RE: slavery, polygamy

Assalaamu Alaykuwn wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu Sofia,

You know, I'm not sure what I or others have meant. That's the clarity  was 
hoping would come out.

I assume that most of us agree that slavery is wrong and at the very least 
that polygyny is not so tenable either. It just seems kinda mealy-mouthed 
the way we're basing our avoidance. It takes no thought at all for me to 
realize that Allah reveals to us constantly as we try to understand and 
interpret Divine Guidance as revealed in the Qur'an.

I'd think that the Qur'an is pretty clear that slavery's not the way to go 
though I guess I'd have to construct that argument . . . this evolving 
understanding is suggested to me by the nuanced and sometimes conflicting 
history of Shariah and my clear perspective of the wrongness of slavery 
comes from what has been revealed and experienced here in the US as far as 
slavery especially for us many many of us African-Americans.

Now when I think of polygyny, first I have to say that when I was still 
considering marriage, I know that I wouldn't follow my dad's example. I 
would tell peer in school (when it came up) about that equality clause that 
made it all but impossible for me. Call me crazy but it also seems pretty 
obvious that people should choose to enter marriages and as distasteful as 
divorce is in the sight of Allah (if I remember the Qur'anic language 
correctly), it is an option for women as for men in relationships that are 
untenable for various reasons. Again, I'm no expert but I'd assume based on 
this that a women doesn't have to accept a 3rd, 4th, and/or 5th party in a 
marriage.

When it comes to polygyny, as I wrote years ago and still firmly believe 
both Islamically and democratically, " . . . I understand that even 
religion can not be a justification for actions that cause harm. However, I 
don't see the harm caused when consenting adults form such bonds."


A few caveats though:

*Polyandry is when a woman has more than one husband/mate 
<http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=polyandry>.

*Whereas polygyny is when a man has multiple wives/mates. 
<http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=polygyny>

*And polygamy is the gender-neutral term that just refers to any one having 
more than one mate. 
<http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=polygamy> It's the 
umbrella arching over the other two. Some people also use a term polyamory 
which overlaps somewhat with the term polygamy but it, polyamory, is 
characterized by participants have relationships with eachother to some 
greater or lesser extent which differs often from the others where one 
person a husband polygynously or a wife polyandously is the link in the 
relationship. <http://www.polyamorysociety.org/page6.html>

In conclusion, I have to echo your impression of "lousy sexist" unions! And 
I'm definitely FOR abolition!
-Mudhillun


--On Thursday, March 11, 2004 2:20 PM -0500 Sofia Memon 
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Wasalaam Mudhillun,
>
> Are you asking whether people are approving of and defending polygamy
> and slavery (being apologists?  Or whether people want to abort these
> practices from the tradition?
>
> No one seems to be defending these parts of the tradition, so I assume
> you mean the latter.  I think there is a Qur'anic basis for avoiding
> both of these practices.  And while I don't necessarily feel that
> polygamy is essentially bad, I think the Qur'anic warning about equal
> treatment is an indication that the lousy, sexist models of polyandry
> I've seen are forbidden.
>
> Sofia
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
> [email protected]
> Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2004 12:49 PM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [Progressivemuslimsnetwork] slavery, polygamy
>
>
> Salaams folks,
>
> Is there anyone else here who feels like this discussion about slavery
> and
> polygamy (polygyny, not to be confused w/polyandry) is laden with an
> apologist tenor/tone?
>
> Maybe I don't understand what that means, "apologist", so hopefully
> someone
> can clarify for me?
>
> I just remember in an Arabic culture class, when the subject came up
> that
> people really didn't want to touch it. My teacher's assistant didn't
> even
> accept the assignment I'd written about it (pasted below an early
> reading
> response on the same issue).
>
> That was a disorienting experience in our academic community considering
>
> that most other things were on the table if memory serves me plus I had
> personal experience, two moms when I was very young (the laws haven't
> changed . . . I assume folks knew I'd meant with a dad as well, LOL!)
>
> Anywho, if someone can provide clarity on that tone I'm percieveing, I'm
>
> sure it would be pleasing to Allah.
>
> Mudhillun
>
>
>
>
> Title:  01. Stereotyping of Arabs
> Updated:  Sunday, 1/14/2001 6:22 PM
> Due:   01/15/2001
>
> REACTION ESSAY (approx. 250 words)
>
> QUESTION: Before consulting the resources offered on this site for week
> 1,
> picture an Arab today. Try to be unbiased by your own heritage. Think of
>
> people from different classes, women, men, children, old, young, etc.
> After
> having done the readings think about what was your most striking
> misconception, or what was most surprising about what you learned from
> the
> material?
>
> I would say that I don't have a STRIKING misconception! Growing up black
> in
> America [. . .]
>
> Side Bar: Something that I also found interesting was the judgmental
> references to polgamy. Again, it was portrayed as a taboo practiced only
> by
> the fringe, the (Western) assumption being that it is inherintly wrong.
> Coming from a home where polygamy was practiced, I take issue with this.
> I
> thought that America had religious freedoms written into its
> constitution!
> Now, I understand that even religion can not be a justification for
> actions
> that cause harm. However, I don't see the harm caused when consenting
> adults form such bonds. I enjoy my family with its ups, downs, and
> complications and I feel that the reaction against many practices are
> merely toward non-western and non-traditional thinking as opposed to
> real
> threats.
>
>
>
>
> Mudhillun MuQaribu
> Arabic 331, MW 3-5
> January 22, 2001
>
> Paper #1
>
> Polygamy, Polygyny, Polyandry, Bigamy, Adultery? What do these terms
> mean?
> Is there are distinctions? What is their status in the United States?
> The
> answers depend on whom you ask; but they reveal much of our notions of
> marriage within a larger cultural context. Overall, the prevailing
> United
> States view is biased against groups that even entertain or condone such
>
> practices.
>
> First of all, we must define marriage. In the United States, marriage is
> a
> contract between a man and a woman for special kind of social and legal
> dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family. This
> definition has recently come under fire because of its exclusion of
> homosexual forms of relationships but for better or worse, it is what
> the
> law and religions sanction as worthy of the benefits of the state and by
>
> extension other entities in our society.
>
> Of the terms, each has a different meaning and while linked by the idea
> of
> having more than one partner, they have greatly varying shades of
> meaning.
> First off is Polygamy, which just refers to having more than one mate at
>
> the same time. It is used as a scientific classification for humans and
> other animals and is neutral in connotation. Related terms include
> Polyandry (where a female has more than one mate at a time) and Polygyny
>
> (where the male has more than one mate).
>
> The remaining terms, Bigamy and Adultery are legal terms.  They refer to
>
> relations that transgress the statute of marriage, bigamy being the
> entrance into a marriage contact while still bound in a previous one and
>
> adultery being sexual relations between two people who are not married
> to
> each other, one or both being married to others.
>
> The American notion of marriage comes from Christian theological
> teaching.
> Its sanctity was further codified when Martin Luther split with the
> Catholic Church; but curiously he was amenable to polygyny. Throughout
> history in Western society, polygamy has had an association with the
> practices of “barbarians” and “savages”. It is often regarded as sexist
> and
> degrading. However, many religions (including some forms of
> Christianity)
> recognized it as a legitimate social unit. Two examples include
> Mormonism
> and Islam.
>
> Mormons are a group of Christians that find their grounding in
> scriptures
> revealed to their leader, Joseph Smith during a period of intense
> revivalism in the US around 1827. Basic tenets of the religion are the
> preexistence of souls waiting to be realized, belief that God evolved
> from
> man, that human actions determine their future, and that the Trinity are
>
> distinct beings. Amongst their characteristic practices is polygyny. It
> currently is outlawed but this practice as well as the economic
> influence
> that the Mormon movement garnered before the turn of the century
> threatened
> to undue the group as the larger society considered them a threat to
> norms
> of family. In fact, the federal government and the church outlawed the
> practice before Utah (where the Mormons settled after several
> persecutions)
> was recognized as a state in 1896.
>
> In their earlier conception of marriage, it was considered lawful for a
> man
> to marry more than one wife. Some found function in its raising numbers
> of
> the faithful, others saw it as a way of providing resources that all
> women
> may fulfill the natural function of motherhood. And some even induced it
> as
> a way to salvation. When the practice was finally outlawed, not even the
>
> argument of religious freedom could withstand our stringent concept of
> marriage and by inference, the family.
>
> Islam is the other example where polygyny is practiced. The faith sprang
>
> from Arabian Desert sands when Muhammad was revealed the Qur’an in
> around
> 622 CE. The five basic ideals are that of professed faith, regular
> prayer
> and charity, as well as fasting, and pilgrimage. Adherents consider
> Muhammad and the Qur’an as the last of God’s signs and all Muslims to be
> of
> one community.
>
> In its consideration of polygyny, Islam recognized a traditional
> practice,
> as well as its benefit amongst widows and orphans in a community and
> limits
> it to a maximum of four equal co wives. Some people regard it also as a
> way
> of celebrating marriage and procreation.
>
> There are distinctions between the two; but they are difficult to see
> when
> one lumps them together right along with forms of breach of contract
> (bigamy and adultery). This grouping is very common. Furthermore, a
> judgment of sexism is supported when the consideration of a woman’s
> rights
> are not included in defining the different situations. Even today,
> Mormons,
> Muslims, and other groups associated with polygyny are judged based on
> this
> characteristic.  In American law, because the definition of marriage is
> so
> narrow, there’s no different between any of the five terms. And being
> that
> the legal definition comes from Christian doctrine, its no surprise that
>
> the law seems biased.
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> ProgressiveMuslims mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://willo.nitric.co.za/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/progressivemuslims
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> ProgressiveMuslims mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://willo.nitric.co.za/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/progressivemuslims