In an NPR interview, Isobel Coleman, author of Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East, was asked a question about how the Quran makes it difficult to fight for women's rights because some of the beliefs in it are incompatible with women's rights. To those that practice it, Islam is more then a religion it's a lifestyle, it's a commitment and many take it very seriously. And Ms. Coleman made a very compelling point related to the Christian bible, "that doesn't mean that you can't still look at the text and contextualize them. What many of the men and women today are trying to do within Islam is argue that times change, and you have to read them differently. You have to think about them in the present, not only in the past, and find new meanings and new ways to circle that square." although many middle eastern's can be labeled as 'traditionalists' there comes a time when you get with the times and change.
In today's society in America there are still many people who have yet to get with the times and re-contextualize the bible and open their mind even a tad. In that way, some civil rights issues in america can be related to whats happening to women in places like Afghanistan.
No comments:
Post a Comment