Behind the Veil
Oftentimes the sight of a burqa—the traditional cloak worn by Muslim women—causes us to pause and stare. This vision, and the world it represents, is so foreign to many Christians, that for many, it floods us with questions and maybe even fear. What really lies behind that veil? If those eyes could speak, what exactly would they say?
The treatment of the women of Islam is not Godly.
Anyone with even a nodding acquaintance of the Qur’an recognizes that the Islamic religion treats women as property. Most of the behavior toward women can be traced back to Mohammed and his personal life. Mohammed got married at 25 to a woman 15 years his senior. After Mohammed was expelled from Mecca, an admirer brought his six-year-old daughter for Mohammed to marry. Muslim tradition claims that Mohammed (for obvious reasons) did not consummate the marriage until this young girl was nine. He then began adding wife after wife to his harem—all with Allah’s full consent.
While a few individuals in the Old Testament possessed multiple wives, God’s original plan of one-woman and one-man did not change. God did not condone this behavior. Paul made this clear in his writings (1 Corinthians 7; 1 Timothy 3:2, etc.)
How did Mohammed justify this behavior? Basically he hid behind the Qur’an. For instance, the Qur’an records: “Prophet! We [God] have made lawful for you the wives to whom you have granted dowries and the slave girls whom God has given you as booty;… This privilege is your alone, being granted to no other believer…. [We grant you this privilege] so that none may blame you. You may…take to your bed any of them you please.” (Qur’an 33:50-51).
This is a religion that allows and promotes concubinage. “Save with their wives and slave girls; for these are lawful for them” (Qur’an 70:30; see also 23:5). Mohammed advised men who were tempted to marry “other women… two, three, or four of them” (Qur’an 4:3). Note that two is the minimum number Mohammed suggested—not one! How can one read this and harmonize it with God’s Word, which strictly forbids fornication and adulterous relationships? The writer of Hebrews indicated: “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Hebrews 13:4
Additionally, Sharia Law also permits the possession of women slaves. While external public pressure caused slavery to be declared illegal in Saudi Arabia in 1965, and the Sudan in 1991, the practice continues in northern Africa
(and is quietly practiced in many places in the Middle East). Consider the following passage in the Qur’an regarding the treatment of slave women: “Do not force your slave girls into prostitution in order that you may enrich yourselves….” That may sound good, until we read the remainder of that surah, which says, “… if they [slave girls] wish to preserve their chastity.” Mohammad then continues, “If anyone [i.e., any slave owner] compels them [forces chastity-choosing slave girls to be prostitutes], God will be forgiving and merciful to them.” In other words, don’t force them if they want to preserve their chastity, but if you do God will forgive you.
One obvious question is, how did Mohammed get to this point, and how has it persisted? History records that when Mohammed was still alive and marauding caravans he made promises of women and girls to the men who fought with him. This resulted in the conversion of many. Some of the men began to complain that if they were killed while marauding they would not get to enjoy the promised sex. Unabashed, Mohammed made a claim that is still recited by millions today—they would receive virgins in heaven.
In other words, Mohammed turned heaven into a brothel. Loyal Muslim men who paid the price of martyrdom would allegedly find a host of virgins—called houris—who would forever satisfy their sexual cravings. Some might question how these women would remain in the virgin state after many having relations with the martyrs and having been there for years. Mohammed had an answer for this as well. The Qur’an describes the houris as “a rare creation…we have made them ever virgins” (Surah 56:34-36).
One of the truths that many Muslims do not want spoken is that many “Pagans” were converted to Islam on the promise of sexual fulfillment. As a result, Muslim men did not want their own wives and daughters to become objects of so much increased sexual desire. Therefore, Muslim men began covering and even hiding their women.
These concerns were then made law by Mohammed in the Qur’an. “O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their outergarments (jilbabs) close around themselves; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle. “Qur’an Surah/Chapter Al-Ahzab Ayah/Verse 59. Another portion of the Qur’an reads “And say to the faithful women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to display their beauty except what is apparent of it, and to extend their head coverings (khimars) to cover their bosoms (jaybs),” Qur’an Surah Nur Chapter: The Light, Verse 31.
However, this is only the beginning. The Qur’an requires women to remain veiled in public (33:59) and to remain strictly segregated from male society. A woman is to be seen “as Satan” when a man is sexually tempted—thus they are to take steps to prevent this. One of the traditions of Mohammed is that the majority of people going to hell are women.
But again, this is only one aspect of how women are treated as second-class citizens in Muslim nations. The news media has all but remained silent on the common practice of clitorectomy. The widespread practice of “circumcising” females in the Muslim faith is done to prevent women from feeling pleasure. Mohammed himself affirms this in a hadith. It is also one of the first practices legalized by Sharia Law.
The Qu’ran demands Islamic control—via Sharia Law—over civil authority. Consider for a moment that murder, slavery, and prostitution are all endorsed by the Qu’ran. Here’s the rub. The passages from the Qur’an above are taken word-for-word. Which means those who follow this faith system find themselves in one of three possible categories: (1) They agree with them and try to abide by them; or (2) They know they are there but don’t practice this part of their faith; or (3) They don’t know they are in there because they are unfamiliar with the actual teachings of the Qur’an. Friends, all three of these categories are unacceptable! To practice this behavior toward women is appalling. To not actually hold firm to the tenets of your belief system is cowardly. And to not know what your belief system actually teaches is unconscionable!
Do these teachings sound like the Golden Rule? Are these practices reflected in the teachings of Jesus Christ? Is this what we want our children to be “tolerant” of in the classroom?
Having spent some time studying this religion, two glaring issues should not be overlooked: (1) Muslims are not assured of redemption (in fact Allah can change his mind even in heaven regarding someone). Having said that, there is one exception: The only “sure fire” way to know you are heaven bound is to die in the service of Allah! How does this compare to “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). Simply put, Muslims can never “know” unless they are committing an act of martyrdom. Martyrdom is thus a welcomed event to many (because they perceive suicide bombing as a ticket to heaven); and (2) while the media claims Islam is peaceful religion, their goal is world dominance. “He it is who sent his messenger….that he may cause it [Islam] to prevail over all religions” Qu’ran 9:33. The blood of Christ and the blood of Jihad stand in direct contradiction to one another.
New Testament Christians need to learn to use quotes from Mohammed’s Qu’ran to undermine Muslim confidence in him and his writings. We must share this information with our friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We must hold our elected officials accountable to know about this religion and the dangers of its beliefs. We must comprehend that they may be “warring” from within… and discuss the reality that massive immigration can have on our freedoms. And finally, we must realize that behind the veil is a precious soul—a soul that will one day spend eternity in either heaven or hell. Their destination will likely depend on whether or not we reach out and teach them the Truth of Jesus Christ!