Why 'who is a Muslim?' has no easy answer, Islamic Ideology, NewAgeIslam.com

Islamic Ideology

Why 'who is a Muslim?' has no easy answer

The Muslim community, argues a new book, is far from the

unified group the media make it out to be

By Sarah Barmak, Nov 22, 2008

I wanted this book to portray a diversity of views. The things (contributors) have chosen to write about appear to be things that have been thrust on Muslims, like the war on terror, but other things are things you don't hear about, like what it's like to raise Muslim children or to be a scientist and Muslim.

The piece I wrote in the book looks at Muslim women and their attire. Look at young girls who have been forbidden from wearing hijab at sporting events. Usually this (debate) is about the imperilled Muslim woman being saved from the Muslim man, and usually the saving is being done by a civilized European. In this case, it's about saving them from the danger of the scarf itself. What's amazing is that it's made despite any evidence showing that any woman has been strangled by the hijab ever. The second issue is the woman who wears the niqab. (Look at) the failed voting legislation that was proposed by the Conservative government a few months ago (banning voting with veils, alleging it would lead to voter fraud). In fact, there is no voter fraud problem in Canada, or at least not a significant one. Of course the people this affects are Muslim women ... The stereotype is not that women are victims, but the aggressor; that Canadians need to be protected from this woman who is going to defraud the voting system.

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