Male Gods and Female Slaves on Earth - Priestly Ghost Revisited

By Rashid Samnakay, New Age Islam 28 January 2023 ------------------------------------- The Picture Emerges From “Bahishti Zewar" (The Heavenly Adornment) That Girls Are Mere Chattels of Males And Their Total Submission to Their Men, Was Divinely Ordained, Hence "Good" Girls Accepted Their Position for Gaining Merit in Male Dominated Jungle Where He Was the Lion King ------------------------------------- The current situation in Afghanistan and Iran, in the context of Female Human Rights violation, forbidden Emancipation and Freedom is somewhat beyond rational analyses for an ordinary person with Western upbringing yet loaded with oriental baggage. There is no reason however to be surprised at what is happening in, not only these two countries but most of the so-called Muslim world. With that backdrop, one can draw on the past, not very distance past, events that may be considered as the fountain of the mindset currently influencing the named countries, viz Afghanistan and Iran, today. Although the Taliban (Talib of what one wonders?) gave hope to the World at large on their second coming that they have now "softened" their previous primitive hard core and will reform to march in step with enlightened world, so as to be taken as civilised people! But alas, the primitive mindset was and is an obstacle in their culture preventing any progress to enlightenment. Interestingly, in the mid nineteenth to mid twentieth century, when Muslims of India were embroiled in heightened political activity, an Aalim by the name of Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Deobandi Maulana at that!) who took the reigns in his hands to steer the Muslims of India in Religious matters and wrote numerous books in Urdu, Arabic and Persian. A Religious person and Sufi by inclination, Ashraf Ali however took active part in Indo-Pakistan politics too! From the outset, it is to be said that , the gentleman's contribution in Religious matters pertaining to Muslim women in particular, their education and place and status in Society was, to say the least awful; such that he was responsible in relegating them, hundreds of years at least, back in the dark ages. The main source of his drive in revers was the Book he wrote for Muslim girls, named socially; “Bahishti Zewar"--The heavenly adornment. At one time, it was made compulsory for Muslim parents to include the book as a dowry/gift to girls to be read in their married life in order to become heavenly and good wife. It must be pointed out though that he did not profit directly from this Religious enterprise. This was ironic as he considered any form of reading and writing thought to girls as being Satanic and misguided and therefore he strongly opposed female Education. So much so that some of the Quranic verses, such as, for example those related to Prophet Yusuf/Joseph and his Master's wife's love affair with Joseph as being vulgar and to be read to girls only under the strict supervision of an Aalim- Religious Scholar! In this book, Ashraf Ali advocated absolute submission by a wife to her husband and girls to be obedient to their male guardians. The "four walls" of the house were to be their sanctuary... good girls never ventured out of this sanctuary in order to be entitled to paradise in Hereafter... under the guidance of males. The picture emerges from this book that girls are mere chattels of Males and their total submission to their men, was divinely ordained, hence "good" girls accepted their position for gaining merit in Male dominated jungle where he was the lion King. Fast forward to present period and one finds astonishing similarities in the Taliban edicts and Iran’s Priestly regime's crack down by morality police on female coverings. These Edicts on the treatment of Females have no bases whatsoever in Quran. On the contrary! Some time back, in a BBC documentary the reporter , a lady, asked the assembled Mullahs (all leaders here are called Mullahs) in Afghanistan to explain the contradictions....They unanimously replied that it has nothing to do with Islam.... "It is our Forefather's custom and we follow it, ...we respect our women," they said! Have we not come across often this phrase in the Book? It seems that more things one expects to change the more it stays the same! If only some authority took the following message of a poet to heart. It applies to both the above-mentioned countries in particular: افغانیوں کے غیرت دین کا ہے ایک ہی علاج۔ ملا کو انکے کوہ و دمن سے نکال دو۔ "The only solution to Afghan's pride/honour of their religion.... Is to banish the Mullahs out of the hills and valleys." Easy Said than Done! But then has the Authority in Saudi Arabia not taken the message to heart and may soon banish the Priests from the Holy Temple---Hail the Arabian Caesar, one is forced to agree? ---- A regular contributor to New Age Islam, Rashid Samnakay is an Indian-origin Engineer (Retd.) based in Australia for over forty years. URL: https://newageislam.com/the-war-within-islam/male-gods-female-slaves-priestly-ghost/d/128979 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism