Ali Belhadj Quotes
Let's observe how low did public morality stoop: people do not give to charity anymore, nor do they respect property which we entrusted to them. Males obey females, filial loyalty disappears when children get married. Men drink wine, clad in silk. They associate with musicians and belly dancers
An earthquake struck Egypt in 1962. Belhadj and many others saw it as God’s punishment for the level of morality.
Ali Belhadj, Algerian Front Islamique du Salut (FIS) Deputy Leader, Description of Egypt in 1962, Quoted in The Middle East Quarterly, March 1995
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The Islamic leadership of that era came from the East and not Arabia. Theirs was a much more modern form of Islam where the basic values were very similar to those of other major religions. Also, toleration of minorities was an assumed requirement for all. When the axis of world Islamic leadership shifted to the Arab nations, the fundamentalist intolerance ascended and minorities were not only persecuted but were expelled from Arab countries in an effective ethnic cleansing. “Mussalman” was a then common word used in India to denote a Muslim.
In the last centuries, Egypt has been intellectually more advanced than the other Arab countries. It has a significant number of modernists who oppose religious influences on Government. During the Arab Spring when the old regime was ousted, the modernists had hopes that a modern democracy would be formed that was not controlled of even significantly influences by religious leaders and where women would have equal rights. However, the first election the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious party won, and then tried to institute Islamic law—Sharia. A coup ousted the Muslim Brotherhood, and then many dreamed again of a modern, non-sexist, secular democracy. Professor Ajami tried to give them a more realistic view.
There is relatively little freedom of speech in Egypt and most Islamic countries where the traditional Sharia laws prohibiting blasphemy and the tradition of not publicly embarrassing the Caliph or the Sultan, combine to protect the modern Islamic state from criticism. Turkey, Tunisia and a few other Islamic states are exceptions. Under this Egyptian law anyone could be jailed for bringing “shame” to national and Islamic values. On September 6, 1981, the Egyptian Director of Public Health, Dr. Nawal El Saadawi was actually arrested and jailed for three months for saying that women were ill treated in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world. See {586710} for the kinds of statements for which Egypt would jail leading citizens.
This is one of the biblical passages which cause some Christian Fundamentalists to prescribe a secondary and subjugated role for women. Also the view that women, like children, should be seen and not heard. Also it supports those who object to women in the ministry or the priesthood or in senior teaching positions. See {587063}. It is useful to note that much of Islam which preaches a similar view of females, probably learned it from Christianity which preceded Islam by almost 600 years.
Within Christianity there has been a continual debate regarding a woman’s proper role in society in general and in church affairs in particular. This quotation is often used to justify a husband’s dominant role over the wife. Also it supports those who object to women in the ministry or the priesthood. See {587062}. It is useful to note that much of Islam which preaches a similar view of females, probably learned it from Christianity which preceded Islam by almost 600 years.
In September of 2005 a Danish Newspaper published some political cartoons showing the hypocrisy of some Muslims who use Islam to justify murder of innocents and terrorism. Months later, in January of 2006 many in the Middle East protested vehemently and Muslim riots broke out because the Prophet Muhammad's visage was depicted against Islamic tradition. Many Muslim nations started a boycott against Denmark. Many Muslim leaders claimed that insulting religion was an “abuse” of freedom of speech including those from nations which regularly publish material that is virulent against Christians and Jews.
Some modern Islamic scholars have attempted to make this Sura more acceptable by arguing that the size of the stick with which the man may beat the “disobedient” wife should be limited. The contemporary argument concentrates on the size of the stick. There are also a few fundamentalist Christians who advocate the right of a husband to beat his wife on the grounds that this was accepted in Biblical times.
The level of religious charity would be impressive for modern times. It is a marvelous insight into 14th Century Damascus.
This proverb is a large part of the conceptual basis of the concept of honor killing. It starts with the notion that women are property. However, being animate property women are in the same class as livestock. And if a camel or a donkey get lose and does damage, the owner is responsible. So if a woman does something wrong, it is the father or the husband who is responsible. Since sexual behavior of most kinds is contrary to the Islamic custom and law, any activity in this regard, demonstrates that the father of husband has not been up to his obligations and is therefore dishonored. Therefore, the least he can do, to provide a deterrent to other women is to kill the offending female. Without the concept of property, the entire chain of logic collapses under its own weight.
In Bedouin society women may not own land or cattle.
Ali Belhadj (also Belhadj; Arabic: علي بلحاج) is an Algerian Islamist activist and preacher and cofounder of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) political party, the winner of the June 1990 local elections and the 1991 Algerian legislative election.
