This is your place to publicly comment on the topics and issues addressed in Speaking of Faith programs. React in a personal way, and put into words what this program meant to you.

Submit Your Reflection about "Muslim Women and Other Misunderstandings."

The Western View of Muslim Women (December 13, 2006)
The interview with Leila Ahmed by Krista Tippett about the western concern for women in Islam is just another example of how the west again fails to understand Islam and Muslims.

You chose an "American-Egyptian Harvard scholar" to speak about a subject which needs to be addressed by, or at least with the presence of, a well-informed scholar of Islam and Islamic law. With all due respect, Ms. Ahmed is a very well-educated and, definitely, very academic personality, but she fits more for discussing the aspect of social role of women in third world countries than to put herself as a spokesman of Muslim women. By listening to her discussion it seems that her knowledge of Islamic views and perspective of women in Islam is very superficial, especially about the veil and segregation. She referred to the very essential teaching of Islam about women as "fundamentalism." This word has increasingly become an excuse to swing away from the real teaching of Islam to fit non-Islamic agendas.

I have been living in the United States for over thirty years, and for some reason the media almost always focus on personalities whose views are very compromised and far away from the real teachings of Islam and they label them as moderates. If you really and sincerely would like to discuss issues like this, or any other issue which concerns Muslims, for God's sake, please host someone who knows about Islam, or have a well informed Muslim scholar participate. This way you would have his/her input in the issue and this would definitely enrich the program and makes it more objective.

It is not suitable for a lady who does not have a good grasp of Islamic teaching to discuss a very sensitive issue like this without the presence of an Islamic scholar. Being a "Harvard faculty member" does not necessarily qualify her to speak on behalf of Islam. I appeal to you to be more objective and to make objectivity as your priority. Please avoid being another element of an ongoing distortion and twisting the facts about Islam in the media.

Abdul-Rahim Safi
Plymouth Meeting, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)

The Islam that Speaks to my Heart (December 12, 2006)
I sometimes find myself too frustrated to listen to anything about Islam, mostly due to the negative tone and associations. (Most recently, I have heard "journalists" speaking about Muslim people as if they are not quite people at all. Of course no one says the words, but to hear the tone and terms they use, it is clear.)

I was heartened to listen to a Muslim woman who is not an apologist for Islam. I think there are too many people willing to relegate Muslim women to the margins of American society and to discount their experiences as simply part of their unfortunate and backwards acceptance of a barbarous religion. The Islam that attracted me is one of respect for all peoples. It is the Islam that reminds us that we have brains and that we are supposed to use them. The Islam that speaks to my heart reminds us that to be kind is better; that to forgive nourishes our souls. Thank you for presenting a different face of my chosen religion.

Carolyn Anwar
Port Henry, NY (Listens to SOF OnDemand)

Stereotypes about Muslim Women (December 12, 2006)
I think that everyone has the same stereotypes about Muslims and more so now after the 9/11 attacks. After listening to a different broadcast about Muslims and learning more I thought this interview should be pretty interesting. It turned out to be. I found out that the idea of head coverings actually was taken from the Christian religion. Also that the face veil that everyone thinks oppresses the Muslim women was originally worn only by women high in society. Men and women alike both wear head coverings and originally there was no law saying that women had to wear them. It was just a cultural thing that everyone did. After hearing this interview it seems like most Muslim women don't mind wearing what they do because it is a part of their religion. It seems even to this day that most Muslim women do not wear the face veil — they do wear the head veil, but that is a part of their culture. After listening to this broadcast I don't think that you can base your thoughts of the Muslim women being oppressed just off of their clothing.

Katrina Wolfe
Brooklyn Center, MN (Listens to SOF OnDemand)

Willing Submission (December 11, 2006)
Anyone who has read the Qur'an knows that, as far as human beings are concerned, Islam means willing submission — the voluntary surrender to God's Will (see, for example, 2:112, 2:131, 3:20, 3:83, 22:34, and 27:44). This can only come after we recognize and acknowledge God; there is nothing harsh about willingly "submitting" to our Creator, the One who gives us life, blesses us with innumerable bounties, sustains us, provides for us, listens to and answers our prayers, forgives us, and holds us accountable for the choices we freely make.

I wish that you would once have a guest who can speak about Islam from the heart as well, not just intellectually — even an ordinary person who prostrates to God and reads the Qur'an daily. There are millions of them out there, who really love Islam, can speak intelligently about it, and who can really enrich your listeners.

Magda Saikali
Savage, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)

Fun and Enlightening (December 10, 2006)
One of the things I look forward to every Sunday morning is your program. Listening to your conversations with your guests is always fun and enlightening. I especially am excited, albeit sometimes wary, when the program has to do with Islam and Muslims, since I myself am a practicing Muslim woman. I have lived here for almost twenty one years now and am currently teaching a course, Women in Muslim Tradition, at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. I thought it was such a treat that the semester is now ending and you aired this interview with Leila Ahmed, summing many of the points we discussed during class. I always recommend your program to my students and I hope they take advantage of the fact that they can access it online.

I loved your questions to your guest today, and how you helped clarify some of the points she was making through your insightful comments. Like Fatima Mernissi and her book Scheherazade Goes West, which my students just finished reading/writing about, and how that book reflected the author's change of mind about the east versus the west, and the meaning of the harem, it was refreshing and reassuring to see Leila Ahmed's transformation too through what she was saying, versus some of what she wrote in the two books you mentioned in the program.

Thank you for all the wonderful programs. I especially liked your interview during Ramadan with Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and thought it was just perfect. Keep up the good work and I look forward to reading your book when it comes out.

Manar Darwsih
Philadelphia, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)

Wider Spectrum of Faith (December 10, 2006)
I had an opportunity to listen to most of your program on Muslim Women. I am a Muslim American convert and am grateful for media coverage of Islam and Muslims that portray the wider spectrum of faith and practice, rather than the currently-imposed narrow view of extremism and intolerance. While much attention has focused more recently on Muslim immigrants in the U.S. as well as Europe, I hope that you will be able to address issues and concerns of Muslim converts in today's world, especially in trying to live an Islamic life in face of often conflicting images and attitudes that are expressed and presented by those from the historic Muslim world.

Thank you.

Ibrahim Siddiq
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Listens to NPR Worldwide)

Listening to Other Perspectives (December 8, 2006)
Thank you very much for this wonderful programming. It is very refreshing to read your findings. The subject not easy but so present in day to day life. Thinking and listening to other people's perspectives is the way to go. So again, thank you for trying to bring us closer — every time.

Didier Marchal
Clifton, NJ (Listens to SOF OnDemand)

What Leila Taught Me After Listening to the Program (February 22, 2006)
I am an African-American Muslim who had always thought of the veil that Muslim women put on their heads as a sharia — meaning it is a requirement for all Muslim women to were but Leila's comment about it has to do with the country you are from makes a lot of sense to me because I have not seen it written anywhere in the Qur'an. Another thing that I totally believe was the comment about how Muslim women with the veil are interpreted in America, especially after September 11. The program in general was very educative to me even though I knew some of the things she was telling us.

Fatima Jallow
Charlotte, NC (Listens to SOF OnDemand)

Fulfilling Their Responsibilities (November 16, 2005)
I can't say enough about the latest informative program. I'm glad to see you again addressing the deeper issues that affect Western and Muslim worlds. The program provided excellent information about issue that becomes misleading for Westerners. Over the years, scarves and veils worm by women raised many examinations — inquisitive and sometimes served as justification for military intervention to liberate.

I'm often appalled at how the media portrays Muslim women wearing a veil, a burkah as sign of oppression and force into obedience. However, when scarves are worn by women of other religions such as Catholic nuns and Hasidic Jews, it is considered as a sign of pious commitment to religion. I am a Muslim man living in the West, and I know every woman in my family and including Muslim women that I've come in contact have chosen to wear scarves without being brainwashed or forced into it. They are not making any political or religious statements through their choice. Rather they are fulfilling their religious responsibilities and beliefs.

Nebil Sabo
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)

The Veil to Feel Safe? (November 3, 2005)
I fear for the women who are so veiled that they only have a slit through which they can view the world. I have read of places like Afghanistan where the women have such a limited field of vision they cannot see what's around them and they really can be in danger. It seems to me that it is social pressure and fear that sometimes requires these woman to be veiled — the need or desire to please their husband and family. Also sometimes in very hot weather I've seen a husband in a short sleeve shirt while the wife is all covered up. I visited Morocco where some girls explained to me that they felt liberated with the veil but isn't that a comment on the society. Women need the veil to feel safe. I will read the books listed. Thanks for your show. I really enjoy it.

Beryl Goldberg
New York, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)

The Threat of Fundamentalism (October 24, 2005)
I found this program very interesting and informative. I learned of the historical and cultural reasons for wearing the veil which broadened my understanding. It was enlightening to hear Ms. Ahmed's concern regarding the power of fundamentalists and how the issue of poverty impacts that power. It seems that perhaps Ms. Ahmed shares the concern of Western women regarding the symbolism of the fundamentalist requirements regarding wearing the veil, though that was unclear. I was dismayed at Ms. Tippett's response to Ms. Ahmed's question regarding concerns for women here in the U.S. at the hands of fundamentalism. Ms. Tippett essentially sidestepped the question and changed the subject. It is fair to say that this is of grave concern to many women in the U.S., including many women of faith. That question deserved answering. The power of fundamentalism to restrict the rights of women is a concern wherever it occurs.

Candace Enockson
Forest Park, IL (Listens via Web Audio)

Observing Ramadan as a Way of Sharing (October 19, 2005)
I just received my first online newsletter about Muslim women. Thank you. I have never heard your program, but I'm sure I would find it informative and inspiring. Although I am not Muslim, (I have grown up in South Carolina and am mostly a struggling Christian) I am observing Ramadan as a way to share something positive and spiritual with another culture with whom my beloved country is in deep conflict. I am also a public school teacher, and I take this opportunity to share my experiences with my students in a way that takes some of the mystery away from Islam. I have recently compiled a collection of writings and musings from local South Carolina women written to share with Arab women. The book is called Min Okhut la Okhut: From Sister to Sister. One of my former students has just finished the translation into Arabic. Again, thank you for the work you are doing.

Victoria Chance
Greenville, SC (Listens via Web Audio)

Like Prejudice Towards Men (October 17, 2005)
I enjoyed very much listening to your guest Leila Ahmed. What saddens me is that it needs to be said. It seems so obvious to me, so fundamentally truthful, that I have to remind myself that there are fools in this world. Women have been denied their rightful place because of the fear some or most men have of women's power. Men may have physical power, but are quite terrified of the raw emotional power that women have. The emotional strength women are born with far exceeds the physical. If women have any complicity in this arrangement, it is because they are not aware of their power, or deny it. As it cannot be denied or ignored, it becomes distorted and abused by men and women. The culture we live in, East West, doesn't make much difference, inflates the rubbish and ignores or commercializes the truth.

As a divorced father of a twelve-year-old daughter, I find so much prejudice towards men in this and all cultures, with some justification. No mention is made of the sacrifices men make; men do not express their anguish, frustration, or fears. That is their nature, but visit a divorced fathers group, and you will find, like support groups for obscure diseases, many of us, trying to find the right path in this fundamentalist world. I try very hard to make sure that my daughter is made aware of good men, truly strong women, so that when it comes time to choose a partner, she is not blindsided by this all pervasive culture of lies. Hitler believed in God too. As do most people who are in and run for public office. I do enjoy your programs. Be well.

Adrian Buckmaster
New York, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)

Why Change? (October 18, 2005)
I'll never understand why, if being a woman in an Islamic country is not much of a problem, Leila Ahmed became an American citizen. Not that I don't want her to be here, I just don't understand the whole idea.

Ann Wilensky
New York, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)

Searching for a Force for Change (October 16, 2005)
Thank you for a beautifully presented, deeply perceptive, and heart-warming program. I am an Egyptian now becoming American. I felt the genuine search for truth in your program. I grew up in the Egypt that Leila describes so sensitively; I know the feelings and surroundings that she evokes. I had to rip myself out of my country because of frustration and outrage at the way things are done in Egypt and in the Arab Middle East.

I am deeply concerned about the dangers of fundamentalism of any religion taking hold of our world, whether it be here, in Egypt, or elsewhere. My greatest problem with Egypt and the Arab Middle East is the pervasive systems of government that prevent any opposition, dialogue, and change. The sense of hopelessness and depression that I found around me in Egypt when I was there, and now, through the internet and media, makes me want to be part of a force for good change. I just don't know where to begin.

Raouf Zaidan
Aberdeen, SD (KDSD, 90.9 FM)

A Question of Compulsion (October 16, 2005)
I am listening to your interview with Leila Ahmed as I write this, and I must say that while she makes some excellent points about the dangers of imposing a Victorian or American cultural model on the Middle East, I am rather alarmed by her apparent lack of insight on several issues. Ahmed says that she doesn't understand why Americans consider feminist discussion groups empowering, whereas they consider the discussions in Islamic women's quarters oppressive. I would say that the issue hinges on the question of compulsion — while both situations describe all-female discussion groups, the former is perceived to be voluntary, whereas the latter is perceived to be compulsory. Likewise with veiling — I don't think most Americans these days want to force Muslim women to unveil. Rather, what we'd like to see is for Muslim women to have the option to unveil if they want to. Unfortunately, Ahmed completely ignores this key point and therefore ends up with a rather twisted argument as a result. In other words, freedom is not embodied in a particular action. Rather, it is embodied in one's scope of choice.

Marnen Laibow-Koser
Poughkeepsie, NY (WNYC, 820 AM)

Western Concepts about Muslim Women (October 15, 2005)
I am only responding to your weekly e-mail about the upcoming Speaking of Faith program addressing Western misconceptions about Muslim women, I have not yet heard the program. What annoyed me is that you don't address the misconceptions many Muslims have about Western women. For instance, our willingness to show our bodies is often interpreted as shameful, a cause of men's sins. Our freedom to come and go as we please, alone, unescorted, is interpreted the same way by many Muslims.

Whatever misconceptions I have about Muslim women is based in my unwillingness to allow any society to dictate a separate state of freedom between men and women. Women who choose to cover their entire bodies, never walking free and proud as they have a right to, bothers me deeply. This feeling of mine is not limited to Muslim women, but includes all the Western prejudices which women have fought for so long, with much, but not total, progress.

Maxine Saunders
Baltimore, MD (WYPR, 88.1 FM)

Restriction Imposed by Societal Expectations (October 14, 2005)
I am glad to know that you're addressing the very important subject of Western misconceptions concerning Muslim women. It's a mote-and-beam problem, if you'll forgive a New Testament metaphor. Such misconceptions are understandable when we consistently fail to understand our own oppression about ideals of body size and appearance. When U.S. women risk death submitting to surgery, drugs, and near-starvation to attain "beauty," and then claim to do so out of free choice, it's hardly surprising that we interpret the veil as restrictive. Restriction is what we encounter in our own lives — restricted food, restricted incomes, restricted sleep, restricted time, restricted ideals, and restricted spirituality and callings. The plain reality is that the burqa or chador is no more restrictive than the bikini when either is imposed as a societal expectation from without rather than offered as an actual option among realistic and equally attractive choices.

Jane Hunt
Concord, NH (Listens via Web Audio)

Is There a Muslim World? (October 13, 2005)
I am a regular listener to your wonderful and thought-provoking programs. Almost all the time you have guests that are not only knowledgeable but also daring and honest to discuss the issue. However I was more than disappointed by your program. I am sure that your guest has the intellectual caliber to discuss the issues raised. Yet I feel that she falls short on the courage and candor part. I have especially a hard time buying her lame attempts to blend and obscure differences, by merging the right with the left. These are some of the examples of such deliberate obscurantism:

1) In answering the question whether there is a difference between Muslim women getting together with the same of western women, she tries to assert that there is basically no difference between the two. I think this is totally false. A group of individuals choosing to get together in no way could be compared to them being forced into total seclusion. This is tantamount to comparing prisoners gathered in a room with that of free people choosing to associate with each other freely. Moslem women were never given the choice to lead a life that has no one but them. They are forced into that state. They are just prison mates not people gathered for intellectual discourse. Even if we are to accept your guest's assumptions, how can we compare the utter powerlessness of the Moslem women when it comes to action with that of the western world (I am not trying to exaggerate the unequal power distribution of power between the genders in the west).

2) "There is no Moslem world right now" is another assertion that is further from the truth. I think you were not trying to discuss the geographic distribution of the Moslem faith as much as the framework of a belief system. Of course there is a Moslem world that is not limited by geography. It could be found anywhere on the planet (including Paris and Chicago). Regardless of where they live, some of these women are living in what could be termed as a Moslem world. Their physical presence in the midst of a different culture does not imply that they live outside Islamic culture.

I believe trying to soften the truth and obscure the truth through intellectual diatribe and cunning interpretation does not serve any good purpose.

Wondwossen Abatheneh
St. Paul, MN (KNOW, 91.1 FM)