A Letter to Muslim Women

March 7th, 2007
By Joanna Francis
Writer, Journalist - USA

Between the Israeli assault on Lebanon and the Zionist “war on terror,” the Muslim world is now center stage in every American home. I see the carnage, death and destruction that have befallen Lebanon, but I also see something else: I see you. I can’t help but notice that almost every woman I see is carrying a baby or has children around her. I see that though they are dressed modestly, their beauty still shines through. But it’s not just outer beauty that I notice. I also notice that I feel something strange inside me: I feel envy. I feel terrible for the horrible experiences and war crimes that the Lebanese people have suffered, being targeted by our common enemy. But I can’t help but admire your strength, your beauty, your modesty, and most of all, your happiness.

Yes, it’s strange, but it occurred to me that even under constant bombardment, you still seemed happier than we are, because you were still living the natural lives of women. The way women have always lived since the beginning of time. It used to be that way in the West until the 1960s, when we were bombarded by the same enemy. Only we were not bombarded with actual munitions, but with subtle trickery and moral corruption.

Through Temptation

They bombarded us Americans from Hollywood, instead of from fighter jets or with our own American-made tanks. They would like to bomb you in this way too, after they’ve finished bombing the infrastructure of your countries. I do not want this to happen to you. You will feel degraded, just like we do. You can avoid this kind of bombing if you will kindly listen to those of us who have already suffered serious casualties from their evil influence. Because everything you see coming out of Hollywood is a pack of lies, a distortion of reality, smoke and mirrors. They present casual sex as harmless recreation because they aim to destroy the moral fabric of the societies into which they beam their poisonous programming. I beg you not to drink their poison. There is no antidote for it once you have consumed it. You may recover partially, but you will never be the same. Better to avoid the poison altogether than to try to heal from the damage it causes.

They will try to tempt you with their titillating movies and music videos, falsely portraying us American women as happy and satisfied, proud of dressing like prostitutes, and content without families. Most of us are not happy, trust me. Millions of us are on anti-depressant medication, hate our jobs, and cry at night over the men who told us they loved us, then greedily used us and walked away. They would like to destroy your families and convince you to have fewer children. They do this by presenting marriage as a form of slavery, motherhood as a curse, and being modest and pure as old-fashioned. They want you to cheapen yourself and lose your faith. They are like the Serpent tempting Eve with the apple. Don’t bite.

Self-Value

I see you as precious gems, pure gold, or the “pearl of great value” spoken of in the Bible (Matthew 13: 45). All women are pearls of great value, but some of us have been deceived into doubting the value of our purity. Jesus said: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7: 6). Our pearls are priceless, but they convince us that they’re cheap. But trust me; there is no substitute for being able to look in the mirror and seeing purity, innocence and self-respect staring back at you.

The fashions coming out of the Western sewer are designed to make you believe that your most valuable asset is your sexuality. But your beautiful dresses and veils are actually sexier than any Western fashion, because they cloak you in mystery and show self-respect and confidence. A woman’s sexuality should be guarded from unworthy eyes, since it should be your gift to the man who loves and respects you enough to marry you. And since your men are still manly warriors, they deserve no less than your best. Our men don’t even want purity anymore. They don’t recognize the pearl of great value, opting for the flashy rhinestone instead. Only to leave her too!

Your most valuable assets are your inner beauty, your innocence, and everything that makes you who you are. But I notice that some Muslim women push the limit and try to be as Western as possible, even while wearing a veil (with some of their hair showing). Why imitate women who already regret, or will soon regret, their lost virtue? There is no compensation for that loss. You are flawless diamonds. Don’t let them trick you into becoming rhinestones. Because everything you see in the fashion magazines and on Western television is a lie. It is Satan’s trap. It is fool’s gold.

A Woman’s Heart

I’ll let you in on a little secret, just in case you’re curious: pre-marital sex is not even that great. We gave our bodies to the men we were in love with, believing that that was the way to make them love us and want to marry us, just as we had seen on television growing up. But without the security of marriage and the sure knowledge that he will always stay with us, it’s not even enjoyable! That’s the irony. It was just a waste. It leaves you in tears.

Speaking as one woman to another, I believe that you understand that already. Because only a woman can truly understand what’s in another woman’s heart. We really are all alike. Our race, religion or nationalities do not matter. A woman’s heart is the same everywhere. We love. That’s what we do best. We nurture our families and give comfort and strength to the men we love. But we American women have been fooled into believing that we are happiest having careers, our own homes in which to live alone, and freedom to give our love away to whomever we choose. That is not freedom. And that is not love.

Only in the safe haven of marriage can a woman’s body and heart be safe to love. Don’t settle for anything less. It’s not worth it. You won’t even like it and you’ll like yourself even less afterwards. Then he’ll leave you.

Self-Denial

Sin never pays. It always cheats you. Even though I have reclaimed my honor, there’s still no substitute for having never been dishonored in the first place. We Western women have been brainwashed into thinking that you Muslim women are oppressed. But truly, we are the ones who are oppressed; slaves to fashions that degrade us, obsessed with our weight, begging for love from men who do not want to grow up. Deep down inside, we know that we have been cheated.

We secretly admire and envy you, although some of us will not admit it. Please do not look down on us or think that we like things the way they are. It’s not our fault. Most of us did not have fathers to protect us when we were young because our families have been destroyed. You know who is behind this plot.

Don’t be fooled, my sisters. Don’t let them get you too. Stay innocent and pure. We Christian women need to see what life is really supposed to be like for women. We need you to set the example for us, because we are lost. Hold onto your purity. Remember: you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. So guard your “toothpaste” carefully!

I hope you receive this advice in the spirit in which it is intended: the spirit of
friendship, respect, and admiration. From your Christian sister – with love…

* This article is republished with the kind permission of the author. The original can be found on Crescent and the Cross. Joanna Francis is a writer and journalist. She manages her own blog.

Boycott !!!

Take pride in how far you have come
Have faith in how far you can go

I did'nt plan for this entry. But something or someone forcefully urged me to pen down some thoughts I kept in mind long to be exploded. It's about time I spit it out my mouth.

Okey, what I am about to write may be not be pleasing and pleasant to hear. Not even close. I would not recommend this post to be read by anyone who has potentially unstable state of emotions or minds. This is a warning sign.

Bismillahirrahmanir rahim. May Allah help me try my very best to make me rational and wise through out this whole entry. So here goes.


************ ********* ********* ********* *********


"We all baru gi makan KFC. KFC sekarang boleh makanlah. KFCkan bawah JCorp Sdn. Bhd. JCorpkan orang Melayu punya."

"Bukan nak sangat beli Nokia, tapi murah."

"I sangat suka vanilla shake McD. Sangat2 sedap. Irresistible! "

"Banyak-banyak benda, I memang tak boleh boikot Kotex. Memang tak boleh pakai yang lain. Tak selesa."

"Awak ni kenapa? Biarlah dia nak makan apa pon. Duit dia. Hak dia."

"Ala kita bayar pekerja dia, bukan bagi duit kat Yahudi."

"RM 1 = 1 peluru. Harapnya ini peluru yang tak kena rakyat Palestine."

"U ni strict sangat lah. Suma tak boleh! Kalau kita kaji betul-betul semua benda datang dari Amerika, Yahudi. Habis? Nak boikot suma? Kebulurlah nanti."

I have been boycotting the Israelis' and Americans' products since the time immemorial. And I was once, condemned by friends for my firm principle.

Not only had they criticized me for my unshakable faith, they gave me thousands of justifications to satisfy their desire to turn a blind eye to the clearly stated fatwa made by many big scholars throughout the globe, including Syeikh Yusuf Qardhawi.

When it comes to shopping or savoring good foods, my friends would normally resort to shops or fast food restaurants supporting the Americans' and Israelis' simply because it's cheap and tasty, and I was always the odd one out. As usual, certain lame excuses and annoying words not so nice to be heard would come out from their mouth to persuade me or insult me. As if I was the person guilty for holding my faith tightly (thus made me an alien). Yet I stood firmly strong to my principle.

Now that the Palestinians are being attacked (as if it has just happened 18 days ago), once again they shout out loud "BOYCOTT the Israelis and Americans product" quoting the fatwa given by the scholars long long ago. Then comes the tagging game ... things I have boycotted, things I will boycott, things I find hard to boycott..

I don't get it. Is it so DIFFICULT to boycott? Susah sangat ke nak tinggalkan sedikit kelazatan dunia sedangkan adik beradik kita di Palestine menderita? Matikah kita dengan memboikot semua itu? Andai kata mati sekali pon, tidakkah rasa berbangga kerana mati memperjuangkan deenul haq?

"Oh, tapi saya doa tiap-tiap hari tuk Palestine. Saya pergi demonstrasi. Saya pakai baju dan tayangkan badge 'Free Palestine'. Saya pakai mafla."

Owh iye ke? So what? You think you have materialized your faith towards the freedom of Al-Aqsa? You think you have done enough to help them when you are also with or without noticing funding your enemies?

This campaign has been going on for ages. Ever since I was in secondary school. Yet not many knew nor took it seriously. It frustrates me a lot knowing that despite acknowledging the on going war, they can still simply allow to indulge themselves too frequently and too freely in the boycotted items and companies. Compromising their principles to make their lives good and comfortable. Ingat main-main ke? Ini antara hidup dan mati rakyat Palestin. How many more lives would you let them slaughter until you really understand and act? How many more unjustifiable excuses would you want to make to satisfy your cravings and please your egos? Through out these years that we should have been boycotting but you haven't, how much money have you been giving the enemies? Shame! You may have learned your lesson, but the price is too expensive to pay. Yes, the price of losing so many innocent lives in Palestine.

On an optimistic view, probably this is a wake up call for the Muslims around the world to start boycotting the Israelis' and Americans' products. For those who were ignorant, will begin to boycott. For those who had forgotten, InsyaAllah will resume to boycott again.

Hopefully this plea and efforts to boycott will not be seasoned and lapse as the time flies. Hopefully this lively spirit will not perish nor deteriorate from our faiths and believes as the time changes. Hopefully it will remain still and strong in our hearts and the people of our younger generations.

May my hopes and prayers be answered by Allah.

Ameen.




A great thank you to my family who had enlightened me with the awareness and inspirited my boldness to hold strong and firm to this principle, guided and supported the boycott campaign through out time. If not for them, I may not be strong as I should and am today.

Adha
Cranfield


*Some of the points and words in this letter have been edited and canceled out by the moderator.