[quote=Heidi Guedel]Then why the burkah (sp?)
And why are girls only now receiving an education in Afghanistan and Iraq after the islamic regimes have been replaced by fledgling democracies?
the purpose of a woman (or man) in their life is : Knowing God and serving God. This is the main goal and all others are secondary, but also important.
(Note; Iraaq wasn't in any sense an islaamic regime, and the Taaliban were far from the true, accepted practice of Islaam, that's only for starters. the political side is so full of dis-info, avoid the mainstream media like plague: it's all propaganda)
More important than this side issue of gender relations, which is another false divider, a wedge used to divide humanity, a mean of driving us into easliy manipulatable herds (along with class, race, nationality, age, etc) the real issues (as muslims would see it) are WHO IS GOD? and WHY AM I HERE? and then WHAT SHOULD I DO? and WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER WE DIE? the old simple questions that haunted us since we were kids. Don't think it's naive to still ask them.
Also, the current practice of most muslims is not indicative of the teachings of the actual way of life. Most muslims are only marginally following Islam and this is a major reason for our downfall.
There are so many questions your questions bring up; what is the purpose of "education"? what is an education, really? then what is the purpose of an ecucation islamically and from a western secular perspective? then, where are you getting your information, how does the bias of this info and/or your "education" affect your outlook/prejudices? how can you know the whole picture without seeing both sides? How can you see both sides without knowing what muslims actually believe? If you want to know about Islam don't ask FOX News, seek out the authentic sources.
www.salafipublications.com
The wives of many of my friends wholeheartedly EMBRACE the veil, they proudly and independently CHOOSE to wear the veil. They value themselves more than to be pried on by every lecherous eye of the public. They value themsleves as FAR more than sexual , objectified animals, they know they are only degraded by seeking acceptance though exposing their bodies to complete strangers.
Allah Knows Best
Peace
PS- sorry the length of the posting but to add: the opposite could be asked in regards the exploitation of women as sexual objects: why the bikini if women are so valued? where is the honor in being valued for something so superficial and ONLY for that? If you got it flaunt it but if you don't your forgotten. Everything is comerce and your body has been commodified, your value is relative to your physical appeal, as long as that lasts. Your emotional and spiritual insecurity is good for the economy, keep buying what makes you feel valuable. Women are being exploited by their in-born desire for attention and used to control and distract the other half of society. Our culture, whats left of it, is being ruthlessly engineered for commercial benefit, ultimately for power's sake: those who would enlsave us would rather have us willingly sell ourselves. Their persuasion appeals to our lowest, base desires and uses these to ensnare us. Islam offers solutions on so many levels, whether familial, societal, ecomonic (with strict and logical rulings governing transactions, usury free in the strictist sense) etc...anyway, long posting but open minded research will pay off, God-willing. peace