Page 274 - Bigotry: The Dark Danger
P. 274
Bigotry:
The Dark Danger
Examples of the Fanatical Mindset that Compares
Women to Animals
The race of women consists of ten species, and
the character of each (of these) corresponds
and is related to the distinctive quality of one
of the animals. One (species) resembles the
pig, another the ape, another the dog, another
the snake, another the mule, another the scor-
pion, another the mouse, another the pigeon,
another the fox, and another the sheep. (from
Counsel for Kings by Imam Ghazali)
Here we need to ask; what kind of opinion of a woman could a
man who believes in such nonsense possibly have? How can he love
and respect his wife? How could such a person feel anything other
than hatred for the person who should be the closest to him in this
world? How could he attain the love that is so important in the
Qur'an if he literally regards his own wife as an animal?
He cannot, of course. Yet in the Qur'an, God speaks of the impor-
tance of a special kind of love and compassion between spouses:
Among His signs is that He created spouses for you of your own
kind so that you might find tranquility in them. And He has
placed affection and compassion between you. There are certainly
signs in that for people who reflect. (Qur'an, 30:21)
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