Need more info

Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Need more info
Media has been hyping the marriage of a person called Arun Nayyar with a lady called Liz, during the last few days. Every newspaper, every TV channel has been saying something or the other about this marriage almost every day.
Will anyone please list the contribution of these two people in fields such as science, technology, education, jurisprudence, arts, social work etc. to our country so that we can appreciate the importance and duration of news coverage given to their marriage by the media in perspective?
11:20:41 AM
Posted By Listen to Me Comments (1) Musings
Comments
K.Venugopal Wednesday, March 7, 2007 8:39:39 PM
Let the media follow news stories it wishes to follow. Why should we grudge the media's freedom? We need to protest only if it is distorting news or spreading falsehood. In any case, the choice to read/view or not is ours.

The abode of god

Wednesday, March 7, 2007
the abode of god
Children, have you heard this story? God decided to create the world. His purpose was to give Himself a place to live. So as soon as He had created this beautiful earth full of trees and plants, animals and birds, mountains and valleys, God began to dwell here. Everything was perfect and God was leading a blissful life. Years rolled by until one day God made a mistake. He created human beings. From that day on, there was trouble. Night and day, the human beings complained to God. No matter what God was doing, whether He was eating or sleeping, they would come knocking on His door.
"The never-ending complaints drove Him crazy. God soon lost His peace of mind. No sooner was one problem solved than another one arose. The first man's solution became the second man's problem. One person wanted rain. But when God granted rain, another person would complain, 'God, how can you do this to me? My whole house is leaking. My crops are ruined.' Everything became a problem. No matter what God did, people complained.
"Eventually God asked His advisors to suggest a way out. One suggestion was that God should go to the Himalayas. But God said, 'No, no. People would soon come there.' 'What about the moon?' asked another of God's advisors. 'Soon man would also make his way there,' God replied. 'You, my good friends, cannot see the future,' continued God. 'But I can. No matter where I go, man will come to know about it. He will follow me and I will again be in trouble.'
"This statement was meant with silence. After some time an aged advisor stepped forward and whispered in God's ear. God's face brightened. 'Wonderful!' he exclaimed. The old man had suggested the perfect hiding place for God. 'Go and hide deep within man,' the wise man had advised. 'Yes. It is perfect,' was God's reply. 'Man would never think to look for Me inside himself. There is no chance that he will find Me there.'"
"Children,God is deep within us. He dwells there as innocence, as pure and innocent love. But the mind and its egoistic feelings veil this innocence. But it is always there. It has only been forgotten. You have to go deep within. You have to rediscover and remember."
source: mata amritanandmayi's spiritual stories
5:43:22 PM
Posted By vikas kumar Comments (1) Society
Comments
K.Venugopal Wednesday, March 7, 2007 6:29:52 PM
This is a good story and points to a higher truth

Long live bloggers

Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Long live bloggers
Everyone of us is a singer though only bathroom singers. Everyone of us is a dancer though too shy to take steps.Everyone of us is a politician to some extent though not contesting elections.Everyone of us is a philosopher when sad events happen.Everyone is a joker when occasion demands it.Everyone is a murderer. Do not we murdering in cold blood mosquitoes?Everyone is a nurse.Do not we nurse grievances?Everyone is a writer. Thats why bloggers are flourishing
9:38:16 AM
Posted By vivek aahuja Comments (1) Personals
Comments
K.Venugopal Wednesday, March 7, 2007 9:42:12 AM
Well put, Vivek.

A look into the Hindu scriptures and a conclusion to the subject

Tuesday, March 6, 2007
A look into the Hindu Scriptures, and a conclusion to the subject
Everything is God
The Hindu scriptures teach that there are many gods, incarnations of gods, persons of God and that everything is God, Brahman. In spite of the belief that the self (atman) of all living beings is actually Brahman, an oppressive caste system evolved in which the Brahmans, the priestly caste, possess spiritual supremacy by birth. They are the teachers of the Vedas and represent the ideal of ritual purity and social prestige. On the other hand, the Sudra caste are excluded from religious status and their sole duty in life is “to serve meekly” the other three castes and their thousands of subcastes.
According to Hindu monist philosophers, humankind’s purpose is the realization of their divinity and -following a path (marga) to emancipation (moksha) from the wheel of rebirth - the reabsorbtion of the human soul (atman) into the ultimate reality, Brahman. For those following the bhakti path, the purpose is to love God because God created humankind to “enjoy a relationship - as a father enjoys his children” (Srimad Bhagwatam). For the ordinary Hindu, the main aim of worldly life lies in conforming to social and ritual duties, to the traditional rules of conduct for one’s caste - the karma path.
Although most of the religion of the Vedic texts, which revolves around rituals of fire sacrifice, has been eclipsed by Hindu doctrines and practices found in other texts, the absolute authority and sacredness of the Veda remains a central tenet of virtually all Hindu sects and traditions. The Veda is composed of four collections, the oldest of which is the Rigveda (“Wisdom of the Verses”). In these texts, God is described in the most confusing terms. The religion reflected in the Rigveda is a polytheism mainly concerned with appeasing deities associated with the sky and the atmosphere, the most important of which were Indra (god of the heavens and rain), Baruna (guardian of the cosmic order), Agni (the sacrificial fire), and Surya (the Sun). In later Vedic texts, interest in the early Rigvedic gods declines, and polytheism begins to be replaced by a sacrificial pantheism to Prajapati (“Lord of Creatures”), who is the All. In the Upanishads (secret teachings concerning cosmic equations), Prajapati merges with the concept of Brahman, the supreme reality and substance of the universe, replacing any specific personification, thus transforming the mythology into abstract philosophy. If the contents of these scriptures were all that human beings had to choose from for guidance, one would have to conclude that God hid both Himself and the purpose of creation from humankind.
God is not the author of confusion, nor does He wish difficulty for mankind. Consequently, when He revealed His final communication to humankind one thousand four hundred years ago, He ensured that it was perfectly preserved for all of the generations of human beings to come. In that final scripture, the Quran (Koran), God revealed His purpose for creating mankind and, through His last prophet, He clarified all of the details which man could comprehend. It is on the basis of this revelation and the prophetic explanations that we [must] analyze the precise answers to the question “Why did God create man?”...
8:40:06 PM
Posted By Mohammed Irshad Hussain Comments (1) Society
Comments
K.Venugopal Tuesday, March 6, 2007 10:29:48 PM
Quran is very clear on why Allah created man - He needed slaves for some untold reason. Fortunately, Hindu scriptures are still extant and we know that our destiny is not to be slaves of Allah but to discover our divinity.

Infidel Wednesday, March 7, 2007 12:58:45 AM
Dear Venu,I would say this:Quran is very clear on why MO revealed quran - he needed slaves to fulfill his wishes (lust, power, wealth, sex with virgin child & daughter-in-law etc).Irshad said it right:"God is not the author of confusion". SInce quran is full of errors, absurdities, falacies and confusion, it cannot be from god but from pedo MO.Thanks Irshad for proving this.He was very successful in his fear mongering cult which has more than a billion slaves to his evil ideology. This is the only miracle of islam that it turns a human being into brain-dead zombie.
Irshad4u Wednesday, March 7, 2007 11:45:31 AM
Those who want comfort in life have to seek conformity. The result if false compromise and hypocrisy. So dear come to Islam May Allaha guide you to right path
Infidel Wednesday, March 7, 2007 7:05:19 PM
Irshad, if you can prove the followings, I will come to the right path:1) Quran is word of true god2) Mo was the last prophet of true god,3) Islam is the only true religionGive it a try this time, as you could never answer a single question asked to you and your brothers.Good luck in seeking the truth (not islamic crap). May god (not allah) show you the right path.
Radhakrishnan.C Wednesday, March 7, 2007 8:48:53 PM
No.Chance infidel.Atleast our man has done his homework before coming blogging.Whats Comfort in life Irshad.Again varies from person to person and place to place.And the resultant compromise.Look deeper and seek the inner truth.Dont go surfing on the surface,without realising the undercurrents.
muneerudeen Thursday, March 8, 2007 1:27:47 AM
Dear Friends & one arch enemy Infi! While I have to thank ALL of you for driving me to learn more about my own faith and Alhamdulillah I am learning and will be back one day ! I was not as prepared as Irshad and thanks to Venu & others I am preparing myself for that day Insha Allah. I understand every people have their own style of attacking or complimenting other religions BUT Asthagfirallah INFIDEL's VENOM is the worst of the Jahils. Insha Allah he remains cursed for Prophet Mohamed & now Insulting ALLAH SWT. Time will tell. ...and SOON. Thanks to ALL bloggers for having put up with me AND I WILL BE BACK AFTER 6 months !
muneerudeen Thursday, March 8, 2007 1:33:29 AM
Irshad!Please for ALLAh's sake DO NOT FALL INTO INFI's TRAP.I would advice the same to Ajmal and let him concentrate on his studies.I have chosen a path to study more and learn arabic at 50+ just because of this same INFI's TRAP ! Alhamdulillah MY EIMAN is stronger and will grow Insha ALLAH and I will be back-better educated in my own religion THANKS to these INFIDELS ! ALhamdulillah & Allahu Akbar !
Infidel Thursday, March 8, 2007 3:20:28 AM
At last you commented muneer.Thanks for the compliments. Atleast I could inspire you to know your cult better and to learn arabic also. You should be thankful to we infidels.YOur curse didn't work till date and will never work. you know why, because islam is fake, MO is false prophet and quran is a crap book.Curse hard and learn islam harder. And don't forget to find the answers to all my questions while learning your evil cult. Just to remind you, please come up with some good logical answers. Take 1 year instead of 6 months, I won't mind.While you learn ABC of Islam, also ask yourself that whether you get aroused by a 6 years old girl and will you give your granddaughter of 9 years to a grandpa of your age. If yes, then only you will be a perfect follower of your pedo MO.LOLI hope you will see the errors in quran this time, when questiones asked by me will be always dancing in your mind while you learn islam.Best of luck for seeking the truth. May god (not allah) show you the right path.PS:None of the zombies could answer any of my questions yet. They are all like you muneer, they only know abusing and name calling. May god be with them as well.
Infidel Thursday, March 8, 2007 3:30:07 AM
Dear Muneer,I am sure that if you learn islam seriously, you will leave it as soon as you understand the TRAP in it.It's not my trap, it's islam's trap which has restricted you to think logically and answer rationally. Preconcieved notions like quran is god' word had snatched thinking power from you people. While learning islam, analyze rationally by yourself about what is written in quran and sunnah and don't go by mullah's words, otherwise you will end up at square one.One suggestion, read quran by keeping in mind that it was told by pedo MO and not by god. YOu will see the truth in any two surah of your choice. Good luck.
AajKiAwaj Thursday, March 8, 2007 8:33:04 PM
WOH 'RD' KA BENGALEE GANA, WOH "MKB" KA SAB KO SUNANA; WOH 'INFIDEL'KI ANTI-ISLAM DRIVE,WOH 'MUNEERUDEEN' KI RO-RO DUHAYI;WOH 'VENU'KA'IRSHAAD'KO UPDESH,WOH 'GARY KRISTEN'KI BAJRANGI CRAZE,WOH SAB KUCHHNA NA BHAATA CHANDRASHANT KO,BADMASH KARTA SHARARAT HAR RAAT KO;WOH 'ANIL-SAGE' KA 'AFZAL-ALAAP', WOH RAJNEESH-YAVESH KE BHAHANON KA SAAG; KAHAN HAI WOH TAKRAR KI RAATEIN, KAHAN HAI WOH KHATTI-MITHI BAATEIN;LE LE YEH SAB KUCHH,LOTA DE WOH YOVAN,'RINNI','KALPENA' 'DIVYA' KA HOGA NA SHOSHAN; SHAYAD WOH SAB KUCHH MIL JAYEGA FIR,MAGAR PHIR BHI TUMHARA KOI HOGA NA SAANI;ANDHERE KAMRE KO ROSHAN TUM KARTE RAHO, YEHI HAI SAMOSHA, YEHI HAI WOH PAANI.
Niel ArmstongOf_LA Thursday, March 8, 2007 8:48:27 PM
Can ISLAM only critcise others? Did ur Mohammed had no good words for those who did not believe in him? It proves you, your religion n ur prophet r only HATE MONGRERS and INTOLERANT of others. U n UR religion can not be of peace. YOU n UR religion SUFFERS FROM " WE SYNDROMME". Heal urself before advising others. Ur MOHAMMED'S self boasts are sickening, as also ur illogical reasoning n tallclaims.
K.Venugopal Sunday, March 11, 2007 10:03:23 PM
Wah, Wah - AajKiAwaj!

Consciousness

Tuesday, March 6, 2007
conciousness
conciousness creates material or material creates conciousness? can they be separated?
8:18:31 PM
Posted By utpal mitra Comments (1) Uncategorized
Comments
K.Venugopal Tuesday, March 6, 2007 8:11:35 PM
Consciousness, displaying itself variously, is recognised variously by consciousness at various levels.

Appeal for support

Monday, March 5, 2007
Appeal for Support - www.loksattaparty.org
I got this mail yesterday from Mr. Jayaprakash Narayan, National Coordinator, LOK SATTA Party and thought of sharing this with you all. He has not asked me to forward the message and I am not asking you to join the party or contribute.. its just I am sharing this info...
this is FYI only.
Appeal for Support
Dear Friend,
We are pleased to inform you that Lok Satta Party (LSP), launched on October 2, 2006, has been officially registered by the Election Commission. Our party?s goals are national and transcend religion, caste, region, and language. We are focusing on Andhra Pradesh (AP) for the time being because we believe that the viability of a new political culture must first be established in one major state. Nearly 200,000 reform minded citizens have already become party members; chapters have been established in every district and most towns of AP. (The latest developments, reports, and media coverage on the party?s activities can be accessed at www.loksattaparty.org. Information is availably primarily in English and Telugu, and sometimes in Hindi and Urdu.)It is a well-known fact that mainstream political parties in India depend on illegal money and muscle power. They disclose only a paltry sum of a few crores, while concealing fundraising to the tune of hundreds of crores. One of the main objectives of LSP is to change this political culture and make politics the noble endeavour it ought to be. Lok Satta will be the first mainstream Indian political party to raise and deploy funds in a fully transparent manner, as per the letter and spirit of the law. All expenditure by LSP and its electoral candidates will be strictly within legal limits and used only for legitimate campaigning purposes. Lok Satta?s success depends upon a broad coalition of Indian citizens who are committed to ushering in a new age of politics in our country. To bring this change to fruition Lok Satta Party needs your intellectual, moral, and more importantly financial support. We encourage you to commit your time and resources; your monetary contributions are crucial for our activities. All contributions to the party are fully exempt from income tax under the Indian law. There is no legal limit on individual contributions and Indian citizens, wherever they live, can contribute to LSP by:? Sending a cheque/Demand Draft in favour of Lok Satta Party and addressed to our mailing address provided below.? Transferring funds from anywhere in the world through secure wire/online/credit card transfers to LSP?s bank account in Hyderabad, India. You can also use this facility to easily set up recurring contributions from your bank account to LSP?s account.Please see attached note for an explanation of various contribution options and for legal and regulatory reminders. All contributions to LSP will be duly acknowledged with a formal receipt and tax exemption documents. The party will fully comply with the legal disclosure requirements. Contributors who wish to have their name and/or contribution amount publicly disclosed via our online and print reports can inform us of this choice. The financial accounts of LSP will be audited and available for public scrutiny on a permanent basis.All active members of LSP will contribute a fixed percentage of their annual income to support party activities. Lok Satta Party is determined to make tangible differences in our society and politics. With your help we can create a credible, democratic, and effective platform. Join us in our struggle for good governance and clean politics. Please do circulate this letter to your friends who wish to support the cause of a better democracy.With warm regards,Jayaprakash NarayanNational CoordinatorLOK SATTA Party(Please see next two pages for directions for Indian citizens residing in India and Indian citizens residing abroad)Lok Satta Party, H.No. 5-10-180/A&A1, Bandline, Adarsh Nagar, Hyderabad- 500 063Tel: (+91) ?040 - 2323 - 2829 / 2711 / 1818 / 3637/ 2329 9227;Email: info@loksattaparty.com; Url: www.loksattaparty.org
Contribute to Lok Satta Party today!
(Contributions from Indian income are fully exempt from income tax)
Indian citizens residing outside India can contribute in any of the following ways:Direct & Secure Online Bank Deposit / Wire Transfer / Credit Card TransferAccount Number : 020205001973 Account in the name of : Lok Satta PartyType of Account : Current Account Bank : ICICI Bank Branch : Punjagutta, Hyderabad ? 500 082Address : Lok Satta Party, 5-10-180/A & A1, Bandline, Adarsh Nagar, Hyderabad ? 500 063. AP, IndiaTel : (+91) ?040 - 2323 - 2829 / 2711 / 1818 / 3637; 2329 9227; Fax : (+91) 040? 2323 ? 0111 E- mail : info@loksattaparty.com URL: www.loksattaparty.com or www.loksattaparty.orgNote: 1. After transferring funds to LSP?s Indian bank account, please send/email us your name and complete contact address with transaction code details of your contribution. This will enable us to send you the receipt/acknowledgment.2. Non-resident Indians should declare that their contribution is made from their own resources, and is not raised from foreign sources. Please visit www.loksattaparty.org/contribute for sample declaration form that you can simply fill out and email/post to us. 3. Non-resident Indians can claim tax exemption only on their Indian income.
Overseas Check / Demand Draft / Money order In Favour of : Lok Satta Party Payable at : Hyderabad, AP, IndiaAddress : Lok Satta Party, 5-10-180/A & A1, Bandline, Adarsh Nagar, Hyderabad ? 500 063. AP, IndiaTel : (+91) ?040 - 2323 - 2829 / 2711 / 1818 / 3637; 2329 9227; Fax : (+91) 040? 2323 ? 0111 E- mail : info@loksattaparty.com URL: www.loksattaparty.com or www.loksattaparty.orgNote: 1. Please provide your name and complete contact address with phone and email ID to enable us to send you the receipt/acknowledgment.2. Non-resident Indians should declare that their contribution is made from their own resources, and is not raised from foreign sources. Please visit www.loksattaparty.org/contribute for sample declaration form that you can simply fill out and email/post to us.Non-resident Indians can claim tax exemption only on their Indian income.
Important Legal and Regulatory Reminders 1. As per Sections 80GGB and 80GGC of the Indian Income-Tax Act (1961), the entire sum contributed by an Indian company or individual to any political party is eligible for deduction while computing the income tax.2. As per Section 293A of the Companies Act (1956), a private Indian company/association/firm/corporation can contribute to a political party or for political purpose an amount not exceeding 5% of its net profit averaged over the immediate three preceding financial years. The entire such contribution is tax exempt.3. As per 29C of The Representation of People Act (1951), all contributions (individual or corporate) made in excess of twenty thousand rupees have to be reported to the Election Commission.Please read the relevant provisions carefully for complete details; they are uploaded at our website www.loksattaparty.org for your convenience.
Contribute to Lok Satta Party today!(All contributions are fully exempt from income tax in India)
Those residing in India can contribute in any of the following manner:Cheque / Demand Draft / Money orderIn Favour of : Lok Satta Party Payable at : Hyderabad Address : Lok Satta Party, 5-10-180/A & A1, Bandline, Adarsh Nagar, Hyderabad ? 500 063. AP, IndiaTel : 040 - 2323 - 2829 / 2711 / 1818 / 3637; 2329 9227; Fax : 040? 2323 ? 0111 E- mail : info@loksattaparty.com URL: www.loksattaparty.com or www.loksattaparty.orgNote: Please provide your name and complete contact address along with phone and email ID to enable us to send you the receipt/acknowledgment.Direct & Safe Bank Deposit / Secure Wire TransferYou can directly deposit/transfer the desired amount from your bank account to Lok Satta Party?s bank account in a secure and easy manner:Account Number : 020205001973 Account in the name of : Lok Satta PartyType of Account : Current Account Bank : ICICI Bank Branch : Punjagutta, Hyderabad ? 500 082Note: 1. You can easily set up either a one-time deposit or recurring (monthly, for instance) deposits from your bank account to LSP?s current account. Contact your bank representative today. 2. This service is normally free of charge for all ICICI bank customers. Please visit www.icicibank.com to make your contribution today. 3. After transferring funds to LSP account, please send/email us your name and complete contact address with transaction code details of your contribution. This will enable us to confirm your contribution and send you the receipt/acknowledgment.Address : Lok Satta Party, 5-10-180/A & A1, Bandline, Adarsh Nagar, Hyderabad ? 500 063. AP, IndiaTel : 040 - 2323 - 2829 / 2711 / 1818 / 3637; 2329 9227; Fax : 040? 2323 ? 0111 E- mail : info@loksattaparty.com URL: www.loksattaparty.com or www.loksattaparty.org
Important Legal and Regulatory Reminders:1. As per Sections 80GGB and 80GGC of the Income-Tax Act (1961), the entire sum contributed by an Indian company or individual to any political party is eligible for deduction while computing the income tax.2. As per Section 293A of the Companies Act (1956), a private Indian company/association/firm/corporation can contribute to a political party or for political purpose an amount not exceeding 5% of its net profit averaged over the immediate three preceding financial years. The entire such contribution is exempt from income tax.3. As per 29C of The Representation of People Act (1951), all contributions (individual or corporate) made in excess of twenty thousand rupees have to be reported to the Election Commission.Please read the relevant provisions carefully for complete details; they are uploaded at our website www.loksattaparty.org for your convenience
6:46:37 PM
Posted By Pulak Barua Comments (1) Politics
Comments
K.Venugopal Monday, March 5, 2007 11:49:19 PM
Why does Mr. Jayaprakash Narayan say, "To bring this change to fruition Lok Satta Party needs your intellectual, moral, and MORE IMPORTANTLY FINANCIAL support? Someone who ranks financial support higher than intellectual and moral support is a wee bit too pragmatic for me.

Experiences of a recently converted Hindu woman

Monday, March 5, 2007
Experiences of a Recently Converted Hindu Woman
I came from a purely Hindu family where we were always taught to regard ourselves (i.e. women) as beings who were eventually to be married off and have children and serve the husband, whether he was kind or not. Other than this, I found that there were a lot of things, which really oppressed women, such as: If a woman was widowed, she would always have to wear a white sari costume, eat vegetarian meals, cut her hair short, and never re-marry. The bride always had to pay the dowry (bridal money) to the husband’s family. And the husband could ask for anything, irrespective of whether the bride would have difficulty giving it.
Not only that, if after marriage she was not able to pay the full dowry she would be both emotionally and physically tortured, and could end up being a victim of “kitchen death” where the husband, or both the mother-in-law and the husband try to set fire to the wife while she is cooking or is in the kitchen, and try to make it look like an accidental death. More and more of these instances are taking place. The daughter of a friend of my own fathers had the same fate last year! In addition to all this, men in Hinduism are treated literally as among the gods. In one of the religious Hindu celebration, unmarried girls pray for and worship an idol representing a particular god (Shiva) so that they may have husbands like him. Even my own mother had asked me to do this. This made me see that the Hindu religion which is based on superstitions and things that have no manifest proof, but were merely traditions which oppressed women could not be right.Subsequently, when I came to England to study, I thought that at least this is a country, which gives equal rights to men and women, and does not oppress them.We all have the freedom to do, as we like, I thought. Well, as I started to meet people and make new friends, learn about this new society, and go to all the places my friends went to in order to “socialize” (bars, dance halls, ...etc.), I realized that this “equality” was not so true in practice as it was in theory. Outwardly, women were seen to be given equal rights in education, work, and so forth, but in reality women were still oppressed in a different, subtler way. When I went with my friends to those places they hung out at, I found everybody interested to talk to me and I thought that was normal. But it was only later that I realized how naive I was, and recognized what these people were really looking for. I soon began to feel uncomfortable, as if I was not myself: I had to dress in a certain way so that people would like me, and had to talk in a certain way to please them. I soon found that I was feeling more and more uncomfortable, less and less myself, yet I could not get out. Everybody was saying they were enjoying themselves, but I don’t call this enjoying. I think women in this way of life are oppressed; they have to dress in a certain way in order to please and appear more appealing, and also talk in a certain way so people like them. During this time I had not thought about Islam, even though I had some Muslim acquaintances. But I felt I really had to do something, to find something that I would be happy and secure with, and would feel respected with. Something to believe in that is the right belief, because everybody has a belief that they live according to. If having fun by getting off with other people is someone’s belief, they do this. If making money is someone’s belief, they do everything to achieve this. If they believe drinking is one way to enjoy life then they do it. But I feel all this leads to nowhere; no one is truly satisfied, and the respect women are looking for is diminishing in this way. In these days of so called ‘society of equal rights,” you are expected to have a boyfriend (or you’re weird!) and to not be a virgin. So this is a form of oppression even though some women do not realize it. When I came to Islam, it was obvious that I had finally found permanent security. A religion, a belief that was so complete and clear in every aspect of life. How I find that Islam does not Oppress Women: Many people have a misconception that Islam is an oppressive religion, where women are covered from head to toe, and are not allowed any freedom or rights. In fact, women in Islam are given more rights, and have been for the past 1400 years, compared to the only recently rights given to non-Muslim women in some western and some other societies. But there are, even now, societies where women are still oppressed, as I mentioned earlier in relation to Hindu women that Muslim women have the right to inheritance. They have the right to run their own trade and business. They have the full right to ownership, property, disposal over their wealth to which the husband has no right. They have the right to education, a right to refuse marriage as long as this refusal is according to reasonable and justifiable grounds.The Quran itself, which is the word of Allah, contains many verses commanding men to be kind to their wives and stressing the rights of women. Islam gives the right set of rules, because they are NOT made by men, but made by Allah; hence it is a perfect religion. Quite often Muslim women are asked why they are covered from head to toe (except the face and the hands), and are told that this is oppression! It is not. In Islam, marriage is an important part of life, the making of the society. Therefore, a woman should not go around showing herself to everybody, only for her husband. Even the man is not allowed to show certain parts of his body to none but his wife. In addition, Allah has commanded Muslim women to cover themselves for their modesty: “O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies (when outdoors). That is most convenient that they could be known as such (i.e. decent and chaste) and not molested.” (Qur’an 33:59). If we look around at any other society, we find that in the majority of cases women are attacked and molested because of how they are dressed. Another point I’d like to comment on is that the rules and regulation laid down in Islam by Allah (God) do not apply just to women but to men also. There is no intermingling and free running between men and women for the benefit of both. Whatever Allah commands is right, wholesome, pure and beneficial to mankind; there is no doubt about that.A verse in the Quran explains this concept clearly: “Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and protect their private parts (i.e. from indecency, illegal sexual acts); that will make for greater purity for them. And Allah is well aware of what they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and protect their private parts (from indecency, illegal sexual intercourse); and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments....” (Quran, Surah “Al-Nur” 24:31). When I put on my Hijab (veil), I was really happy to do it. In fact, I really want to do it. When I put on the Hijab, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and happiness. Satisfied that I had obeyed Allah’s command. And happy with the good and blessings that come with it. I have felt secure and protected. In fact people respect me more for it. I could really see the difference in behavior towards me.Finally, I’d like to say that I had accepted Islam not blindly, or under any compulsion. In the Qur’an itself there is a verse which says “There is no compulsion in religion.” I accepted Islam with conviction. I have seen, been there, done that, and seen both sides of the story. I know and have experienced what the other side is like, and I know that I have done the right thing.Islam does not oppress women, but rather Islam liberates them and gives them the respect they deserve. Islam is the religion Allah has chosen for the whole of mankind. Those who accept it are truly liberated from the chains and shackles of mankind whose ruling and legislating necessitates nothing but the oppression of one group by another and the exploitation and oppression of one sex by the other.This is not the case of Islam, which truly liberated women and gave them individuality not given by any other authority.
Sister Noor has been a Muslim for over a year and a half and is currently in her second year of undergraduate study in the Department of Biology
8:31:34 PM
Posted By Mohammed Irshad Hussain Comments (2) Society
Comments
Infidel Monday, March 5, 2007 9:34:59 PM
I quote from above article:"Islam is the religion Allah has chosen for the whole of mankind. Those who accept it are truly liberated from the chains and shackles of mankind" And once they accept islam, they fall in chain and shackles of this evil cult forever. It's very difficult to liberate from this cult, as punishment of apostacy is death. What a freedom!!!!And allah made wife beating, slavery and mutta (Prostitution) legal, what an equality of women in islam.
K.Venugopal Monday, March 5, 2007 10:53:18 PM
Why are men allowed 4 wives in Islam? Women, considered the weak sex, have been made even weaker in the Islamic marriage system, where she gets the protection of only 1/4th of a husband.