To The Ignorant...
One of the well known phrases in The Declaration of Independence states:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Advocating for a woman’s bodily autonomy, a woman’s basic right to self-determination, and her own agency is a woman’s pursuit of happiness. And in the last few weeks, American women were deeply betrayed with the undoing of abortion rights by none other than the very institution that is supposed to protect and uphold our constitutional right, the Supreme Court of the United States.
Often when we are critical of human rights abuses by Muslims we receive comments of admiration for standing up to injustice and radicalism and the religious leaders who promote these abuses. But God forbid we highlight the voice of a Palestinian whose family is being evicted in Sheikh Jarrah, or condemn the Supreme Court’s recent decision that overturned Roe vs Wade and eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. That is when you truly discover the hypocrisy of peoples’ so-called human rights stance.
If you cannot stand up to your own community, then you are an enabler of injustice, a hypocrite, and the problem.
On abortion rights, a man accused us of “co-opting secular language”, utterly ignorant of the liberal Islamic jurisprudence on reproductive rights and of the mother’s absolute right to her body. Of course, when a woman speaks from a voice of faith, it is dismissed.Well, here is the American Muslim Bar Association’s thorough religious justification for the right to abortion. It is led by a bearded man. Maybe, that is more believable for the misogynists reading this.
Lastly, this Saturday is Eid al-Adha, and we invite you to attend our virtual international service with world renowned scholar of Islam and Lady Imam Dr. amina wadud. For details visit our calendar here and to register visit the registration page to receive the Zoom link.
Onward and upward…
Ani Zonneveld
Founder, President