A Fascinating Letter

I usually check the Gulf Daily News Online every day. It is an English-language newspaper here in Bahrain. I enjoy reading the Letters to the Editor section. Lately there has been an ongoing debate in the Letters section discussing the issue of women's dress (Muslim hijab vs. less modest clothing). This morning I read a very fascinating letter from a Muslim woman and thought it was worthy of re-printing. Additionally, though she is speaking to other Muslims, I think it really applies to everyone, regardless of what their particular religious affiliations are:

"Silence is surely deafening

I AM curious as to this recent spate of letters for and against the hijab.
I want to know why the issue of hijab is such a strongly contested one. Why Muslims are willing to protest and riot over it being banned such as in France? Why so many believe it's practically a pillar of Islam and consider women who don't wear it outside the shadow of Islam and not 'really Muslim'? Why girls are sent back into a burning building because they are not wearing the hijab and end up burning to death for it? Is the hijab even more important than life?

How about all those terrorist bombers out there who claim they are performing jihad or holy war in the name of Islam? How come we aren't protesting and rioting against those misguided animals who are destroying the peaceful image of our religion in every corner of the globe?

Yet when somebody draws some cartoons of our prophet (PBUH), we riot and protest and people end up getting killed over it.

When someone writes a book denouncing Islam, we are up in arms causing damage and headlines and in the end proving them right about the non-peaceful aspects of Islam. When people are stoned for adultery, women suffer and the men go free, we are curiously silent about it.

When girls' schools are closed and education is deemed unnecessary for them, we become mute.

When women are kept bound in marriage to abusive husbands because the right to divorce is taken from them, the silence is deafening.

You may probably say all these are part of culture not Islam. Of course it is, but so-called Muslims are doing it. So who do you think get the blame. Muslims who can't read and enlighten themselves about true Islam and practice oppressive patriarchal cultural traditions?
How about Muslims who read into the Quran that God wants death to all non-Muslims or that bombing is OK if you say Allahu Ahkbar first and go to the mosque and pray once the smoke clears and the body count is televised?

How about those Muslims who believe women are inferior to men and so must bend to the will of men in all matters and not to the will of God?
Why aren't we protesting against those Muslims, those so-called Islamic practices?
In the end, it's not any of those Muslims that get blamed for what others perceive Islam to be - it's God.

Non-Muslims around the world are blaming Allah for creating such a backward oppressive religion that promotes terrorism, oppresses women and makes the headlines every night with some new horrific tragedy. And it's moderate Muslims who remain silent when all this occurs who condone and agree with its continued practice by remaining silent. Just saying 'that's not Islam' is not enough anymore.

If we can protest and riot over hijab, cartoons and anti-Islamic books, why cant we protest over terrorism, oppression and down right un-Islamic practices that have turned our religion of peace into a mockery and a scapegoat for every evil act men can come up with these days?

We need to stand up and claim our religion back and should stop arguing and causing a division in the ummah over petty stuff that hardly warrants the weight we give it.

We need to show the terrorists and the world that whatever religion they are practising (or just claiming to) surely isn't Islam. I've had enough. How about you?

Lee Ann Fleetwood"