For the better and the worst...

My encounter with North African bloggers has started with Maghreb blog.net. That is where I have virtually met Adib, Oumelkhir, Manal and lately Thysdrus. I have never chatted with Thysdrus or Hannibal as it says on his blog but I was very interested by his postings and one in particular. Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Maghreb Blog Review XIII , the article asks a question about whether or not we Muslims should reconsider the way we live our faith.

First of all, who is this writer who gave himself the right to analyse for us what we need to do ourselves and two why aren’t we taking charge here?

I am not what is agreed upon as a good Muslim, I do my best to pray and fast but I would not categorise myself as “bonne musulmane”. But there is one thing for sure, I love my religion and I certainly love god.

But that being said, I do think that we need to reconsider some of the things we do vis-à-vis ourselves or our societies under the umbrella of Islam. When I posted that article “Conference of European Women Theologians”, I was not, gods forbid, complaining or other disgracing my faith; I was just looking for answers and I still am.

I believe that as a Muslim i ought to try harder to find answers to give those who either try to know more about our religion or to shut the mouths of those who would not leave a slight chance to throw insults at my face. Being a Muslim now is not as it used to be, we are ambassadors and representatives of our faith. If we call ourselves Muslims we have to defend it, and the only way for us in doing that is to be provided with the right and complete answers.

As a Muslim women and knowing all the stereotype that have made the front pages of the western news media, I need answers when asked to verify or deny things such 'Islam considers women as objects and not as an equal to the men'. I know that it is not true, and i certainly can give some answers but not complete ones. I am neither a theologian nor have I read and grasped the meaning of the holy book. That is just to say that it is time to call upon our Oulama to do their jobs and adapt their answers to the time and societies we live in. And to all the Oulama i say, please stop being biased, women are not your enemies but rather your halves, your daughters, mothers and …so a little fairness please!!

If I tell you how many people now have made it their favorite pass time to humiliate Muslims like me who try their best to stay unbiased; I need answers to protect myself and my state of mind. Because I have to admit that sometimes they come with rather very convincing arguments that could lead you to madness.

I can not blame them (all those who say this or that about Islam) though. Some of our “brothers” are just a disgrace not only to Muslim community but to the human being as well.

N.B: Please don’t let me wonder here alone join me or just tell me that my questions are not going to be answered.