A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Sunday, May 7, 2017
MMDA: The Ulamas Contradict The Quran
By Mirza Ahamat –May 6, 2017
All Ceylon Jamiyathul Ulema pronouncements to the Proposed Amendments to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, strongly resisted by the Muslim majority.
Woman’s equality to Man enshrined in the Holy Quran.
To the Proposed Amendments to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce act the pronouncements of the All Ceylon Jamiyathul Ulema (ACJU)
that Women are not worthy of being appointed as Qazis and there is no
need for review of the marriageable age for women, had sparked off a
wave of protests among Women’s organization and the concerned Muslim
public in general. ACJU’s contention is that the law is perfect in its
present form and so no need for reform. The decision to debar women
seeking appointment as Qazis has been based on a Hadeeth that according
to knowledgeable sources is not relevant and does not specifically
relate to the suitability of women’s appointment as Qazis. A very
comprehensive study on the subject had been undertaken by eminent
Islamic scholars and made presentations through the World Assembly of
Muslim Youth (WAMY) to the UN conference on Women Beijin 1995. One
paper titled the Status of women in Islam by Dr Jamal Badawi and another
paper titled Woman and Family life in Islam, portraying the status
rights and role of the Muslim woman according to basic sources of Islam
presented by WAMY. Every aspect on the subject had been dealt
meticulously in the presentations dispelling any doubts and ambiguities
surrounding the subject. Some of the features of the presentation are
put forward to enlighten the Sri Lanka Muslim community the right
perspectives on the issues involved.
Womans equality with man supported in the Holy Quran
Any fair investigations of the teachings of Islam or into the history of Islamic
Civilization will surely find clear evidence with Woman’s equality with
man in what we call today as Political rights. This includes right of
Election as well as nomination to political offices. It also includes
women right to participation in public affairs.
Although not mentioned in the Quran one Hadeeths of the Prophet is
interpreted to make a woman ineligible for the position of head of
State. The Hadeeth referred is roughly translated “A people will not
prosper if they let a woman be their leader”.
This limitation has nothing to do with the dignity of woman or with her
rights It is rather related to natural differences in the biological
and psychological make up of men and women.
According to Islam the Head of State is no mere figure head. He leads
people in prayer especially on Fridays and festivities. He is
continuously engaged in the process of decision making pertaining to the
security and the well being of the, people. This demanding position or
any other similar one such as the Commander of the Army is generally
inconsistent with the psychological and physiological make up of woman
in general. It is a medical fact that during the monthly periods and
during their pregnancies women undergo various Psychological and
physiological changes. Such changes may occur during an emergency
situation thus affecting her decision without considering the excessive
strain which is produced. Moreover some decisions require a maximum of
rationality and a minimum of emotionality, a requirement which does not
coincide with the instinctive nature of women.
Even in modern times and in most developed countries it is rare to find
a woman in the position of Head of state acting as more than a figure
head, a woman commander of the armed forces even a proportionate number
of women representatives in parliaments or similar bodies. One cannot
possibly ascribe this to the backwardness of various nations or to any
constitutional limitations on women’s rights. To be in such a position
as head of State or as a member of Parliament. It is more logical to
explain the present situation in terms of the natural and indisputable
difference between man and woman, a difference which does not imply
supremacy of one over the other. The difference implies rather
complementary role of both sexes in life.
Man and woman are physical forms of the same soul
The Quran the final and eternal guide of all mankind makes it very clear
that man and woman are two physical forms of the same soul hence no
original difference between them.God declares in the very opening verse,
aptly entitled chapter An Nissa.
O Mankind ! Be conscious of your Sustainer who has created you out
of one living entity and out of it created its mate and out of the two
spread abroad a multitude of men and women. And remain conscious of
God, in whose name you demand ( your rights) from one another and of
these ties of kinship. Verily God is ever watchful over you! An Nisa 4 1
The divine declaration has spelled an end to the discrimination against
women, in that the whole mankind is the offspring of a single human soul
and originally everyone man and woman has the same descent and no one
is nobler or meaner by birth. It has made it clear that all human
beings man and woman are servants of the True God. Therefore they should
worship and serve Him ,Islam thus dismissed the notion that man is more
honored for being a man and a woman is inferior for being a woman.