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Ramadan Prayer Day 24 – Family: “Marriage in Islam”

The Orlando Sentinel reported this week that Khalid Abeljawwad Mohd, a 41 year old Muslim man found guilty in June of attempted first degree murder and other charges was sentenced to life in prison. Mohd tried to murder his wife, Rema Jamel after she asked him to help her extend her visa to stay in the United States. He told her he did not plan to help her, but he wanted her to go back to Jordan leaving their sons with him, because he intended to bring his second wife from Jordan to the United States. The couple argued and Jamel testified that her husband became so angry with her that she tried to call police, but he removed the phone line from the wall so she could not call. When she tried to leave to go to a neighbor’s house he poured lighter fluid on her, pushed her to the floor causing her to black out. While she was unconscious, he set her on fire. Her children told police they heard their parents arguing and said their mother was on fire with “yellow stuff” dripping from her body.

This tragic story demonstrates a stark contrast between the concept of marriage in Christianity and in Islam. In a Muslim marriage relationship a woman is considered a possession of her husband. “Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons, heaped-up hoards of gold and silver…” (Surah 3:14) Under Islamic sharia law, polygamy is allowed and a man may marry up to four wives at one time. “Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four…” (Surah 4:3)

In addition, both Shiite and Sunni Muslim men can engage in “pleasure marriages” – a temporary “marriage” for the purpose of having sex. These marriages known as “Mut’ah marriage in the Shiite sect can last as long as several years to a few hours. An article in the Daily Beast interviews a young Lebanese Shiite Muslim from Brooklyn named Ali Selman who has had 25 temporary marriages in the past ten years.  According to him the woman in the relationship must say, “I marry you, myself” and the man replies, “I accept,” and a token bridal gift such as chocolates must be given. According to Muhsin Alidina, a Shiite Muslim scholar in Queens, there is more to the contract than some Muslim men believe. It must be a mutually accepted arrangement with a bridal gift of cash paid to the wife. The wife must also stay single for two menstrual cycles after the relationship ends to make sure she is not pregnant. If there is a child conceived, the husband is responsible.

In Sunni Islam, the pleasure marriages are called “misyar marriage.” Because the practice was becoming more popular the Institute of Islamic Religious Law issued a fatwa [an Islamic religious ruling] permitting the marriages in which, “the woman relinquishes a home, financial support, and her part [in joint life] with her husband, or part of it, and consents to the man’s coming to her home whenever he wants, day or night.” A Saudi matchmaker told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, a London daily newspaper, that following the fatwa she began getting 15 to 20 requests each day from men requesting such marriages.

Because women are seen as property, pleasure marriages and polygamy are both acceptable. Quite the contrast to the Bible’s command, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25)

PRAYERS FOR FAMILY:

  • Pray for healing and restoration for Rema Jamel and her children. Burned over 75% of her body, she is permanently disfigured and in constant pain. Doctors have told her she will need about a dozen more surgeries.
  • Pray for young women from a western background that may be considering marriage to a Muslim man. Pray that they will be aware of the teachings of the Islamic religion regarding marriage and understand their lack of rights if they marry a Muslim.
  • Pray for Christian couples, that their marriage will be an example of the love of Christ for His Church.
  • Muslims who become Christians oftentimes report that what drew them to Christianity was seeing the inspiring difference in the life of a Christian near them. Ask God to enable Christian couples in strong, faith filled marriages to serve as living witnesses to Muslims in their communities.
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Ramadan Day 22 – Family: “Saudi Arabia and the Olympics”

News outlets around the world reported today about Saudi Arabian runner Sarah Attar at the Olympics.  Sarah, with dual U.S. and Saudi Arabian citizenship, competed in the women’s 800-meter race for Saudi Arabia. She received a standing ovation as she crossed the finish line, finishing more than a half-minute slower than her nearest competitor.

Sarah has reportedly has spent little time in Saudi Arabia. She was born and raised in California, graduated from an American high school and attends Pepperdine University where she is a member of their track team. She and another young woman named Wojdan Shaherkani were the first women to ever represent Saudi Arabia in the Olympics.

After several months of pressure by the International Olympic Committee including the threat of banning Saudi Arabia from the games if they did not allow women participants, the Saudi Olympic Committee overturned a ban on women athletes. They demanded however that all female competitors be dressed “to preserve their dignity” which meant both competitors wore long-sleeved garments and a hijab to cover their hair. The rules regarding headscarves had to be revised to allow Shaherkani to participate because they had been previously banned in judo. Prior to Attar’s Olympic debut, Pepperdine University received a request to remove photos of Attar from an online biography because they showed her in shorts, a tank top and without the Saudi required hijab.

Some reported the presence of the women athletes as a win in the “war for women in their home country,” but others do not believe the presence of the two women will change anything in the strict shariah adherent nation.

The presence of the women at the games brought condemnation from Saudi religious scholars and others. The state owned press barely mentioned their participation, and the Twitter conversations about them has been quite hostile referring to them as “prostitutes.”

Sarah Attar is fortunate in that she will return to the United States, but Wojdan Shaherkani returns to a nation that according to a Human Rights Watch report has one of the worst records regarding women’s rights in the world.

She returns to a nation where women are not allowed to play in official sports clubs or even go to a stadium and watch matches. Only private schools are allowed to provide physical education for women.

Every Saudi woman must have a male guardian, typically her father or husband who makes decisions on her behalf. This places women in a permanent state of being treated like a legal minor who is entitled to little authority over her own life. Women must have her guardian’s permission to leave her home, seek medical care and even make decisions regarding her own children.  As adults,  women are not allowed to drive a car and have been arrested and jailed for defying a ban on driving.

At a time when politicians and lobbying groups are debating the prohibition of foreign laws in American courts, the lives of these two women clearly show why it is necessary for the protection of future generations of women to preserve the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all.

PRAYER FOR FAMILY:

  • Pray for Sarah Attar and Wojdan Shaherkani. There have been comments made on social media disassociating Wojdan from being Muslim. Pray that there is no backlash against either woman after the Olympics.
  • Pray for those in Saudi Arabia and other Islamic nations who have spoken out in support of these young women and for reforms in nations such as Saudi Arabia.
  • Pray that men and women around the world will see the stark contrast between the lives of these two young women – one born in a nation of western culture and laws and another born in bondage to shariah law.
  • Pray that Muslim women around the world suffering under the oppressive system of shariah laws will be set free physically, mentally and spiritually.
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Ramadan Prayer Day 15 – Arts & Entertainment: “Islamic Superheroes Team Up With Batman”

Most Americans are familiar with the popular superhero comic characters, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, but few have probably heard of a new group of Superheroes called The 99 who joined forces with these popular characters for a special miniseries of six comic books published in the United States in 2010.

The comic series is called The 99 because each of the heroes has a power based on one of the 99 attributes of Allah. The characters are adults and teenagers from around the world who find one of 99 magical Noor Stones that gives them their power. Characters include Jabbar The Powerful, Mumita The Destroyer, Noora The Light, and Batina the Hidden. Batina is a superhero woman wearing a burka.

Although there are not yet 99 characters eventually the series plans to have 49 male heroes and 50 female heroes. In addition to the comic books, there is an animated series and spinoffs such as online comics, games, and an iPhone and iPad app and even a theme park in Kuwait.

The animated series was purchased by The Hub, a Discovery Channel cable and satellite television venture. The series was scheduled to be aired in the United States on The Hub in 2011, but it was never aired. Although the network has not given a reason, it is believed it is because of news articles and blogs that protested the Islamic cartoon. Daniel Pipes reported the Times of London described the series’ mission as “instilling old-fashioned Islamic values in Christian, Jewish, and atheist children.”

In 2010 at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, President Obama called The 99 the “most innovative response” to America’s expanding dialogue with the Muslim world. He further praised the comic books for having “captured the imagination of so many young people with superheroes who embody the teachings and tolerance of Islam.”

PRAYER FOR ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

  • Muslim children have the right to have superheroes.  However the Qur’an declares that “Allah is the best of the deceivers” (Qur’an 3:54, also see 7:99, 8:30, 10;21, 13:42).
  • #89 of the names of Allah is Ad-Daarr. The meaning of this is:  The One Who makes harm reach to whoever He wills. The Distresser, The Afflictor, The Bringer of Adversity. This is the opposite of the God of love, grace, hope and truth that we serve. Pray that the Muslim children will be protected from deception and brought into the true love of God through Jesus Christ.
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Ramadan Prayer Day 12 – Business: Hypocrisy Brings a Double Standard

The recent controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A has drawn attention to a growing inequality and double standard in the treatment of Christianity and Islam by some leaders in our nation.

The fast food chain based in Atlanta, Georgia has been under attack from gay and lesbian groups because of its support of traditional marriage – marriage defined as being between a man and a woman. Earlier this month, The Biblical Recorder, the news journal for NC Baptists, published an interview with Dan Cathy, president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A about the chain and its commitment to operating on biblical principles. In the interview when asked about the company’s support of the traditional family, Cathy replied, “We are very much supportive of the family – the biblical definition of the family unit.”

This interview began a new series of attacks against the company by gay and lesbian groups. In addition the restaurant chain met with harsh criticism from the mayors of two major cities.

Boston mayor Thomas Menino wrote a letter to Dan Cathy expressing his support of same sex marriage and urging the company to “back out of your plans to locate to Boston…There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it.” A copy of the letter can be viewed on The City of Boston’s Facebook page.

When asked in a television interview if he would tell the Catholic Church or the Boy Scouts that they are not welcome because of their stance on gay marriage, the mayor replied, “They are not funding an organization who are anti-gay…. It’s a different story.”

The Mayor of Boston, however, does have a history of funding an organization that is anti-gay with taxpayer money. It seems Mayor Menino sold city property valued at $2 million to the Islamic Society of Boston for $175,000 to build their mosque. This particular mosque has a history of being tied with extremists including Yusuf al Qaradawi who according to Reuters called for the murder of homosexuals.

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel also criticized Chick-Fil-A saying, “If you’re going to be part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values.” Interestingly, Mayor Emanuel welcomed help for the Chicago community from Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam leader without questioning Farrakhan’s values.

For the last two Mondays, a group of men known as the Fruit of Islam were led by Farrakhan to form a human wall of protection in violence plagued Chicago neighborhoods. In addition, Mayor Emanuel backed an Alderman’s call to block the construction of a Chick-fil-A in Chicago, but the city recently allowed the Nation of Islam to reopen the Salaam Restaurant that “springs from the mission of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.”

Although the Nation of Islam teachings do not completely align with traditional Islamic teachings, Farrakhan has often expressed his views regarding homosexuality.  He has said, “God don’t like men coming to men with lust in their hearts like you should go to a female.  If you think that the kingdom of God is going to be filled up with that kind of degenerate crap, you’re out of your d— mind.”

Traditional Islamic teachings are a quite a bit harsher. The Reliance of the Traveller says, “The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

(1) “Kill the one who sodomizes and the one who lets it be done to him.”

(2) “May Allah curse him who does what Lot’s people did.”

(3) “Lesbianism by women is adultery between them.”

The hypocrisy of those who criticize a Christian for a view that they may not agree with yet all the while advancing the agenda of Islam in their cities either reveals an ignorance of the teachings of Islam which is unlikely in both the cases presented above or a willful blind eye to truth.

PRAY FOR BUSINESS:

  • Pray that businesses like Chick-fil-A will continue to have the right to stand up for biblical principles without government imposed economic reprisals.
  • Pray that the gay and lesbian community will realize that true Christians do not hate them or demand their execution, they simply do not agree with their lifestyle.
  • Pray for Muslims to see the differences between their harsh god that requires submission without question and the God of the Christians full of mercy and grace.
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Ramadan Prayer Day 4 – Family: The Real War on Women

Earlier this year, media networks began to report about “the war on women” as part of their coverage of the presidential primaries. Some described the war in economic terms as they reported on equal pay legislation. Others tend to have a definition of the war on women like the ACLU’s who defined the “War on Women” as the “legislative and rhetorical attacks on women and women’s rights taking place across the nation.” The ACLU’s examples of these attacks on women include waiting periods before abortion and ending Planned Parenthood funding.

The real war on women in the U.S. however is being waged by Shariah proponent groups who are attempting to hide behind the concept of the freedom of religion guaranteed in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. One such group known as the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) has launched a $3 million campaign to “help the public understand Shariah and counter the rise of Islamophobia in America.”

On the ICNA website Naeem Baig, Executive Director of the ICNA Council for Social Justice states, “[Because of the freedoms granted under the First Amendment] Jewish family law is acceptable in civil courts today…Muslims are as American as any other faith group, and are deserving of these rights as well.”

Shariah law however differs greatly from Judeo-Christian law. Under shariah law women are considered inferior to men. The Qur’an says, “Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other…”(Q 4:34) Inheritance laws within Islam further reflect this attitude with a woman inheriting half of what a man inherits (Q 4:11). Her testimony in a court of law is also only worth half of the testimony of a man’s (Q 2:282). Under shariah a husband is allowed to beat (Q4:34) and rape (Q2:223) his wife.

Arguments are made that these types of laws would not apply to women living in the United States, however a report issued by the Center for Security Policy examined 50 Appellate Court decisions from 23 states where shariah law had been considered in the case. Out of these 50 cases, the majority affected women and children with shariah being considered in marriage law and child custody cases. You may download a copy of the comprehensive report here.

Although often blamed on cultural traditions rather than shariah law by Islamic apologists, women around the world and in recent years in the United States have been the victims of forced marriages, honor killings and female genital mutilation. The Tahirih Justice Center conducted a survey on forced marriage in immigrant communities in 2011. Based upon the survey, there were as many as 3,000 cases of forced marriage in the past two years in the U.S. although the survey did not reveal how many of the marriages were Islamic.

A study of worldwide trends in honor killings revealed 91% of honor killings in North America were due to unacceptable “westernization”. Examples in our nation include Noor Almaleki. An article in Marie Clare describes the vision Noor had for herself, “Having lived in the U.S. for 16 years, she held dreams of becoming a teacher, or marrying a man she loved, and most importantly of making her own choices.” Her Iraqi father felt his daughter was dishonoring his family by desiring to choose her own mate and dress in a western fashion. So in October of 2009 as Noor and a friend walked across a parking lot her father driving close to 30 miles an hour hit Noor and her friend. The impact knocked Noor onto a median so her father swerved his SUV onto the median and ran over his daughter fracturing her face and spine. He was eventually apprehended in England. From jail her father defended himself, “I’m not a criminal. I didn’t kill someone randomly…For an Iraqi, honor is the most valuable thing.”

Eighteen year old Amina Said and her seventeen year old sister, Sarah were shot in 2008 by their father also for being typical teenage girls. Amina and Sarah had a cell phones and dated American boys. Their father, an Egyptian Muslim wanted his daughters to be Muslims and to marry husbands that he would choose. He had threatened the girls and finally on New Years Day of 2008, he shot them. A 911 call by Sarah as she was dying identified her father as her killer. Yaser Abdel Said is still at large. Even if the girls’ father is apprehended under shariah law a Muslim father is not subject to retaliation for killing his own children according to The Reliance of the Traveller, a manual of Islamic Sacred Law (approved by al-Azhar University and the International Institute of Islamic Thought).

Although our series deals with Islam in the United States, a quick look at the rights of women in any Muslim majority country clearly shows how shariah laws subjugate women discriminating against them through laws that give men control in marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance. For more information and personal stories of women affected in our nation by shariah law, visit End the Shariah War on Women.

PRAYER FOR THE FAMILY:

  • Pray for the truth about shariah to be revealed in all aspects of our society.
  • Pray that news outlets and law enforcement agencies will report truthfully when crimes against women are the result of religious law and not bow to political correctness.
  • Pray that state legislatures across the nation will begin to understand shariah law is being used in our nation and to pass legislation to stop any foreign laws from being considered in American Courts.
  • Pray for Muslim women and children in our nation who are most often the victims of the implementation of shariah law.