Islam's Reformers .pdf

miserableness and pitiable condition of women. In Europetoday, there is nothing cheaper than women, married orunmarried. Society women who have gone far away from Islamare dragging on to this condition, too. It is obvious hownumerous the unmarried couples are. The reason whyvoluptuous thought is dominant in oriental poetry is because lifeof fornication and dissipation has been very little in the east. Anoriental poet wants to write about the kiss which his sweethearthas promised him, but which is something never seen, in orderto make his lyric poem more vivid. On the other hand, in Europethis is done in the street, but no one takes notice. Widows arecheaper. Today, in Europe and in Muslim countries wheresociety life and freedom of women have been spread, men getmarried easily. As for women, it is difficult for them to find ahusband. Men are reluctant and look for beauty and money inmarriage. As for the woman, she readily accepts a man’sproposal of matrimony. Contrary to this trouble which womenhave in setting up a home, they are easily accepted by thoseyoungsters who look for a mate for one or two nights.In Muslim countries, there cannot be found a girl too old tofind a husband. Men and women share one another, and eachof the remaining women has become a housewife owing to theblessing of ta’addud al-zawjât in Islam. In contrast, in Europethe remaining girls earn money from men without being marriedand illegitimately, and they look for a husband to marry.In Europe, at places where there is society life, there is notthe thing called love because women and girls swarmeverywhere. Yet in Muslim countries, a man sees a prettywoman once in a blue moon. On this rare occasion he falls inlove with her. The curtain which this love has put before hiseyes and the curtain of veiling of other Muslim women cometogether not to show him a prettier one. In fact, because thesecond curtain does not show him -let alone another- the samewoman once more, the flame of love gets fanned. This showsthat the woman is so valuable and important in Muslimcountries. What value can women have in society life, whichtakes them away from the state of belovedness?Let us listen about the pitiable situation of the society womenfrom a great lady poet of France, Madame de Lara Mardirous,as translated by Cenâb Şihâbuddin Beg in his magazine EvrâkiEyyâm: “Tell your [Muslim] girls to appreciate the value of- 111 -