What comes to your mind when you think of a Muslim woman? A mysterious, veiled victim of male oppression, awaiting Western liberation? A slogan-shouting terrorist? An uneducated foreigner with whom you have little or nothing in common? Unless your social circle includes Muslim friends and acquaintances, the chances are that your impressions of Muslim women have largely been formed by negative media stereotypes – images that usually have little to do with real life, and may have been designed to attract more viewers, sell more products, or gain support for someone’s political agenda.
Prof. Abdur Rahman I. Doi Professor and Director, Center for Islamic Legal Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaira, Nigeria.
In Islam there is absolutely no difference between men and women as far as their relationship to Allah is concerned, as both are promised the same reward for good conduct and the same punishment for evil conduct. The Qur’an says: And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women. (2:226)
Ms.Naheed Mustafa
“My body is my own business.”
MULTICULTURAL VOICES
A Canadian-born Muslim woman has taken to wearing the traditional hijab scarf. It tends to make people see her as either a terrorist or a symbol of oppressed womanhood, but she finds the experience liberating.
In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the merciful
Since God is the absolute and the sole master of men and the universe, He is the sovereign Lord, the Sustainer and Nourisher, the Merciful, Whose mercy enshrines all beings; and since He has given each man human dignity and honor, and breached in to him of His own spirit, it follows that, united in Him and through Him, and apart from their other human attributes, men are substantially the same and no tangible and actual distinction can be made among them, on account of their accidental differences such as nationality, color or race. Every human being is there by related to all others and all become one community of brotherhood in their honorable and pleasant servitude to the most compassionate Lord of the Universe. In such a heavenly atmosphere at Islamic confession of the oneness of God stands dominant and central, and necessarily entails the concept of the oneness of humanity and the brotherhood of mankind.
By: Prof.Dr. Ja’afar Sheikh edrees
I would like to start with a question: Why is faith made as the basis and primary pillar of religion?
It may come to the minds of some people, especially in this modern age when concrete and visible things are given remarkable consideration, that apparent good deeds like charity, good treatment of people and fighting for the sake of Allah should be given preference to faith. Hence, why Allah gave such a sublime position to an inner thing although we evaluate people by the activities they undertake in our sensible world not by the concepts they have in their hearts or consciences.
The prophet used to take every chance in order to stress the importance of some social attitudes and practices that are bound to strengthen relations within the Muslim community.
Dr. Jamal Badawi
All grace is due to Allah, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant, messenger and the seal of all the prophets and messengers in history. May Allah’s peace and blessing be upon them all?
I’d like first to express my thanks and appreciation to those who arranged this seminar, and I do hope that we leave it with a better understanding of each other and with more positive attitudes.
Source: Al-Quran Al-Kareem Committee
1. What is the Qur’an ?
The Qur’an is an Arabic word derived from the verb iqra’a which literally means put letters as well as words together or read and the Qur’an means the words which are read very frequently and the Qur’an used practically for the words of Allah whether the last message that is this Qur’an or the previous messages which revealed to previous messengers like Jesus Moses Ibrahim (P.B.U.T) etc…However, people commonly use the word Al-Qur’an to mean this Qur’an. This Qur’an is therefore defined as words of Allah which was revealed to Muhammad (PBUH), and the recitation of which constitutes an integral part of the daily prayers.
