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ANCILLARY
BENEFIT
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There
are many benefits that women derive because of the
provisions of the Islamic code. They are not immediately
realized because they are indirect. For instance,
take the fact that marriage is a contract in Islam.
Under this arrangement there is no such nonsense as
severing all ties with the parental home after marriage.
It may not be known widely but an Arab woman does
not change her name or her surname when she marries.
Married, separated, divorced or widowed, the rights
bestowed on her when she came of age, remain unchanged.
She continues to be a member of her clan and those
doors are always open to her, if need should unfortunately
arise. Compare this with the lot of her woebegone
sisters elsewhere, who may not be getting their due
respect in the husbands home. They must endure humiliation
year after year, because they have nowhere else to
go.
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Islam's strict ban on alcohol is another great benefit.
I wonder if Memsabs like Ms Nasreen have even the slightest
idea of the hand to mouth existence and the daily beatings
that non-Muslim women of the working class have to live
with, because the husbands drink.
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SUMMING
UP
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Such then is the Islamic code as applicable to women.
It grants a woman full rights as an individual when
she comes of age. These remain inviolate whether
she is married or widowed. She cannot be married
against her will. She will get a dowry when she
marries. Her entitlements of inheritance from her
parents, husband and sons (even brothers, in special
cases) are clear and specific.
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No
effort is spared to save her from the trauma of
divorce. If arbitration and waiting period fail
to save the marriage reasonable provision is made
for her. She has the freedom to seek separation
or divorce. The unborn child's rights are safeguarded.
Her earnings cannot be touched and she will not
be ill-treated. If widowed, remarriage is considered
commendable. Her parental home remains open to her,
no matter what.
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As
an infant she is not killed. As a daughter she is
cherished. As a wife she lives in dignity and as
a mother, she is respected and honored.
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The
vital thing to note in all these is that these are
not courtesies or privileges extended to her by
convention or social ethos. The actual text of the
scripture grants her these rights. To Muslims, their
scripture is not a basis for (pointless and endless)
discussions but the Divine word of God, to be followed
to the letter. It is the corner stone of their faith
that an Omniscient God is aware of all that they
do, in thought or deed; in public or in the privacy
of their bedrooms.
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