Islamic Oppression – Looking at the Past and Future

Post Ten, Week 11

By: Tori Travers

a) Although Muslims received their independence in the 1950s, they felt suppressed and controlled by the Westernized elites and believed they were not being treated equally. Muslim ideals and traditions were ignored by the Western leaders, which eventually resulted in a lot of tension between the oppressed Muslims and the Western civilization. After the militant jihad’s decided to take action and defend themselves against the Soviet Union, the Islamic revolution resulted in 1979. In Contemporary Issues written by Sardar and Davies, they state that they believe that this sudden feeling of power led to the establishment of the Taliban. The creation of the Taliban was a way for the Jihadi to create an idealistic Islamic state. However, current tension between the Jihadis and the West is extremely high, as both sides perceive each other as threats and enemies.

b) Sharia law, Sharia means “path” in Arabic, is an Islamic law created by the fundamentalists who are extremely strict about their Islamic views. This was also a major reason for the Islamic Revolution. The fundamentalists believe that in order to make an idealistic Islamic state, everything must be revolved around Islamic law. The Sharia Law is not the equivalent of the Qur’an, yet it is still perceived as “laws from God.” Sharia laws do the opposite of liberating women, as it signifies the objection of women’s rights. Another key characteristic of the Sharia law is the way it has punishments. The most extreme characteristics of punishment are known as the Hubud laws, which are demonstrated when someone commits a certain kind of crime. Beheading and stoning are some examples of punishment given by the Hubud laws. Just days ago, gay sex became officially punishable by death and stoning according to the laws. The Puritan fundamentalists are concerned with Hubud laws because they want the punishments to reveal that the “state is enforcing the whole of Islam,” (Sardar and Davies, 118). The fundamentalists use these punishments as a way for people to behave and to demonstrate how they would like to be viewed as strong and serious.

c) I do not believe Islamic law has always been consumed with “punishment”. According to the No-Nonsense Guide to Islam, Puritan Fundamentalists are the only ones worried about punishment and crime laws. A while back, The Muhammad talked down on punishment, explaining how everyone is equal and nobody deserves punishment. I think that the recent Islamic fundamentalists believe in these punishments, such as cutting one’s hands off as compensation for what they have done. I believe what has changed is Puritan Fundamentalists are concerned about never being able to go fully practice their religion because of the restraints from society. In this way, Puritan Fundamentalists could be afraid of never returning to what is pure, so they are implementing these scary rules.

d) Musawah means equity in Arabic and is a global organization that advocates for equality and justice in Muslim families. Their website says that their vision is “a world where the basis for all human relations is equality, non-discrimination, justice, and dignity.” I think that it’s very important that Muslims, especially women, are teaming up to connect and push for equality. This drastically differs with the way that Sharia Laws work to bind women away from basic human rights. Rather than saying that Islamic ways are superior, the Musawah platform works to combine Islamic principles with standards taken from many different nations laws and constitutional guidelines.