Everybody loves a bad fatwa
Submitted by admin on 14 May 2010 - 8:19am
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Everybody loves a bad fatwa. And why not? It fills column space for newpapers; It brings in viewers for Television channels; it plays into the image of Muslims as a backward community for communalists; and it gives activists a chance to reinforce their secular credentials. Never mind that this fatwa will not change the lives of millions of Muslims and text of the fatwa could be not what has been reported or maybe the said fatwa doesn't even exist.
Fatwa is nothing but a religious opinion from a religious scholar to a question asked by a Muslim on a particular situation that he or she may be facing at the time or might face in future and doesn't know what should be an appropriate way to act in light of Islamic teachings. A mufti then issues a fatwa or opinion based on his understanding of the question and Islam. Just as different medical doctors will have a difference of opinion regarding a diagnosis and treatment plan, it is common for different muftis to give different opinion for the same question.
Media circus
Frontpage of The Times of India, Delhi Edition, May 11, 2010
At least once every year, on a slow news day, some enterprising journalist finds a fatwa that will fit the stereotype about Muslims being backward or Muslim scholars being ignorant or out of touch with the real world or all of the above reasons, and will publish a news story based on this 'prized' fatwa. Let's take the example of the fatwa issued by Darul Uloom Deoband that is making the round in news cycles this week.
The fatwa in question was issued more than a month ago and one can ask the question, why is there a sudden interest by the media in this particular fatwa? A fatwa that is only a sentence long has had numerous newspaper column space and hours of airtime devoted to it. The media bosses have decided that it is an important fatwa because it has all the right keywords to keep the attention of readers & viewers, and therefore will keep a flow of revenue coming in.
One has to question the motive of the major media regarding the publicizing of a fatwa. There is more to this than meets the eye when the Indian media that is obsessed with breaking news and exclusives these days picks up a fatwa that was issued more than a month ago. Within 24 hours of this news being flashed on NDTV on May 11th, 2010, all major media networks of India had reported it. And every new report had added information that was not even there. Let's look at the fatwa first.
Question number 21031 ((http://darulifta-deoband.org/viewfatwa.jsp?ID=21031) to Darul Ifta (house of fatwas) of Darul Uloom Deoband asked by someone in India states: “Asalamu-Alikum: Can muslim women in india do Govt. or Pvt. Jobs? Shall their salary be Halal or Haram or Prohibited?” Answer published on April 4th, 2010 simply answers it as: “It is unlawful for Muslim women to do job in government or private institutions where men and women work together and women have to talk with [to] men frankly and without veil.”
Headlines
Now let's look at some of the headlines of news reports about this fatwa:
Fatwa against working Muslim women: NDTV
Fatwa to working Muslim women: Don't talk to male colleagues: NDTV
Women's earnings haram, says Deoband: The Times of India [Print edition]
Deoband fatwa: It's illegal for women to work, support family: The Times of India [Online]
Don't talk to male colleagues: Darul Uloom's fatwa to all working women: DNA
Muslim women can't work: Deoband: Samay Live
Darul Uloom says Muslim women can't work in public: India Today
Now, fatwa against working women: Indian Express
Women Working with Men Un-Islamic: Deoband: Outlook
Fatwa against men-women proximity at workplace: Zee News
In case you ever wondered why there isnt a successful supermarket tabloid in India, here is your answer. There is no need for one because major media houses in India do that job very well.
Fatwa-checking
Now let's look at the fatwa again. It doesn't talk about a woman's earnings being haram or unlawful, Islamically speaking. It also not talking about whether women can work or not, rather it is a learned scholar giving his opinion that Islamically it will be unlawful for a Muslim women only if she is in a job that will require her to speak to men "frankly and without veil." I am not sure what mufti sahib meant with the "speaking frankly" phrase, but there is no ruling saying women cannot work or that their earning is haram. This did not stop media houses from publishing news report after news report with sensational headlines that had nothing to do the with the original fatwa.
A simple fact-checking, if Indian media had that system, would have clarified the matter and this fatwa would have remained a non-news. However, this was not to be. Why should anyone bother with minor annoyance when there are pages and airtime to be filled without impunity.
Television channels went a step further and dug up old fatwas dating back to 2005 and 2006 to run on the screens when they were talking about this issue. It is anyone's guess what issues those fatwas displayed on-screen would have dealt with. We can't blame readers and viewers when they see a conspiracy in all this.
Tabassum Khan who is an Assistant Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Riverside argues that the media jumps on these issues because "It further tatters the already tarnished image of the Muslims." And when there is not enough facts to go around they simply add fiction to make it sound more interesting.
Fatwas, good or bad, have only limited public appeal and influence. Sadia Khanam, a journalist with The Eastern Post in Kolkata, says, "I don't encounter many situations where I need to seek the guidance of a fatwa." And maybe it will sound strange to journalists with a very low image of Muslim women, Khanam adds, "It depends on my personal understanding to decide which fatwa can be held correct and followed."
And Sadia is not alone in this, Tabassum Khan has done extensive research on the Muslim youth of New Delhi and she says that "The women paid little attention [to fatwas], but among the young men there were a few who gave importance to these fatwas. But they were isolated and few and far in between in numbers."
So, why are major media houses ready to give up prime space and time for a fatwa that the majority of Muslims pay little attention to? "Mainstream media has no stake in the image of Muslims. They are in the business of enforcing and perpetuating stereotypes. So, if a maulvi works to tatter the already tarnished image, they are the first to give him importance and project his view as the view of the entire community," explains Khan.
Measured response
Darul Uloom Deoband did the right thing by issuing a denial but the damage had already been done. So how should Muslims respond in situations like these? First of all, those who are activists, community leaders, and commentators, and first lines of contact for these journalists who are seeking them for opinions, need to pay more attention to the story. They need to realize that they don't need to respond to all media queries. If they do decide to respond, even if it is going to be along predictable lines, they need to see the source of the story. In this case, it would have been to see the original fatwa.
For half an hour, Shazia Ilmi, Sadia Dehlvi, and Kamal Farooqui debated on this topic on Sagarika Ghose's program "Face The Nation" on CNN-IBN on Wednesday. Strangely, none of them had actually even read the original fatwa. Based on other hearsay news reports, this only served the purpose of keeping untainted the image of Muslims as a monolith community out-of-touch-with-the-modern-world, and women who need to be rescued. Of course, interest of Muslim women is the least of the concerns of the Indian media who are competing for all-important ratings.
One thing is clear that Muslims have no say or control over the media's actions, but that doesn't mean that they have to be passive. Polite but firm emails should be sent to reporters and their editors. Muslim community organizations should send a letter on their official letter-heads to the editors and seek meetings with the editorial staff. In these meetings, examples of serious lapses by media when reporting on issues related to Muslims should be brought to their attention.
Media is not a one-way street and they don't exist in vacuum. In this day and age, readers and viewers have much more power than anyone would like to acknowledge. This power should be used to demand correct and factual coverage. At the same time Muslims need to take these kinds of episodes as opportunity to engage with their non-Muslim colleagues and friends to explain Islam and Muslim practices.
Muslim religious leadership is not above criticism but they need to be engaged to develop a new kind of thinking that takes what Islam has to offer and apply it to the modern world. Religious scholars need to offer solutions to the problems associated with modern life without dragging the whole community to a medieval view of the religion and the world. For this to happen both university-educated and madrasa-educated Muslims need to interact and engage each other.
As Prof. Tabassum Khan rightly states, "It is important for middle-class Muslims to become more vocal and not let uninformed and biased opinions be representative of the community."
--
A shorter version of this article appeared on The Hoot.
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Be wise
Be wise while responding to this kind of things.
You know who they are and what they have for you.
Deobandi fatwa!
1. The fatwa is in an answer to a question :"Can Muslim women in indiado Government or private jobs?Shall their salary be halal or haram or prohibited?"(Q 21031). name ,address of the inquirer and date NOT mentioned.
2. The answer is dated 4th April,2010.It reads : "It is unlawful for Muslim women to do jobs in government or private institutions, where men and women work together and women have to talk with men frankly and without veil!" However, No authority is quoted!
3. Reverting to the comments of Azeemullah Siddiui(Old syudent of Darul Uloom , Deoband) Prophet (SAWS) has permitted woman to earn and help her husband.Hence, the Mufti's fatwa,that is ,his legal opinion only and not the verdict of a Qazi (judge) is NOt binding on any oneIf thois view is accepted, the fatwa wis a mosquito bite only.
4. On the other hand , if the FATWAH is taken seriosly as the verdict of the clerics, media will get matter enough to fill its time and pages!
5. Media should get reminded of Press Council Of India's "Code of Conduct" and be specific in reporting matters connected with religious sensibilities of te people.
RE: India's English media and Deoband Fatwas
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true...
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Times of India Does it Again – VIII
The Times of India is on the rampage again. Tired of presenting its Front Page as the prime repository of news all the evils of the corruption and deep fissures in Indian politics and society, it has decided to bring in the Muslims in the focus to divert the attention of its harried readership to savour the rich store of inanities that its so-called progressives, including S. Balakrishnan and M. Wajihuddin, can dish out as quickly as any fast food in the now news-hungry land that has develop the acquired taste, nay the addiction to now feed on the sleaze and filth.
The distortion, disinformation and misinformation is deliberate and verging on criminal when Times of India owners allow its staff to sow seeds of dissension, division and strife in the community. While on the one side, it is burning midnight oil to feed the flames of ‘Asha ke deep’, making up friends with Pakistan, it has gone on to attack Sharia laws with its typical treatment of news in headlines, that has no bearing to the truth. This double-dealing newsmaking can only earn deep resentment in 200 million Muslims of India, for deliberate provocation of India’s prime newspaper to take on the supposed might of the Mullahs, by distorted representation of Islam to open it to public derision and scorn.
It would have been fitness of objective reporting, if Times of India, had published the full scan of the Deoband fatwa, which according to TOI report headline has declared --- Women’s earnings Haram. Apparently TOI headline is being used by its editors without full knowledge of what the word ‘Haram’ connotes in Sharia. It merely exposes the open ignorance of the TOI staff, who have been allowed to frame headlines to inflame emotions and outrage among Muslims of India. The whole fatwa needs lots of context to be available for such mischievous and provocative headline. TOI’s S. Balakrishnan himself uses the same word ‘Haram’ in the next report on inside pages as describing proximity between males and females in a confined space, that can lead to unwanted consequences. Islamic Sharia from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia being Muslim dominated states; promote the same norms of Sharia that Deoband is plainly expounding. Deoband is not coming out with anything new or of its own exclusive authorship and copyright. The motive behind such attacks on Deoband, Sharia and Muslim society is to stop their commanding role in the newly emerging political clout of the Muslim voters that practically all political parties at all level are fully apprehensive of and have set the commercially handicapped mainstream media to start a campaign of distortion, disinformation and division among the Muslims. Muslims are neither uninformed of such Machiavellian shenanigans, nor are prepared to let barking dogs keep on barking. The quotes of harebrained women scholars who may be academically informed but woefully ignorant of the conspiracies hatched against Indian Muslims and therefore can only earn widespread derision and scorn for their almost automatic and programmed intervention in the national debate without any overall societal mandate.
India of today is not free of foreign domination and investor money rules the roost. The western capitalist and socialist model that promote consumerism have not gone full circle to fully grasp the difference between Sharia model of preferring distinct roles of men and women and family life in overall economic system. Those who are of open mind, can easily make out how the West is suffering from so many ills of the new society, geared to ‘women’s liberation’ while throwing them to wolves who would rather feed on their earnings and have comfortable lives. The kind of traumas that single women suffer in the western countries have yet to get any sympathy from these progressive brigades. Western movies unabashedly show how women are desperate for a ‘nightcap’ with any man, just not to go to an empty apartment at night, once they have put in their days work. The trafficking of women, the lonely lives of women, the childless misery of whole generations forced to go for adoption and artificial insemination and the most horrible and immoral route of surrogate pregnancies, are yet to get the attention of social reformers in right earnest. Is it not strange an India that should be rightly proud of its traditions, should be so brain-washed that nothing seems to be odd when gay Israelis are descending on our poor women and rent their bodies for pittances, so that they can live their immoral lives with the help of our impoverished womanhood. The national and nationalist media is silent. It has more urgent business to tackle Mullahs first. That’s where the moolah is.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com
www.GhulamMuhammed.Blogspot.com
Truth and falsehood
I appeal to all Muslims to stop being apologetic about their religion- Hijab is an integral part of Islam- isnt that what the fatwa says?
In Islam, the normative place for a lady is inside her house- isn't that what the fatwa says too? Sure she can work under certain 'conditions' but that isn't the model role for her- those who have accepted the Western world-view, well its their choice..
Those who go by tabloid newspapers like TOI, please open your eyes - today I read some more comments there justifying 'interest' as a modern necessity..
The central issue is do you believe Islam to be the perfect way for humanity or not? Interpretations of minor issues may differ, but this is not one of them.. It becomes clear we are backward not because of any other reason, but because our belief in our own faith is not strong enough!
Curb Them!
Mr. Muslim,
Exactly your comments are according to the Quran and Sunnah.
Last para of your comments is applying only and only to media hungry Mullah-Muftis of Deoband.
Have some mechanism to curb them issuing nonsense Fatwas very frequently for publicity purpose only.
Beautiful reply to Non practicing Muslim and Disbelievers
Jazakallah khair for making a daring statement. May Allah reward you.
Two circles.net -- what is your problem that you dont publish my comment. You have published enough offensive comments on this article which deeply hurts praticing Muslims.
I need a reason?
Why are we backward
Mr 'Muslim' says, "We are backward not because of any other reason, but because our belief in our own faith is not strong enough!"
This is not true. We are backwards because we have under-valued secular education. We have not inculcated in our children a zest for learning and for success. We have instilled in them a fatalistic "Allah bharose" attitude instead of teaching them that there is a proper place for religion in a well balanced life.
because muslim look on past for future
Hi,
How can past guide future. Any body can say that yesterday<> today <> tomorrow.
Human intellect has grown so much in the last few centuries however practice and believe are looking back ward.
For example hinduism, says that you cannot change today becuase today is the result of yesteday action[ law of fate ], but making changes in todays action[ law of action] will change tomorrow. This take care of the law of fate and action.
However it is not so in other beliefs. This take to an interview in dawn with an astrologer lady. She said that if astrology is wrong them people must not see weather forecast and live without that.
To you be your religion, and to me my religion.
Absolutely we are backward because our belief in our own faith is not strong.
Mr Ghulam you are making baseless comment and I would like moderator of twocircles.net to not publish his ill facts.
Islam is a not a mere religion it is the way of life of a Believer.
Say (O Muhammad (SAW) to these Mushrikûn and Kâfirûn): "O Al-Kâfirûn (disbelievers in Allâh, in His Oneness, in His Angels, in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Day of Resurrection, and in Al-Qadar)! (1) "I worship not that which you worship, (2) "Nor will you worship that which I worship. (3) "And I shall not worship that which you are worshipping. (4) "Nor will you worship that which I worship. (5) "To you be your religion, and to me my religion (Islâmic Monotheism)." (6) (Sura 109)
Read and if you still dont understand then dont dare to comment next time.
Fataawa
In reality , almost everything in Islaam is offensive or strange to Non Muslims. They worship idols ,we don't. we beleive in the one supreme God , they believe in 33 crore Gods whom they cannot name. If they want to comment about Islaam, then they should know Islaam which they don't. And the media is mainly made of Atheists & Opportunists and those Non Muslims who hate Islaam. And they are pseudo secular. The newspapers like TOI for example, when you try to explain & comment with the best of language & humility will cut your comment but when it involves abusing Islaam, Muslims & Muslim scholars, they immediately allow it. No doubt the struggle between the truth & falsehood will continue as long as this world lasts. So nothing is strange & is expected.
In islam it's always seen
In islam it's always seen that they only brag about their rligion.Basically islam controles men by fear ,patriarchal society who always deny women's basic rights. I do not follow any religion because humanity comes first which has nothing to do with religion , specially in "ISLAM" where their false teaching almost concerning by slaughter. They teach killing of non-muslims as an incentive to heaven.You can not stand by or in opposition in any religion unless it is authentic and i believe the so called rules of any religion laid by men who have died so you rather make a better change for a better society.
Blaming media is to divert
Blaming media is to divert attention from facts.Why cant these institutions take a stand that let us go by the law of the land and constitution of india in issues like this and leave it to individuals to act as per the law of the land.Is it possible in any govt. office to seggregate working place on the basis of gender.How can a female bank officer deal with male customers if such restrictions are placed.Media highlights these fatwas because they are there.You can blame them for sensationalising the issue.The solution is seminaries should not fatwas every now and then but should issue some guidelines or FAQs on such topics and stop with that.Otherwise every other month the same old fatwas and the same old news will be recycled.
Please 'RSEPECTED' Deobandis, now it is enough!
Being a practicing Muslim, it pain me a lot when some controversies arises among us due to our own stupidity, particularly by 'learned' Ulemas of Deoband.
The 'infamous' Deoband cemetery must understand every Muslim residing in subcontinent and particularly in India is not following Deobandi thoughts of school. Then why and how this so called Deobandi Muftis are issuing Fatwas publicly and then debating pro and con of these Fatwas on anti Muslim media?
Are these media hungry ulemas thinking doing by this they are serving Islam or propagating or imposing their stupid ideology by hook or crook?
Answer is NOT AT ALL, NOT AT ALL, NOT AT ALL !!!
The alleged Fatwa of March 14Th, regarding celebration of Eid-E-Milad issued by Deoband Muftis had also sparked a controversy and the Sunni Ulemas and activists has threatened for dire consequences to Deobandis resulting the coward Deobandis now refusing had issued such Fatwa!
why all this Tamasha for worldly gain and publicity?
The Muslim intelligentsia must come forward immediately and compled or even boycott this so called Muftis of Deoband.
Now enough is enough!!!
Please 'RESPECTED> Deobandis, now it is enough
Dear Abdul Kader,Assalamo-ailaikum.
I have no comments about the fatwa per se or the news paper follow up etc, but I definitely have comments to your displeasure and frustration about the whole episode of Fatwa and the stand of so called Deobandi Muftis .
Your comment that Muslims in this country donot follow Debandi school of thoughts, signifies that Muslims follow different schools of thought such as 'Ahlehadis, Sunni, Shia, Quadiyaniat etc and that is true.
This in itself is the biggest misfortune . It is the the result of lack of knowledge of Islam among most Muslims .
Muslims should follow the Islam as it was presented by the Prophet ( PBUH), not what their own so called Olema present to them.
If you have done some pondering on the subject you will realise that majority of our Muslim community donot study Islam themselves to understand what really Islam is.
Had Muslims studied Islam themselves , the way they study things to live in this world, they would not have fallen prey to the falsehood propagated by the different sects .
People who understand Islam cannot keep silent and they should not, on the issues of false believs and practices wrongfully insinuated into Islam by different sects with vested interest and under well thought , planned and supported agenda.
If you go through the history you will find that in all ages and on all such occassions our righteous Olema have stood against false interpretation of the Holy Quraan and Authentic Hadith and tried to stop the unislamic practices to the displeasure of enimies of Islam.
Only way to unserstand Islam and to be of some help to Islam and Muslims ,is to study Islam in it right perspective. Displeasure towards Olema will not fetch any thing positive.
Fatwa itself wrong , not media
Empowerment of muslim women is highly needed in indian society.But our patriarchal society denied women her basic right - education.
Bringing them to mainstream is very very very important.Its achieved through education and employment.
Already Jamait-Islami Hind take major policies towards them and bringing them to mainstream.
Salam
Some correction please.
I am not fully agreed about your views regarding the 'EMPOWERMENT' of Muslim women in India.
They are totally involved in so called mainstream according to our believes!
The role of media most of the commentators are criticising the esteemed news paper 'Times of India' is wrong and not justifying. I have seen from the last fifty years, Times Of India is a fine and courageous mouthpiece of Muslim problems and highlighting them in positive manner, no way we should criticise the paper, the media hungry Mullah-Muftis of Deoband are approaching them with their stupidities materials for publicity.
Regarding Jamat-e-Islami-e-Hind, for your kind information, it is the sister concerned of Deband seminary, there is no difference in their approach, though they are doing some good social works like infamous RSS.
About Fatwa
This is in response to the critcism of Eatwa prpounded by the Islamic Seminary..Being A muslim what I know that the Basic fundamental of learning to know about Haram And Halal(Wrong and rigth).If Fatwa comes to us that Women being frank at workplace is Haram and their earning so ,why do we justify the wrong practice.It ahas been clearly notified in Hadith and several authenitc sources of Religios text.
If somebody cricise it ,they are themselves justify the wrong thing they are commiting,which one of the signs of Qayamat.
Testing
Testing
FATWA is religious ruling - nothing GOOD or BAD about it
Reading the article, it appears everyone is trying to make a comment on FATWA, hence mockery of the word, similar to JIHAD.
It is just like non-Muslims - especially those who are unaware of Quran, Hadith, and Fiqh wrote articles with an attempt to "ridicule" Fatwa, Jihad, Islam and Muslims.
I don't need to mention anyone's names in particular, but alot of attempts have been made earlier, be it in India, M.E., and West.
However, being a relatively illiterate and unknowledgeable person w.r.t. above subjects, I would prefer to refrain from going further into details, and request Fatwa-issuers, author of this article, as well as commentators to be cautious - before putting something in "black and white".
I'm sure everyone understands - qualifications and strong knowledge of subject is required in issuing a FATWA. And it has to be authenticated (or certified) by qualified Ulema. Any TOM, DICK, or HARRY is not authorized - otherwise there would be FATWAS floating every day, in every nook-and-corner of the world. I sincerely hope readers respect my opinion. Thank you.
An Indian
eye opener
Both, the article and the comment thereon are eye opener for those who do not know or believe media innocently. jashi sahab has come out with a kind of action programme which is on the line Ms Khan takes as quoted at the end of the article. I have sent the link to a reputed newspaper.
A Fatwa Against Fatwas
I am surprised that Mr.Kashif-ul-Huda is defending a fatwa which said, "It is unlawful for Muslim women to do job in government or private institutions where men and women work together and women have to talk with [to] men frankly and without veil."
To let such a fatwa go unnoticed would have been a mistake. It is right and proper for Muslim women to work in intitutions where men and women work together and talk with each other. These are normal working conditions and such institution usually offer the best jobs as far as pay and working conditions are concerned.
Do we want to seriously limit the working opportunities of our capable women? We have already discouraged them from working in some of the best income jobs such as acting in films, dancing etc and have subjected our best woman tennis player to inane criticism for her tennis dress. Now the new fatwa raises questions about working in the most normative circumstances.
Saying that fatwa is non-binding is a poor argument to make because that only exacerbates the conflict in the mind of a young woman who wants to work. Parsing the fatwa in order to make it seem benign is hypocrisy. The correct thing to do would be to not issue such fatwas. Women should be encouraged to get the best education that they can, and to make the best contribution to home and society that their particular situation allows.
And these very same men cry
And these very same men cry about molestation of women at work (this is rampant even inthe US & UK where they claim to protect women) & about children go astray. No doubt women can work in an all women environment as teachers, doctors with proper security provided to them which is not possible to implement in a mixed or a male dominant work place. Non Muslims think that the scholars are trying to prevent women from working. On the contrary, they are promoting women working in a safe & friendly environment.
See this ::
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6721729.ece
Molestation of women at work
More women are molested in homes, parks and farms than in offices. Adequate precautions are justifiable, but drastically reducing women's work opportunities in order to perpetuate medieval gender segregation is not justified.
Sure there are no better paying and respectable jobs
Sure, there are no better paying and respectable jobs than acting and singing! Stop this commodification of women, muslim or non-muslim, Mr. Ghulam. You might be a ghulam of your male chauvinistic mentality, we are not. We are intelligent enough to make our own choices and need no fatwas/opinions from you. May be your kith and kin would value it; so, shall we expect actresses and singers amongst them? good luck!
Commodification of Women?
Acting and dancing are art, not commodification of women. Women like Nargis, Madhubala and Meenakumari have made significant contributions to thespian art, and have made many Muslims feel proud of them. If a woman considers such work to be inappropriate, she should not engage in it, but a woman who has talents in this field and wants to express herself through art should feel free to do so.
Interesting that you should
Interesting that you should mention these yesteryear actresses, 2 of whom died really young, one of T.B. and the other of liver cirrhosis, but actually they died of grief, of being exploited by their fathers and husbands. Their deteriorating health and sickness was kept a secret,so that the last lucrative deal could be extracted. Vultures feeding on carcasses is the image that comes to mind. Are these the role models and life styles that you suggest young girls should aspire to for???
Even more interesting is the fact that you don't mention any present actress. Considering, that acting and singing are the only respectable and well paying professions that you think worthy of being pursued by girls, muslim or non-muslim, this omission is quite suggestive.
Girls/women who are talented, not necessarily in acting, but rather in being naive, gullible and starry eyed are following the diktats of agents and career managers and are ready to do anything, again not much related to acting skills, for fleeting glamour and stardom.
Strange....one would think that wholesome careers like teaching, medicine, surgery, research, architecture, engineering, art-painting, music and theater for someone gifted, would be better life choices than BOLLYWOOD.
I think you should have the decency of refraining from using this forum for your agenda of subjugation and commodification of women.
Reply to Aalia
True that Madhubala and Meenakumari died young, but other women who are not actresses have died young too. If a woman has the talent for and passion for acting, there is no reason to block her from developing her God-given skill. By the way, I have written several times that women should be free to be surgeons, architects, professors, teachers, maulvis or lawyers. The issue is of opposing restrictions on women's freedoms, not commoditazion.
Deband's fatwa misunderstood
Written by Azeemullah Siddiqui
Old student of Darul Uloom at Deoband
9958760089
Before main topic be touched on, it must be clear that what fatwa is like in Islamic term and what position it holds. Encyclopedia of Islam has defined Fatwa as a legal advice pertaining to Islamic way of life. It is however, not a verdict of the Kazi (judge) of Islamic court, which is a binding on the followers of Islam.
With reference to Deoband’s much hyped fatwa regarding prohibiting woman to work in private and governmental sector created much noise and cry. Prime facia it is a matter of utter misunderstanding. Darul Uloom Deoband issued several fatwas in the past that tell other set of story. If you randomously visit its blog specified for woman issues in both Urdu and English version, you will find that it favored job of woman in all sectors with two conditions, firstly complying by modest Islamic dress, secondly keeping away from intimate contacts and co-surroundings in the office. These two conditions are not confined to only office work, but is related to every department of life whether home or college and university or office work place. Does woman do a job for her family? Yes says the same seminary in its fatwa issued on March, 29, 2010, and on April 24, 2007 and several others. What happens with regard to Darul Uloom Deoband that first a Mufti writes fatwa in Urdu, and then it is translated into English by other English knowing man. I have contacted many Maulanas from Darul Uloom Deoband on phone; most of them said it could be a matter of mistranslation. But it can get confirmation only with seeing the real copy fatwa in Urdu. In Islam there is no problem if woman works and gives monetary support to her family. The are several evidences from the age of prophet of Islam that favors my opinion. One among them is what recorded in Muslim Sharif the most trusted document of Hadith, the story of Zainab wife of Abdullah (RZ) she asked the prophet of Islam through (Bilal RZ) whether she could support her husband and family in the hour of need (spend money on them)The prophet replied, yes, it is better she would be dually rewared on the account of two reasons; first support to a relative and other help of a needy.(Muslim Sharif volume 3, page 80) perhaps It was the reason why Mufti Mahmood Hasan, the former Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband gave a clear edict that the earnings of woman though she earned without maintaining Islamic dress, was halal and could be spent on family. (See Fatawa Mahmoodia volume 18 page 64, 94) In the early period of Islam (in the age of prophet) woman was busy in every sort of political, economical and social work and the prophet of Islam never prohibited them. (See Bukhari Sharif volume 5, page 222.) In this tradition the prophet appreciated the handicraft work of a lady and gave her confidence to continue.
Don't try to fool us!
It is not misunderstood!
You are fooling people, the media hungry liars, green brigade of Deoband wanted to impose their stupid ideology to all the Muslims, which is not acceptable at any cost!
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