Letter: Islam believes in equality for all human beings

Friday, July 26, 2002 | 9:32 a.m.

I am horrified at the obnoxious July 23 letter by Jeanne Rochon, headlined, "Columnist's views on Islam are distorted."

I am a Muslim woman from a Muslim country and as far as women's status in Islam is concerned, Islam is the only religion which gave dignity and respect to women as far back as the seventh century, in the backward Arabia. Here I quote a Western writer, Karen Armstrong's words, in her book "A History of God" (Chapter 5 -- Unity: The God of Islam):

"It (Islam) also gave women legal rights of inheritance and divorce: most Western women had nothing comparable until the nineteenth century ..."

As to the "genital mutation of girls" is concerned, please note this may be a tribal or cultural custom by some tribes in Africa who may happen to be Muslims, and is not practiced in any other Muslim country as this is not an Islamic practice. Therefore if the .... "books and documentaries on the issue are grisly and disgusting" the blame should go to the practitioners, not to Islam. There are thousands of books written by Western scholars on Islam depicting and appreciating the positive aspects of Islam. Study those before making any judgment which my be distorted due to ignorance.

Islam is the religion of peace, of unity, of equality of all human beings, irrespective of color, cast or creed. And it should not be prejudiced against due to tribal, cultural or political practices.

NABILA KHANAM