Guest Contributions

Choosing My Own Chains

~ thesecularbrownie ~ 4 Comments

 

The following is a guest contribution by “Hope.”

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Choosing My Own Chains

 

The Rhetoric

  • “The shackles of Ms. Clairol… you are a slave to the cosmetics industry… a prisoner of Hollywood’s concept of beauty… if you don’t’ fit their standards you are nothing!  Allah subhanawata’ala gives you freedom from all of that.”
  • “A woman is like a piece of candy – she must be covered to not let filth pollute her.”
  • “A man is like a stone, if you drop the stone in mud, you can wash it clean; however, a woman is like a piece of silk, if you drop it in mud it is forever soiled.”  
  • “Your husband is like your father except you bear children with him.”
  • “A woman needs “ta’deeb” (discipline) which is why Allah gave men the right to hit her, she is in her nature rebellious; therefore, the man who hits his wife honors her by keeping her “ala al sirat al mustaqueem” (on the righteous/straight path).

 

Yes, I was well versed in this rhetoric; it was instilled in me as a young girl.  I fell for it too. Click to keep reading!

#ExMuslimBecause: A Story of Mental Gymnastics

~ thesecularbrownie ~ 6 Comments

The following is a guest contribution by “Anna Kafra.”

 

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Photo Credits: Green Prophet

#ExMuslimBecause

(a story of mental gymnastics)

I never chose to be Muslim. Most of us don’t even if we do defend it any chance we get. I was a big defender.

We’re taught at an early age that there is no god but Allah. Mohammad is the messenger of Allah.

We’re taught that Allah is the greatest, creator of everything, and that it’s haram to ask why or how, or to deny this.

We’re taught that it’s better not to know some things, because knowledge can be bad. Click to keep reading!