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[quote][b] Respons: [/b]
<p align=justify> I am dismayed at your response. You talk about a human individual and then proceed to define this individual as a man, not as a woman. The way you describe Islam, it is from the erspective of a man and for me, as a Muslim woman, this is unacceptable. Allah is neither male nor female and yet, when His laws are discussed on earth, they are inevitably gendered.

<p align=justify> Please do not tell me that when you say "he", you also mean "she". I have heard this response before. Why dont you say "she" and also mean "he'???? This kind of approach DOES have an impact on the way Islam engages with women and the way in which Muslim men perceive their position vis a vis women. To say that something is mutual means that you must truly engage in the discussion with a mutual perspective in mind and you must adopt a MUTUAL gaze. This means, for a start, imagine the "human individual" to be a woman, at least for some time, before you imagine her to also be a man. Do you understand how women feel? I dont think so. You lack awareness and sensitivity to the creation of gender roles in society whereby people think automatically that an individual is a man. Secondly, I am appalled at the way in which you distort facts. Women are head of households and were the head of households during the time of the Prophet Mohammad, May peace be upon him. Just read history, the the history that is written in the way that you have written about the "human individual" as a man, but history that is sensitive to women and gender. I dont have time to go into it, but if you search -- as a true Muslim with a conscience -- you will find enough examples of women being responsible for their husbands. YES. So that argument does not hold water. Throughout history, and in many parts of the globe, man has NOT been the sole breadwinner. It is only the capitalist society, where labour is exploited for capital and production and there is a commodification of all goods and services, has women's work been regarded as "informal" and monetary benefits have been gained by men. About two hundred years ago, in a barter economy, women were equal to men in economic terms. In the farmland of Bangladesh, where I come from, without women, farmers could not survive. And there are more and more single female headed households around the world. Why cant we accept that the social, political, economic laws in the Quran are guidelines which must be amended from time to time, as was done consistently until the 10th Century AD  and more recently, as an example, by the Family Laws Ordinance in Pakistan, with respect to the number of wives a Muslim could have. To amend guudilines is NOT to question Allah but to follow the spirit of His message which is to be just to all humankind. The five pillars of Islam are not guidelines but injunctions that are the foundation of my faith. They have NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR INTERPRETATION OF FAMILY AS A KEY TO ISLAM!!!!! The five pillars are known to all of us and they do not discriminate, they are not gendered, they are universal: Belief in Allah and the Prophet Mohammad as the messenger of Allah; prayer, fasting, zakat and Haj. All have to do it, whether they are male, female, married, divorced or widowed!!!RIGHT????

<p align=justify>  These are foundational principles. You should not take something from the Quran and Hadith that suits the way YOU perceive reality. Think of the millions of poor women in the world you have condemned to be abnormal because you have declared 'family' in the way you see it, to be the one and only desirable social arrangement in Islam. And if that were not enough, you take the admonitions of one incident in the Quran and apply it to all women, for all time. As though "authority" has the same meaning in this day and age. Allah is Merciful and Allah is Compassionate and He is also the most Liberal. You say "Islam wants to preserve this set-up as much as possible" I say, Muslim men want to believe in this set up as much as possible! Come on. Open your eyes and start believing in Allah. Not in your patriarchal visions. No more will Muslim women keep quiet and take this kind of paternalistic, prejudiced interpretations! I am my own authority and I bow ONLY TO ALLAH. So all this talk of "authority" is simply out of place.  
[b] AZ [/b]

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