A new English-language interpretation of the Muslim Holy book the Koran challenges the use of words that feminists say have been used to justify the abuse of Islamic women.
The new version, translated by an Iranian-American, will be published in April and comes after Muslim feminists from around the world gathered in New York last November and vowed to create the first women's council to interpret the Koran and make the religion more friendly toward women.
In the new book, Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar, a former lecturer on Islam at the University of Chicago, challenges the translation of the Arab word "idrib," traditionally translated as "beat," which feminists say has been used to justify abuse of women.
"Why choose to interpret the word as 'to beat' when it can also mean 'to go away'," she writes in the introduction to the new book.
The passage is generally translated: "And as for those women whose illwill you have reason to fear, admonish them; then leave them alone in bed; then beat them; and if thereupon they pay you heed, do not seek to harm them. Behold, God is indeed most high, great!"
But that doesn't make sense.
If you send the woman away, why should she still be there for the man to harm them or not?
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And Fark's take:
A new English-language interpretation of the Muslim Holy book, the Koran, challenges the use of words that feminists say have been used to justify the abuse of Islamic women. That'll probably end in a beating
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2 comments:
It does make sense--"leave them alone in bed" is temporary. also "daraba" is temporary, whether it means leave the woman, beat her, or make her leave. I believe Bakhtiar is saying the verse means for the man to leave temporarily, which based on my understanding of Islam is what you are supposed to do when arguing. Shalom/Salaam.
Well, if that means abuse is not a suggested behavior, I'm all for it. Thanks for the clarification.
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