or a donkey and not a ``Daddu`` as in punjabi meaning a `frog`.

The proverb is spoken when a simpleton (Khawaja in this case) has only one witness to prove his innocence or case, and that person is nothing more than a dolt, a bonehead, a twit, a numbskull or simply an ass himself.

Re: # 31

the bigger question is what was the khwaja doing in the water ?

romair #30:

with caveats...certain types of book being published have very little to do with talent or content...

..otoh there is always a demand for a one-legged, black, female, immigrant, single, lesbian author writing on the latest whipping boys...it is variously called nurturing talent, affirmative in-action, encouraging minorities, and eating the cake while.........

#14 by Urstruly on September 14, 2005 5:20am PT

There is an Urdu proverb to describe the writer of the book and the reviewer:

Khawaja ka guwaah, tattoo.

---

baadshao tuhade wale paasay TaTToo paani ch rehnday ne?:)

Would it be correct to assume that it is far easier to get a book published, if one writes it as an unorthodox (gay, out of wedlock child etc.) Muslim female, writing about Islam, for a Western audience, with some comments that can create some controversy around blasphemy. Would the sales go up if a fatwa was passed against the author?

I have read books like that by some authors; though I haven’t read this one. And I would have to say, out of all such authors, the only ones who could get published even if they didn’t write in the above manner are Rushdie and Naipaul. Though, even Rushdie wouldn’t be half as well known, had it not been for the controversies he created around Islam. He would just be another accomplished writer, like Mistry etc. Interestingly, both Rushdie and Naipaul are males.

There seems to be a large demand for such books, by Muslim female authors, from publishers. Any Pakistani female author who is trying to get published, and cannot, due to limited writing skills, may want to entertain the above-described avenue………..

Is the author getting attention because she is just an excellent writer who has written something new and well-researched item on Islam, or is she getting attention because she is a female Muslim writer, with an out of wedlock son? If it is the former, then the book is worth reading. If it is the later, then I am afraid, one has to say, “Another one bites the dust!”

That son, unfortunately, is going to get far more publicity than he should, for no fault of his own. I am not sure if that is good for him……….

Having seen Ms. Nomani on CSPAN, all I have to say is thank God she is an Indian and we Pakistanis don`t have to ``own`` her!

The book is just the tripe, for once!, that the Islamofascists and Islamo-apologists say it is. Waste of paper.

``The author gains strength from the Muslim mothers who came before her. They are her spiritual guides. However, she misses a crucial point. Two of the women and their accomplishments to which she constantly refers, were from Pre-Islamic times.

Hajar, Abraham’s concubine, abandoned in the desert with her infant son, lived centuries before the advent of Islam.Khadija, the wife of the prophet was an independent businesswoman much before she asked him to marry her. Before she converted to Islam. ``

Jawahra:

Hazrat Hajra wife of Hazrat Ibrahim was not a concubine but legally bonded with him. And how come that time was Pre-Islamic. Islam was accomplished in its teachings and was completed by Prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H) which had been started since Adam times.
She was left by Ibrahim on commands of God. Where in hills of Safa and marwa she desperately searched for water for infant Ismail which gushed in the form of spring `zamzam` originated beneath Ismail`s feet with his rubbing on sand. This seven times running between the hills is a ritual of pilgrimage after Hazrat Hajra.
Isn`t the author of the book unaware of some of the solid facts or the reviewing author has added this?
Similarly Hazrat Khadija was from banu Hashim with Islam practising ancestors. She can also be not termed pre-Islamic example.
Had it been unislamic then Muhammed should have renewed his wedding according to shariah upon his revelations at the age of 40 where theformal Nikkah at first hand was read by Abu Talib who is also believed in history as died as Kafir. How come Muhammed remained his Nikkah read by a Kafir and keep it forever. Shouldn`t it be considered `Batil`.
Muhammed however upon revelations of `Wahi` gained strength by Khadija`s advice.

don`t buy this book ! ............

........i don`t think i will read the book .......... i` ll wait for ``polyandry for muslim lesbians`` - written by an apostate lesbian with three kids from three different men who declares herself to be the daughter of al-lah ............or, ``take your islam and shove it!`` - co-authored by salman rushdie, ibn-warraq, tasleema nasreen, irshad manji and salim chauhan - it has four thousand pages with an introduction by pat robertson and an epilogue by general boykin titled, ``mine is bigger`` ............

................... also coming soon: `` the art and science of beating and stoning women`` by urstruly, with an introduction by phyllis schafly titled, `` the christian perspective - spare the rod and spoil the wench`` ...........

Urstruly,

I think you have been separated from five brothers of yours a la Manmohan Desai, the Quintet are Kiekergaard, Dostoevisky, Tolstoy, Iqbal and Gandhi. Alas you cant be reunited in this world.

Re: # 17 Marker

``The other thing is that any sin can be forgiven, even zina. The only thing that may not be forgiven is shirk. So to label someone as a religious criminal (sinner) is wrong, as long as they are still alive and have a chance to repent and reform. ``


As far as forgiveness of Zina is concerned, your assertion is true if the matter is between Allah and the sinner. However, in worldly matters Islamic jurisprudence has set standards and laws. According to this law, an out of wedlock child cannot be presented as a proof of zina and hence a hadd punishment cannot be imposed unless the woman confesses to the authorities on her own accord and without duress. In that case, Holy Prophet (pbuh) has imposed a hadd of stonning to death.

But in case, when woman has an out of wedlock child and she choses not to declare the parentage or the circumstances of the birth of child, the woman must be left alone. But in case of Asra, she not only admits to have committed zina but also tries to justifies her sin by twisting the open tennets of Islam and its law. But since we live in a society where hadd cannot be imposed therefore her status is that of a ``Fasiqah`` (tr; a personwho committs a major sin and does not repent or even goes as far as showing pride in it); in such cases Muslims should avoid her and boycott her socially. We must also pray to Allah that He saves us from her vile influence on us and on our children.