Sisters in Islam (Malaysia)

[struggle4progress]

... theSun: When, how and why was Sisters in Islam (SIS) formed?

... So, where is the justice in Islam? That was the major question. If we believe Islam is just, if we believe God is just, how can such unjust practices be justified in the name of God, in the name of Islam? And for us as believers, rejecting Islam is not an option, it's unthinkable. So, that was when we decided to go back to the Quran. Like on the issue of polygamy, it was a shock for all of us because we had all been brought up to believe that polygamy is a man's right in Islam.

But when we went back to the Quran, it was so explicit in the Quran, the verse that says, "And if you fear you cannot do justice, marry only one, that would be best for you." So, the question that arose in our minds was, how come one half of the verse that says "marry two, three or four" is universally known, codified into law and recognised as a man's right? How come the other half of the verse that says "marry only one" is silenced, and not known, and not codified into law?

So, in reading the verse, for us, as women, we saw God speaking to us and understanding the experience that we go through. And God says very clearly, that if you cannot do justice, marry only one. So, it's really not the religion. It's the whole process of interpretation. Then, of course, a natural question is: How come we didn't know, because I went to five years of religious school plus religious education in regular school, how come I never knew? How is it that I only knew that it is a man's right to have four wives, and never knew God actually explicitly said, "marry only one if you fear you cannot be just"?

I remember I was so excited about this discovery, I talked to a particular man in my office and he didn't believe it. He said, "No, it is not true. It's rubbish. It's a man's right to have four wives." He wouldn't believe me. And then I said, "Ok, I will bring the Quran to show you." So, the next day, I brought the Quran to the office and asked him to read it. He refused because his privileged status in life was not going to be challenged, not going to be turned topsy-turvy. He's a lovely guy, a good friend of mine, but he said, "Nope. I don't want to read it. I don't want to read it." ...

http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=4081

[msongs]

1. more wives are ok if "you" can do justice to them, seems clear to me nt

[struggle4progress]

2. It's completely unclear to me what you are saying

[Igel]

3. The naive reading is that if a man doesn't fear he won't do

justice to them, then it's his right.

It's not the justice that's the criterion, it's the man's fear.

On the other hand, I've seen Arab News sermons that emphasize maintaining the women and being fair/equitable with them. I suppose that means if you're a man and doing well, you get four wives ... then if your means diminish, well, just ditch the ones you can't afford.

Seems reasonable to me. :think: