WHAT ROLE DID WOMEN PLAY IN

THE ATTACK?

   Women in Islamic countries held a power whereby they

could have changed the traditions, social relation-

ships, ethics, spiritual values and, most important of

all, the pattern of consumption in the same way that they held

a power to preserve all this. Why? Because of the sensitive spir-

it of the East. It tends to accept the luxuries of civilized life and

new products quickly more easily. This is especially true when

confronted by bright, new, eye-catching things of beauty-espe-

cially when opposed to these, they find nothing but ugliness.

   During the time of the exploitation of Africa, European

imposters would move among the black tribes offering glass

beads and fake jewelry (which are usually even brighter than

the natural stone). In all of the ceremonies, the better-off among

the tribes, the kings, the large farmers and the feudal lords

could all be pointed out. This was particularly true of the local

ceremonies and weddings because their actions were based one

hundred percent upon psychological laws. Those who liked the

fake things the most were the most primitive.

   We see that today, those who worship luxurious ornaments

are the Arab shaykhs, the heads of some African nations, the

movie stars and the newly wealthy people. A few of fake lights

and glass beads were given to the heads of African tribes and in

return the colonialists received a herd of sheep or a great pas-

ture land or the rights to mine diamonds or permission to plant

coffee. It is obvious from this how important the role of the

newly modernized African woman is.

   It is also apparent how sheltered, Eastern women suffer

from social rules presented to them in the name of religion and

tradition as is done by present day Islam. They are presently

denied learning, literacy, human rights, social possibilities and

freedom to develop. They are not able to explore and nourish

their spirit and their thoughts. Even the rights and possibilities

which Islam itself has given to women, have been taken away

from them in the name of Islam. Present day Islam has placed

woman in the same category as a washing machine. Her human

values have been lowered to 'mother of the child'. She no longer

even has a name but is called by the name of her child even if

her child happens to be a boy. She is called Hasan's mother. This

is exactly like paralyzing her and then saying that because she

is paralyzed, she is deprived of everything. The sorrow lies here.
 
 

OPPRESSORS AND THE OPPRESSED

   Ali said two parties are required in order to bring about

oppression. One is the oppressor and the other is the one who

accepts the oppression. It is the co-operation of these two which

brings about oppression. Oppression cannot be one-sided. An

oppressor cannot perform oppression on the air. Oppression is

like a piece of iron which is formed by the striking of the ham-

mer of the oppressor upon the anvil of the oppressed.

    Not only is oppression a result of corruption, deviation and

misery, but it requires two sides working together to come into

being. In the defeat of a society, it is not just the victor who

breaks. Society must allow itself to be broken. For instance, in

the 7th century AH it was not Chengis Khan who defeated us.

It was we ourselves who were corrupted from within. From the

5th to the 6th century AH, we were preparing ourselves to be

defeated. It was because of this that Chengis defeated us. He

only kicked the corrupted states once and they fell down and

were defeated. The termites (who had built their homes inside

our tree and had begun eating away the body from the inside)

left it empty, dry and without roots. These termites caused the

tree to fall to the earth and not the strong wind which blew

upon the tree. Strong winds always blow in the forest. Why is it

that just this tree or that one falls down?

    The creation of superstitions, the spreading of ignorant

backward beliefs, the inherited systems of cultural servitude

the tradition of 'father power' in the community, the lack of psy-

chology, all weave themselves together like a spider's web. And

it is this very web which impoverishes the woman within itself.

She becomes known as 'someone who is behind the curtain'. All

of this occurs in the name of Islam, in the name of religion, in

the name of tradition and worst of all, in the name of 'similari-

ty to Fatima'.

   It is explained to her in terms of chastity and the necessity

to nourish her children. I don't know how a person who is her-

self incomplete and useless, who is missing a part of her brain

and who is excluded from literacy, books, education, discipline,

thought, culture, civilization and social manners could possibly

be worthy of being the nourisher of tomorrow's generation.

   Most probably they mean fattening their bodies when they

say nourishing the children. What can this weak creature of

the house, (born to sit behind a curtain without thought or cul-

ture), who has not been educated do for the development of her

child? How can she develop her child's sense of completeness?

How can she awaken the depths of the spirit within anyone?

How can she learn to accept the complicated ideas and feelings

of her child?

   What can she do other than nurse her child and change her

baby's diapers? In disciplining her child she can only swear at

it or use lewd language or cry or curse her fate. If none of these

has any effect, she implants the fear of an older brother or the

father in the child. If this doesn't work, she calls upon the jinn

and the angel of death or threatens the basement or the well.

And if this bad child with a roguish father should die young,

if he should be burned in the fire of brawls, there is nothing this

hidden creature can do when news of the death of her child is

brought to her. She in some measure created this situation. She

had unintentionally called forth the dead, dark monsters.

   Yes! These are the ways and means of educating and disci-

plining a child in a system where the only duty of a woman is to

nourish her children. It is perfectly natural to think that if she

spent her time making use of her cultural and social abilities, if

she were to become part of civilization, she would not be able to

perform her special mandate which is to bring up children. If

she were to develop and nourish her thoughts and her spirit

and become aware of the system she is part of, some would obvi-

ously conclude that her mandate would suffer.

   Thus we see the fate of woman in our conservative society

which has had false undertones of religion added to it. She

grows up in her father's home without breathing any free air.

She goes to her husband's home (her second lord and master) in

accordance with an agreement which is made between a buyer

and a seller. She is transferred to her husband's house where

the marriage license or ownership papers shows both her role

and her price. She becomes a respectable servant. A married

man means someone who has a servant who works in his house.

She cooks food, nurses babies, watches the children and sees to

the cleaning and ordering of the house. She manages the inside

of the house.

    She is a household laborer and a nurse but because she

works without any wages, she has no rights. She does the work

of a servant in the name of common, ritual, or civil law, but

since she cannot be a servant, she is called a lady. Because her

lord is her husband, she is called wife. As she acts as a nurse to

the children, she is also called mother.

    At any rate, she is working for herself. She is an expert at

her work, even though the level of work she does is equivalent

to the work of a servant or a nurse. It is no more than this

because she has not been trained to do more than this. She is

uneducated.

    We must point out here that our objection is to the well-

established fathers and wealthy husbands who condemn their

daughters or wives and who do so because they are women.

They keep them from an education and from self-completion in

the name of religion and faith. There are many women in Islam

who reached the level of authorized theologians, established

centers of learning and wrote important texts on science and

ethics and spirituality.

    But girls who do not have the economic means to pursue

education and those who work hard in their father's or hus-

bands houses, are most worthy of praise. Such a girl is the

woman of the tribe or the farm who helps her husband, who

shares in production (either by taking care of the animals or by

helping in the fields) who brings in an income as well as doing

the household work. She weeds, gathers spades the earth, gath-

ers grain, grapes and cotton. She gives water to the animals and

milks them. She then makes butter, yogurt or cheese for her

family's consumption or for selling at the market. She beats cot-

ton and wool. She spins thread. She weaves cloth. She sews

clothes. At the same time, she nurses her child, cooks food, and

cleans the house. Often she produces handicrafts within the

home as well. She is a wife, a nurse, a mother, a worker, and an

artist. She grows as freely as the trees of the gardens. She gives

her love with the purity of a turtledove. Like the deer of the

plains, she gives loving, motherly birth. She remains faithful in

this free house even though no force is applied. She gives freely

of her love to her family. Yes! She has the freedom to give-and

she has something to give, as well. Her freedom has not been

taken from her so that she can no longer move. It is not as if she

would want to run away if she were permitted to do so. Finally,

she pushes her fingers into the earth of the fields to cultivate it.

She plays with her child in her home. In the bedroom of her

husband, she removes his tiredness. She creates the most beau-

tiful and colorful handicrafts for the bazaar. She is the woman

we praise.

   The most bizarre woman, on the other hand, who must be

called 'absurd', is the lady of the house. She is a frightening

creature. This absurd woman is neither traditional nor

European. She is not like the European woman who is a mem-

ber of a household of two partners where the husband and wife

are equal, where both work outside of the home and where both

do the household duties inside the house. When the European

is a girl, she is free exactly like a boy. She is free to grow amidst

everything society has to offer. She is experienced from her

encounters. She has seen everything. She has come to know all

types. She has seen corruption and the correct way. She has

seen the right way and the wrong way, the bad way and the

good way, treacheries and kindnesses. Finally, she has seen all

of the colors, designs and architecture of life and society. She

has seen all the things in her own environment. She has sensed

them. She has received an education like any boy. Like a boy

she has specialized. She has achieved social independence. She

has her own economic income. She makes her own choice of

husband or partner in life.

   But the absurd woman is the woman who sits at home and

is good for nothing. As she can afford it, she has a maid, a cook,

a nurse, and it is they who actually do the work. She is a woman

who stays at home to take care of it, but others actually do the

work for her. As she is not a village woman, she does not work

and co-operate with her husband in the fields. As she is not lit-

erate, she does not read books, nor does she write books.

Because she has no artistic talents, she is not productive

Because she has a wet nurse, she does not nurse her children

Because she has a man servant, she does not do the shopping

for the house. Because she has baby sitters, she does not care

or her children. Because she has a cook, she does not cook

Because she has an F.F. system, she does not even open the door

of her house!

   What does this living creature do? Nothing. What role does

she play in the world? None! Can it be that a woman does not

into either an eastern or a western mould, is neither modern

or old-fashioned? Neither a woman of the office nor of the facto-

ry? Neither a woman of a school nor of a hospital? Neither a

woman of art not one of science, not of the pen nor of the book?

Neither a woman looking after the home nor a woman looking

after the children? She is not even the most common-place

woman of women's magazines.

   Really, what is her work? Who is this person? She is the lady

of the house, Daddy's lady of the old days. What is her profes-

sion. Consuming and only consuming. How does she pass her

time? Her time? As a matter of fact, she is very busy. She is busy

night and day. She is a thousand times busier than the village

woman. For instance, what does she do? She gossips, she devel-

ops Jealousies, obJections, affectations, ornamentation, rival-

ries, pride, false friendship. She complains, grumbles, ogles, has

a mincing air, full of coquetry and falsity. This lady of the house

is always busy. In her type of society, and in her social relation-

ships, she fills her frighteningly empty life.

   The public woman's bath was a weekly seminar where all of

the chaste women, who had nothing to do, who suffered no pain

went. They gathered together and each one recounted the

biggest and most important event of her life that week, either

 onestly or dishonestly through insufficient explanation. They

sold each other on their pride; they told their stories one after

the other; their imaginations took flight; their sweet ignorance

implemented their lack of intelligence. Surprisingly, all of them

were also aware of these groundless pretentions.

  Each one had such a scenerio. Each one listened to the lies

and exaggerations of the other one with relish, amazement

deep understanding and faked feelings. Each would believe the

other until it was her turn to be indebted to the others for lis-

tening to her. Thus, the others gave her a free chance to speak

of all her bruised beliefs, lack of excitement, uselessness and

ineffectiveness. Her existence, her inner emptiness and hollow

life were spread out to show off her ability, her current price,

her fantasies and her revenge.

   Now the public womens' bath has been closed to women of

this class. Modern living has prevented these women from such

social halls of forty columns and forty windows, where one full

day a week would be spent. To replace them, they have opened

women's clubs under various names. Absurd women leave their

homes and enter these cold women's clubs-which even lack the

steam and water of the previous establishment.

   If our women today are crazy and look like foreign dolls (not

foreign women), and if we look at the other side of the border,

we may see the innocent economics of exploitation, whereas on

this side of the border, we will see ourselves working hand in

hand with them. We cause our women to run away. We call her

the weak one', 'broken legged', 'servant of her husband', 'moth-

er of the child', and even 'lacking manners' and 'goat'.

   We separate her from humanity. We thought that if she had

beautiful handwriting, she would write to her lover. With this

type of thinking, it would have been better if we had blinded her

so she would never see a 'forbidden' person. In this way, Mr.

Jealous, who feels the weaknesses of his own personality, would

not have to worry about the disloyalty of his wife. He would be

safe to the end of his life.

   The virtue and chastity of woman is preserved by walls and

chains. She is not a human being who thinks and who nourish-

es common sense and comes to know things. We present her as

a wild animal, incapable of being disciplined. She will never be

tamed. The only thing to do is to keep her in a cage. Whenever

you leave the cage doors open, she will slip away. Her chastity

is like dew. When it sees the sun, it is gone. Women are placed

in a prison which neither leads to a school nor a library nor to

society. Like an unclean creature, like the untouchables of

India, she is not counted as a human being by society. People

who are called human beings are men, social animals. Women

are kept apart from society and given no credit for self-control.

   It was the Prophet who said, "Education is necessary for

Muslims, both men and women." But it is always men who have

had the right to be educated, and women (other than those

wealthy women who are educated with private tutors) are

denied education. They cannot take advantage of this impor-

tant Tradition.

    Parties centering on old religious traditions are no longer

open to today's young woman. Ceremonies for gaining favor and

seasonal lamentations are not interesting to her-nor are the

special animal sacrifices, nor the cooking of a special stew on

the third day after someone departs on a journey. Wedding

activities prepared without the groom and parties hunting for a

groom don't interest her.

    The young women sense the loneliness and nothing-to-do-

ness of their mothers, a loneliness barely covered over by reli-

gion and tradition. This, they know, gives their mothers a feel-

ing of positive action. It gives them a sense of responsibility

They are busy with comings and goings, designs and false

plans. But to the young women, these channels have all been

closed.

    The opportunities which their mothers had to show their

beauty and make-up skills are now gone. Younger women no

longer force themselves into the falsity of these sessions. If they

go, they take on an unattractive, cool, strange appearance, and

it 1S obvious that they are looking for a way out.

    The daughter of this woman, who belongs to another gener-

ation and another season lives in an intermediate world of two

meanings. The world of the grandmother is for her a complex of

stupidity and structured rites, full of ugly men and restrictions.

The grandmothers want to keep their gathering, their circle of

friends, their lamentation ceremonies as they were in the olden

times. While for the young woman, books, translations, novels

and art are important. She has more or less sensed the cultur-

al spirit of the world. She has caught the scents of learning,

knowledge and progress in school.

    The sermons given for women at their ceremonies-mostly

ceremonies of praise or lamentation-are usually given by illit-

erate lamenters. The exhausting continuation of this is unbear-

able to the young woman. She wants to fly away. But to wherev

There are hundreds of invitations for parties. There are danc

ing parties, night clubs and dirty bars which look upon her as

easy prey. They pull her to themselves.

    But she wants to retain her human characteristics of faith

ethics and loyalty. She sees that what her mother, father, uncle

and other members of her family, offer her (in the name of reli-

gion, ethics, character, chastity and strength) is a collection of,

"No, don't go, don't do that, don't sing, don't see, don't say, don't

know, don't write, don't want, don't understand!"

   We see that the mother lives in a type of comfortable, empty

wasteland. She has no direction, no responsibility, no philoso-

phy of life and no meaning to her existence. She has money and

no problems and no reason for living. Day and night she turns

her house around but there is nothing to fill her life. Out of

boredom, she leaves the house to go shopping and then, under

a veil, she tries to fill her empty life with amusement, jewelry,

make up, and redecorating. She makes expensive purchases of

strange things so that she can induce wonder and amazement

in others.

   But her daughter is not moved by these wonders. She

breathes a different air. She is like a doll caught between two

children who understand nothing. Each one pulls her towards

himself until the doll is torn to shreds. She becomes crushed

and steamrolled.

   Now, her heart experiences romantic thoughts, the attrac-

tions of freedom and love, the whisperings of her budding sexu-

ality, the blossoming of intellectual endeavors and the attrac-

tive images of a new world outside her wall. Sometimes she

looks through a peep hole or turns to the windows like a thief.

Her body is under the influence of the commands of her mother

and the advice of her father. She is like a fly caught in the spi-

der's web of no! no! She remains imprisoned. She feels that the

only crime she can be convicted of is being a young girl. She is

an illegal, dangerous entity who must remain hidden in a cor-

ner of the house until an authorized thief comes and takes her

as his mate to his harem. And there, the whole range of her

existence will be the space between the kitchen and the bed. It

is only the man's stomach and that which is under his stomach

that give her existence meaning! The man doesn't even allow

her to attend religious meetings or entertain religious feelings-

Even religion is separated in this system of thinking.

Speaking, chanting, the lamentation ceremony and table

offerings for gaining favor-these are the religion of women,

whereas centers, schools, libraries, lessons, discussions and lec-

tures constitute the religion of men.
 
 

THE CRIES OF EXPLOITATION

   What has prepared the groundwork for exploitation which

cries out, "Free yourselfi'' From what? It is no longer important

to know from what. You should be freed. Your breath is cut-off.

You have nothing. Free yourself! Be free of all things.

    The one who is burdened under the heaviest of loads and is

drifting offonly thinks about awakening, getting free and rising

above her burdens. She does not think, 'How should I arise?'

    They said, aWomen will be freed-not by books or knowledge

or the formation of a culture or clear-sighted vision or by rais-

ing the standard of living, or by common sense or by a new level

of vision of the world-but rather with a pair of scissors. Yes.

Putting scissors to the modest dress!" This is how they think

that women will all at once become enlightened!

    The complexes of Muslim and Eastern women have become

the playthings of psychologists and sociologists in the service of

exploitation and world economics. They say of her: "A woman is

a creature who shops!"

    The description such as, "A human being is a rational ani-

mal," is transformed when it relates to women. It becomes, aA

human being is an animal who shops." She knows nothing other

than this. She has no feelings and essentially, plays no role. She

has no spirituality, no beliefs. She is valueless.

    In one of these magazines devoted to Eastern women the

amount of cosmetics and beauty ads increased 500 times. 500

times is a very great quantity. It is a miracle. It has never hap-

pened before in the whole history of humanity. The consump-

tion of economic goods usually increases 8%, 9%, 10%, 20% but

not 500%! This is a symbolic consumption.

    In present day society, the desire to consume one new item

is followed by the desire for more. For instance, as soon as the

traditional coat changes, a new coat and trousers replaces it.

The old type of shoes are replaced by leather shoes. Traditional

styles of hats are replaced by new ones. In homes, carpets are

replaced by modern furniture and old houses are replaced by

new ones.

    Thus, when Europe sends a new product to our society, it

paves the way for consumption of further new products. When

consumption changes, it is a sign that people are changing

because there is a very sensitive relationship between a con-

sumer and the product consumed.

    Women in Islamic societies must not only be transformed

into consumers of goods exported from Europe and America but

they must also become active participants within their house-

holds. They must learn to relate according to today and tomor-

row's generations. They must change the form of society. They

must have an effect upon ethics, values, literature and art.

They must have a deep revolutionary effect upon everything.

They should be put to work upon this way.

   Time, culture, social possibilities, new economics, changes

in social relationships, new thoughts-all of these conditions in

an Islamic society, themselves, change the types and traditions.

Women become obliged to change internal and external condi-

tions because past modes are no longer practical nor sufficient.

   Now that things must be changed, isn't it logical that capi-

talists should get busy and prepare their moulds so that as soon

as a woman puts aside her traditional mould, their mould can

be forced upon her? They make her into a form they want and

then place her, instead of themselves, in a position to corrupt

society.
 
 

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

   In the midst of this disruption-which has been imposed

upon us and will continue to impose itself upon us what can we

do? Who is it that can take up the mandate?

   The one who can do something, and, in saving us plays an

active role, is not the traditional woman asleep in her quiet,

tame, ancient mould nor is it the new woman, the modern doll

who has assumed the mould of the enemy. Rather, she is the one

who can choose the new human characteristics, who can break

old traditions (presented as religion, but in fact, only national

and tribal traditions ruling the spirit, thoughts and behavior of

society). She is a person who is not satisfied with old advice.

Slogans which are given by doubtful sources do not interest her.

Behind the prepackaged slogans of freedom [of the monarchy],

she sees ugly, frightening faces which act against the spiritual,

and which oppose the human. She sees that they contradict the

spiritual, the rational, the human. They are against women and

the human reverence of women.

   It is such people who know where those things which are

forced upon us come from. They know from where they get their

orders. What creatures they have sent to the market place!

Creatures without sensitivities, without knowledge, without

pain, without understanding, without responsibility and, even,

without human feelings. Fresh, clean dolls-'worthy ones'. It is

obvious what their worthiness is in and for. Their means of sup-

port and its derivation are also obvious. This is tossed to our

women and they know why.

   It is because of them that "Who am I? Who should I be?" is

pertinent, since they neither want to remain this nor become

that. They cannot surrender themselves to whatever was and is

without their own will and choice playing a role.

   They want a model.

   Who?

   Fatima.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE SOCIAL CUSTOMS OF THE HEJAZ

   Fatima was the fourth and youngest daughter of the

Prophet of Islam. She was the youngest daughter of a

household in which no sons survived. She was a girl born

into a society in which special value was placed upon a son.

   Centuries before Islam, the social order of the Arabs had

passed beyond the Age of the Matriarch. During the Age of

Ignorance, prior to the mission of the Prophet, the Arabs had

established the Age of the Patriarch. The gods had become

masculine whereas their idols and their angels were feminine

(that is, daughters of the great god, al-lah). The tribes were gov-

erned by 'white beards,' and the family was ruled by the grand-

fathers. Essentially, their religion was a kind of ancestor wor-

ship. They adhered to whatever beliefs and practices their

fathers had maintained.

   It was against the religion of ancestral fathers that the

great prophets, mentioned in the Koran, revolted. When con-

fronted with these prophetic revolts against ancestor worship

and myths of the first fathers, the Arab tribes preserved their

masculine traditions. It was a kind of inherited, imitative wor-

ship based upon the principle of father worship.

   The Prophets brought a revolutionary message. They tried

to awaken thought based on the principle of worshipping God.

Beyond this, the difficult life of the tribes of the dry desert was

filled with mutual hostilities. The basic principles were 'defend

and attack' and 'keep your promises'. In this society, the son

played a special role based upon the 'uses and needs' of the soci-

ety's social and military principles.

   According to a universal principle of sociology, where profit

is substituted for value, being a son is by and of itself of the

highest essence. A son embodies virtues, meaningful social and

ethical values and human nobility. For this very reason, being a

girl or having a daughter, is humbling. A girl's frailness is 'being

weak'. Her 'being weak' pushes her towards slavery, which

lessens her human values.

    She becomes a creature who is a disgrace to her father, the

toy of a man s sexual urges and slave of the home of her hus-

band. Finally, this creature always threatens her kinsman's

sense of honor, as she is considered the highest form of shame

and disgrace. For the betterment of society and the relief of

one s mind, how much better to kill her while still a baby! Thus

the honor of her fathers, brothers and ancestors, of all men for

that matter, was not stained. As Ferdowsi tells us in the

Shahnameh:
 
 

        It is better to bury women and dragons in the earth

    The world will be better off if cleansed of their existence.
 
 

   An Arab poet tells us, "If a father has a daughter and thinks

of her future, he should think about three different sons-in-law:

one, the house which will hide her; two, the husband who will

keep her; and, three, the grave which will cover her! And the

last one, the grave, is the best."

   The saying which refers to the grave as being the best son-

in-law has existed in all languages of the wealthiest and most

honorable men. All of the honorable fathers and brothers who

are bound to and place emphasis upon their male ancestors, all

who understand the ideals of name and honor live in anticipa-

tion of ridding themselves of their sister or daughter through

marriage. A poet reminds his daughter of the most beloved of

sons-in-law, "The most beloved son-in-law is the grave."

   This is that very same poet who says women and dragons

are both better covered by the earth. "Covering the girls with

earth is a way of preserving honor." This is why the Koran, in

the strongest terms, warns of the dangers of this frightening

'highest honor' when it says: He hides himself from the people of

evzl for the tzdings given him. Should he keep her with disgrace

or bury her alive in the dust? Behold, evil is what they decide"

[16.59]. As an Islamic commentator on the Koran has shown,

this tragedy essentially has economic roots. Society's fear of

poverty was prevalent in the Arab Age of Ignorance.

   Girls have been buried alive because of the fear that they

might bring dishonor in the future by marrying an unsuitable

husband or fall into the hands of an enemy during a war thus

becoming slaves in a strange land. All of these are secondary

phenomena. But the basic reason is an economic one.

   As we previously indicated, in the old Arabic tribal system,

people were faced with the hardships of life (particularly in the

deserts of Arabia) and the constant difficult relations among the

tribes. Such a life required strong and powerful support.

Automatically, a son became an important factor in economic

and social life as well as in the defense of his family or tribe. He

was a necessary social element of the family and the tribe. A son

brought bread, but a daughter ate it. It was natural that the

sexual differences caused class differences. Men fell into the

class of ruling and owning, and women fell into that of the ruled

and the owned.

   The relationship between a man and a woman was like that

between a landowner and a peasant. A man and a woman, as

economic entities, had different human and spiritual values

placed upon them. A landlord, for example, might embody a

noble blood-line and possess inherited wealth and princely

virtues. The opposite might be true of a peasant or a woman.

   Poverty sends all the male gains or can gain to the four

winds. Through poverty, a woman may become the cause of the

family losing self respect. The possibility always exists that she

will "disgrace" the family by marrying someone who is her

social inferior. In my opinion, this fear (although disguised as

an ethical phenomenon) is related to economic factors of inher-

itance law whereby the son preserves the ownership of land and

assures the continuation of centralized wealth for the next gen-

eration of the family.

   In patriarchal societies, when the father dies, the oldest son

inherits everything-not only the land, but also the wives of his

father, including his own mother! So, if daughters did not inher-

it, the wealth of the father would not be divided up and distrib-

uted to other families through the daughters. This is the reason

why in our old wealthy families, there is still a very strong

emphasis placed upon the daughter marrying within the fami-

ly. They pledge an uncle's daughter to an uncles' son 'in heaven'.

Thus the uncle's daughter cannot take her inheritance out of

the family as she would if she were to marry a stranger.

   This is why ancient historians and modern scholars who

write the history of religion have different explanations for the   L

burying alive of female children in the Age of Ignorance. Some

of the scholars say, in primitive religions, girls were sacrificed

to the gods. But the Koran most strictly and clearly says that

the reason for their murder was the fear of poverty. In other

words, it was an economic factor. The other explanations are

just words. In my opinion, this clear interpretation and descrip-

tion is not only scientifically correct but also emphatically

rebuts those who talk about the ethical, chaste and noble

responsibility a tribe had in burying new born females alive.

This crude, cruel action resulted from baseness, vileness, fear of

poverty and love of wealth. It was a direct result of their fear

greed, and weakness, although they tried to hide their deed by

explaining it with noble words of honor, integrity, chastity,

respect. The Koran emphasizes, "Do not kill them from fear of

pouerty for We will provide foryou and your children" [6:151]. It

expresses the main reason for the tragedy. It awakens people. It

directly and straight-forwardly says that this practice is neither

ethical nor noble but rather is one hundred percent economical-

ly motivated. It stems from greed and wealth, from weakness

and fear.

  Before Islam, the public was not aware. The majority of the

people believed female infanticide to be a reaction of the public

conscience. They believed it showed a brave spirit. and that it

protected the family honor. Arab tribal society gave all the

human values to a son, whereas a daughter was considered to

lack all virtues and human authenticity.

  A boy was not only capable of earning his livelihood, but he

was also a help to his father, a protector of his family, a tribal

hero, the bearer of his heritage, the continuer of society, the

spirit of his family, and the flame which lights the family lamp

upon the death of his father.

  A daughter was a living piece of furniture. After she mar-

ried, her personality dissolved in a stranger's house. She

became the furniture in another house where she could not

even retain her family name. Her children belonged to a

stranger. They carried his name and were/inheritors of his her-

itage.

  A boy had the material power to g*erate capital, aides soci-

ety and perpetuate the patriarchal system. He had prestige,

fame, value and spiritual credit. He supported the authenticity

of the family. He was the giver of security and subsistence and

the future authority of that family. But a girl was nothing. She

was considered to be so weak that she must always be protect-

ed.

   Like a bird whose foot is tied to a stone that prevents it from

flying freely, she prevented a warrior from freely attacking the

tents and castles of his enemies. And when defending his tribe,

the warrior was always anxious that she not be taken as a

slave. His slightest negligence could put her into the hands of

the enemy. Then the entire tribe would suffer the shame of her

enslavement.

   During times of peace, the family must be careful that she

didn't cause them shame by marrying an outsider. After all of

these efforts, expenses, and anxieties, a stranger might come

and take her away. She was like a field that one cultivates and

whose crops another bears off. This was why the best solution

was naturally to kill her at an early age. She should be given in

wedlock and call the cold grave, 'son-in-law'.

   A man who had no sons was called 'cut-off'. He had no prog-

eny and no continuation; he was barren. Yet the word kawthar

in the Koran means fullness, advantages, blessings as well as

progeny and many children. God in answer to the disbelievers

who called His beloved Prophet 'cut-off' gave the Prophet the

good news that he would have many offspring.

   In such an environment, the moment was ripe for fate to

rend the veil. It was the time to direct the state of things. Life

had become a stagnant, spoiled lagoon. It was time for a seri-

ous, creative revolution. It was the moment for a strong wind to

blow. Suddenly an amazing plan was put into action, sweet but

diffficult. Two people were selected to carry out this plan, a

father and a daughter. The Prophet (the father) must carry the

heavy load and Fatima (the daughter) must reflect within her-

self the newly created revolutionary values.
 
 
 
 

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE BIRTH OF FATIMA

   The largest Arab tribe was the Quraysh. The Kabah was in

their hands which naturally gave them tribal nobility.

They were divided into two families: the Bani Umayyid

and the Bani Hashimi. The Bani Umayyid were the wealthiest

but the Bani Hashimi were the most honorable for they were in

charge of looking after the Kabah.

   Abd al-Muttalib from the Hashimi clan had died. His son,

Abu Talib, was the new leader of the Bani Hashimi, did not

have the power that his father had. He had gone bankrupt in

trading. He was living in poverty and had distributed his chil-

dren (to be cared for) among his family.

   A very strong rivalry had broken out between the two tribes.

The Umayyids were trying to gain control of all of the property

and honors of the Quraysh. They wanted to, at the same time,

break the spiritual hold of the Hashimis. Among the Hashimi

tribe, the family of Muhammad (SAW) had received new credit.

The grandson of Abd al-Muttalib had just married Khadija, a

wealthy, well-respected widow of Makkah. This gave him a

stronger social position.

   The honorable standing and personality which Muhammad

(SAW) showed, the trust and credibility which he had among peo-

 ple and, in particular, among all the Hashimis and the leaders

of the Quraysh, made everyone see-that he reflected the honor

of Abd Manaf and was the protector of the nobility of the

Hashimis. People sensed he would be the reactivator of the

honor and nobility which Abd al-Muttalib had possessed.

  Hamza was a youth, an athlete. Abu Lahab was a man with-

out credit. Abbas was wealthy but without character. Abu Talib

honorable but without money. It was only Muhammad (SAW), who

along with his wife, had character. He had youth as well. He

and his wife had a respectable amount of wealth and were part

of the family tree of the Bani Hashimi. Great developments

were expected from this family. Their shadow fell over Makkah.

    Everyone was waiting for the sons to be born to this family,

sons to bring strength, credit and nobility to the family of Abdul

Muttalib. The first child born was a girl, Zaynab. But the fami-

ly was anticipating a son. The second child was a daughter,

Ruqiya. The anticipation grew stronger and the need also

increased. The third child was a girl, Umm Kulthum. Two boys,

Qasim and Abd Allah were born. They held great promise. But

they did not blossom. They died in infancy. Now there were

three children in this house, and all three were girls.

    The mother had aged. She was over fifty years old. The

father, although he loved his three daughters, shared his tribe's

feelings and their anticipation. Could Khadija, who was almost

at the end of her life, bring forth another child? Hope had

become very dim. Yes! Happiness and hope once again filled the

house. The excitement reached a peak. This was the last chance

for the family of Abd al-Muttalib, the last hope. But once again,

a daughter. They name her Fatima.

    The happiness and hope of the Hashimi tribe fell to the

Umayyids. Enemies whispered, "Muhammad is cut-off. The

man who was the last link in his family chain, had four daugh-

ters. Nothing more."

    How sad. What a beautiful and strange game fate was play-

ing. Life passed on. Muhammad (m) drowned in the storm of

his mandate and his appointment as the Prophet of God. He

conquered Makkah and freed all the Quraysh prisoners. All of

the tribes were under his leadership and his shadow was

thrown over the whole of the Arabian peninsula. His sword

crushed the Emperors of the world. His song rang through the

heavens and the earth. In one hand, strength, and in the other,

prophecy: the full honors.

    And now, Muhammad (SAW)was the Prophet. In the city,

filled with waves of happiness, he had power and greatness the

like of which a human being could never conceive. A tree, which

did not grow from Abd Manaf nor Hashimi nor Abd al-Muttalib,

grow, rather, from a light under the mountain of 'Hira'. It

extended from one end of the desert to the other, from horizon

to horizon. Till the end of time, it encompassed (and will con-

tinue to encompass) all of the future.

And this man had four daughters.

   But no, three of them died before he did. And now, he had

only one child, a daughter, the youngest, Fatima.
 
 
 
 

CHAPTER NINE

ISLAM REVOLUTIONIZES THE POSITION OF WOMEN
 

THE KORANIC WORD, KAWTHAR

   Muhammad (SAW) was heir to all of the family's honors,

inheritor of a new kind of wealth based not upon blood,

not land nor money but upon the phenomenon of reve-

lation. Born of faith, struggle in God's Way (Jihad), revolution,

thought and sensitivity, he was beautifully woven. He received

the highest spirit. Muhammad (SAW) was joined to the history of

mankind, not to that of Abd al-Muttalib, Abd Manaf, the

Quraysh nor the Arabs. He was the inheritor of Abraham,

Noah, Moses and Jesus (AS). Fatima was his only heir.

"We gave you kawthar, oh Muhammad. For your Creator,

establish the prayer and sacrifice a camel. It is he, that very

hated enemy of yours who is cut-off' [108]. His enemy with ten

sons was cut-off. He was useless, cut-off without the highest

form of inheritance. "We gave you kawthar,"-Fatima.' It was in

this way that revolution appeared in the depths of the con-

science of time.

   Now, a daughter became the owner of the values of her

father, the inheritor of all the honors of her family. She was the

continuation of the chain of great ancestors, the continuation

which began with Adam and passed through all of the leaders

of freedom and consciousness in the history of mankind. It

reached Abraham  (AS) and joined Moses (AS) and Jesus (AS) to

itself. It reached Muhammad (SAW). The final link in this chain of

divine justice, the rightful chain of truth was Fatima, the last

daughter of a family who had anticipated a son. Muhammad

had known what the hands of fate had in store for him. And,

Fatima, also, had known who she was. Yes! This school of

thought created such a revolution. A woman, in this religion,

was freed like this. Isn't this the religion of Abraham and of

them, his heirs?
 
 

THE HONOR BESTOWED UPON A FEMALE SLAVE

   Nobody had the right to be buried in a mosque. The great-

est mosque in the world was the Masjid al-haram in Makkah.

The Kabah. This house belonged to God. It was devoted to God.

It was the direction to which all of the prescribed prayers were

oriented. The house was ordered by Him and Abraham built it.

It was a house which the Prophet of Islam honored with the

mandate of freedom. He freed this 'House of Freedom', circum-

ambulated it and went down in prostration towards it. All of the

great prophets of history were servants of this house. But no

prophet had the right to be buried there. Abraham built it, but

he is not buried there. Muhammad freed it, but he was not

buried there. In the whole history of humanity, there was one,

and one person only, who had been given this privilege. The God

of Islam allowed one person to be buried in this way. Who?

   A woman. A slave. Hagar, the second wife of Abraham and

mother of Ishmael. God ordered Abraham to build the greatest

house of worship of humanity and, alongside it, the grave of this

woman. Humanity must forever gather around the tomb of

Hagar and circumambulate it

   The God of Abraham chose a woman from among this great

human society as his unknown soldier. God chose a mother and

a slave. In other words, The God of Abraham chose a creature

who, in all systems of humanity, lacked nobility and honor.
 
 

THE HONOR BESTOWED UPON THE PROPHET'S DAUGHTER

   Yes, in this school of thought such a revolution took place. A

woman was freed in this manner in this religion. This is how

Islam appreciated the position of womanhood. The God of

Abraham has chosen Fatima. Fatima, a girl, replaced a son as

the inheritor of the glory of her family, maintaining the honor-

able values of her ancestors and continuing the family tree and

prestige.

   In a society that felt the birth of a daughter to be a disgrace

which only burying alive could purify, where the best son-in-law

a father could hope was called 'the grave', Muhammad (SAW)

knew what fate has done to him. Fatima knew who she was.

This is why history looked in amazement at the way

Muhammad (SAW) behaved towards his young daughter, Fatima,

at the way he spoke with her and at the way he praised her.

   We see that the house of Fatima was next to the house of

Muhammad (SAW). Fatima and her husband, Ali, were the only

people who lived next to the Prophet's mosque. Only a court-

yard of two meters separated the two houses. Two windows

faced each other, one from the house of Muhammad, the other

from the house of Fatima. Every morning the Prophet opened

his window and greeted his young daughter.

   We see that whenever the Prophet went on a journey, he

knocked at the door of Fatima's house and said good-bye to her.

Fatima was the last person who bade farewell to him.

Whenever he returned from a journey, Fatima was the first per-

son he sought out. He knocked on the door of her house and he

asked how she was.

   It is recorded in some of the historic documents that the

Prophet would kiss the face and hands of Fatima. This sort of

behavior was more than just the relationship of a kind father

and his daughter-a father kissed the hands of his daughter,

his youngest daughter! Such behavior struck a revolutionary

blow against the inhumane relationships of that time. "The

Prophet of Islam kissed the hands of Fatima." Such a relation-

ship opened the eyes of important people and politicians. The

majority of the Muslims gathered around the Prophet in amaze-

ment at the greatness of Fatima.

   This sort of behavior on the part of the Prophet of Islam

taught humanity to discard bad habits and fantasies of history

and traditions. It taught man to come down from his Pharaoh-

like throne, to put aside his pride and rough oppression and to

bow his head when meeting a woman. It taught women to

aspire to the glory and beauty of humanity and to put aside old

feelings of inferiority and baseness.

   This is why the words of the Prophet not only show the kind-

ness of a father but also bring out his responsibilities and strict

duties. He showed his appreciation for Fatima and spoke about

her in the following terms: "The best women in the world were

four: Mary, Asiyah [the wife of Pharaoh who brought up Moses],

Khadija and Fatima." And, "God is satisfied with her content-

ment and becomes angry from her anger." Or, "The contentment

of Fatima is my contentment. Her anger is my anger.

Whosoever loves my daughter Fatima loves me. Whosoever

makes Fatima content makes me content. Whosoever makes

Fatima unhappy makes me unhappy." And, "Fatima is a part of

my body. Whosoever hurts her, has hurt me, and whosoever

hurts me has hurt God."

    Why all this repetition? Why does the Prophet insist upon

praising his young daughter? Why does he insist upon praising

her in front of other people? Why does he want all of the people

to be aware of his special feelings towards her? And finally, why

does he so emphasize the contentment and anger of Fatima?

Why does he so often use the word 'hurt' in relationship to

Fatima.

    The answer to this is very sensitive and important. It is

clear. History has answered it all: the secret of these wondrous

actions was unveiled, in the few short months after the death of

her father.
 
 

THE MOTHER OF HER FATHER

    History not only speaks of the 'great ones', it also attends to

them. Children were always forgotten. Fatima was the

youngest child in the family. Her childhood passed in a storm.

Her birth date is debated. Tabari, Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hashim

give it as five years before the Prophet's mission. Murravij al-

Zahib Masudi mentions it as five years after the Prophet's mis-

sion. Yaqubi says, "After the revelation." Thus, there is a differ-

ence of opinion among the recorders of the Traditions. The

Hanafi, Malikis, Hanbalis and Shafiis, say, five years before the

mandate of the Prophet, and the Jafari say five years after his

mission.

    We leave it to the scholars to enlighten us as to the exact

date of her birth. We are concerned with Fatima herself and the

reality of Fatima. Whether she was born before or after the mis-

sion of the Prophet does not concern us here

    That which is clear is that Fatima remained in Makkah

alone. Her two brothers died as infants and Zaynab, her oldest

sister, who acted as the mother of this beloved child, went to the

home of Abi al-Aas. Fatima bitterly accepted her absence. Then

Ruqiya and Umm Kulthum's married the sons of Abu Lahab.

Fatima remained even more alone-if we accept her birth as

having been before the mission of the Prophet. If we accept the

second date, then, essentially, from the time she opened her

eyes, she was alone. At any rate, the beginning of her life co-

incided with the heavy mandate of the Prophet. It was filled

with great struggles, difficulties and punishments whose shad-

ows fell upon the house of the Prophet.

   While her father bore the mandate of consciousness for

mankind upon his shoulders and suffered hatred from the ene-

mies of the people, her mother consoled her beloved husband.

Early in childhood, Fatima tasted the suffering, sadness and

anger of life. Because she was very young, she moved about

freely. She made use of this freedom to accompany her father.

She knew her father had no life of his own, had no opportunity

to take hold of his child's hand and walk freely and easily down

the streets and into the bazaar. He always went alone. In the

sea of the town's enmity, he swam with dangers on all sides. The

small girl, who knew her father's fate, never let him go alone.

   Many times she saw her father standing amidst a crowd of

people. He spoke to them softly and they, in turn, harshly sent

him away. Their only answers were to mock him and show him

enmity. He felt lonely and friendless again. But quietly and

patiently he gathered another group. He began his speech all

over again. At the end, tired and having achieved no result, like

fathers of other children who returned home from their jobs, he

also returned home seeking a bit of rest. He then returned once

more to his work.

   Once when he had gone into the Masjid al-haram, where he

was vilified and beaten, Fatima, still a small child, stood alone

a short distance from the scene. She watched and then returned

home with her father.

   One day while prostrating himself in the mosque, his ene-

mies threw the intestines of a sheep at him. Suddenly, little

Fatima, reached towards her father, picked up the intestines

and threw them away. Then with her small, loving hands, she

cleaned her father's head and face, comforted him and led him

to their home .

   People who saw this thin, weak girl, alone, beside her cham-

pion father, saw how she comforted him. She supported him

through his troubles and sufferings. With her pure, child-like

heart, she sympathesized with him. It was because of this that

she came to be called umm al-abiha, the mother of her father.