The Handshake that Never Happened
An Ominous Sign for the Women of Syria
In an incident that has ominous implications for the women of Syria, the new de-facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, refused to shake hands with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. She visited Syria, along with her French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, on the 3rd of January. Al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani) was happy to shake Barrot's hand but left Baerbock hanging. The reason is obvious, she is a woman.
In a previous article, I wrote about the many uncertainties that surround the new regime in Syria. It is still an open question whether the 'kinder, gentler' image that HTS (Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a former Al-Qaida affiliate) is trying to portray will last. This latest incident is, to put it mildly, not encouraging from the perspective of Women's Rights.
The reality is, if HTS is going to insist on remaining true to core Islamic teachings on women (as they seem intent to do), the women of Syria will suffer. Even without looking at the specific teachings of Islam on how women should be treated, it should simply be pointed out that the new rulers of Syria are committed to a faith whose 'prophet' made a point of demeaning women by questioning their ability to be accepted by Allah on the Day of Judgement.
It is true that Muslim apologists often proudly claim that Islam liberated women from the terrible conditions they lived in before the coming of Muhammad. Yet, it is probably fair to ask what exactly this 'liberation' means if Islam condemns women to hell simply for being women!
Allow me to explain. According to the most revered collection of ahadith (traditions), the 'prophet' Muhammad once passed by a group of women. He told them: "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women)." They asked, "Why is it so, O Allah’s Apostle?" He replied, "You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." The women asked, "O Allah’s Apostle! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said, "Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn’t it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?" The women replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her religion." (Sahih Bukhari 1:6:301)
So here we see Muhammad not only cheerfully consigning the majority of women to hell but doing so based on a staggeringly misogynistic claim. You see, women have monthly periods which, in Islam, means they cannot pray as often as men (as they are supposedly ritually unclean during menstruation). Fewer prayers mean less merit in the eyes of Allah. Because of this, their religion is 'deficient' and many are condemned to hell. Oh, and they are 'deficient in intelligence' as well!
Are we to understand that Allah (supposedly the 'Compassionate and Merciful') created women to have periods and bear children and then metes out terrible eternal punishment for being who they were created to be? In terms of current events, how will the women of Syria fare under a government committed to such teachings?
For much more about the implications of key Islamic teachings, please see my book ‘Questioning Islam - Tough Questions and Honest Answers About the Muslim Religion’
Regards,
Peter
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