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)




                                              272
   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279