The question has crossed my mind several times – in fact every time there is a report of sexual child abuse in the local media, and the subsequent comments when it is posted on this blog and CAWM group wall on Facebook.
The accusation is that it is Islam that promotes sexual child abuse and that it is inspired by Prophet Muhammadh S.A.W’s marriage to Aisha R.A.
The Islam that I know and believe in does not promote sexual child abuse or the abuse of any human being inlcluding women. It is a religion of respect and dignity. Our Prophet is an icon of tolerance and all human qualities that we hear about in the civilized world.
It is sad that some “uneducated” and “uncivilized” minds who have come to portray Islam as unfit for civilized human existence. It is the likes of our magistrates and religous clerics who take a simplistic and pure literal meaning of certain arabic literature to show that children are good for giving away in marriage.
A very classic example of the arrogance of certain “uncivilized” Islamic clerics is what one Sheikh said on national TV recently. He is reported to have said that there is no specific punishment in Islamic Sharia for homosexuality. He made this remark in a discussion relating to the paedophile who had sexually abused over 35 underage boys!
It is the cleric’s lack of a proper breadth of understanding in Islam that he could not see the obvious, in the teaching of Islam; and not a wrong with Islam itself!
Smile and Let Smile 
moyameehaa
March 18, 2009 at 6:07 am
and one more thing. i dont know if there is any punishment specifically for (heterosexual) child abuse in islam. if you know please enlighten me. what i have learned from school and books ive read is that it is considered to be ziney.if you know or find out anything …let people know that the real islam does not tolerate child abuse. this is important to protect our children from musguided people acting in the name of islam.
moyameehaa
March 18, 2009 at 5:40 am
i wont comment on the topic. because just incase somone misunderstands or clearly understands me and get ‘insulted’ it may not be safe.so my comment is about something else. you have compalined about a sheikh saying something about not having a specific punishment for homosexuality.which as far as i know is not true, u heard some companions recommended burning the homosexuals (from my school text book, no hadith or anything ive see. but could be true). anyway.. i just wanted to tell you that we must keep our focus on the real issue. in this spirit i say i dont care what the real islam is or the way of the first muslims was. as long as people dont abuse children in the name of islam or anything else. so just like that, i think you must keep pedophilia and homosexuality as two different issues. just because a gay guy abuses children it does not mean all gay people are child molesters. I thought this was child abuse watch… not defend islam and hate gays blog. childabuse is wrong in all civilized cultures, but homosexuality is not. it is a totally different issue which could be discussed at length. so lets just not mix things up here. the bottom line is that there is no single cause of childabuse. it is just that people want to do it because they are perverts.but they find different reasons for that. if there are causes which lead to child abuse, we need to accept these and tackle these.for example islamic fundamentalists who marry off their daughters once they starts menstruating.i really dont have a problem with muslims. but these people i have a problem with. and dont you say they are not real muslims. because they say the same about you. so, there are some versions of islam we should be concerned about.and it is up to you to answer your question there. because it depends on what you believe to be the real islam.
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Anon who doesnt want to do Hajj:Yes, hajj is of pagan origin. read here under pilgrimage:http://islam-watch.org/IbnWarraq/The-Origins-of-Islam.htmBari: Celebrating Valentines is HARAM! It has PAGAN origins!A: So does the HajjBari: But the Quran says the Hajj was CORRUPTED by pagans. And the Quran is right!A: it’s right becoz Allah says so. And Allah is right because the quran says so. Circles.Bari: Huh?! MURTADD! HANG HIM!
pary
March 12, 2009 at 7:33 pm
I want you to imagine this! You have a daughter who started to menstruate when she’s nearly 9. According to sharia this 9 year old is ‘baaligh’ an adult with sound mind and judgment. Would you agree and accept her to marry a 40 year old man and have sexual intercourse? Would her young body, mind and vagina would be ready for the married life, sexual life and responsibility that may come if she get pregnant? Just because prophet Mohammed married a 9 year old one cannot prove that it’s the right thing to do and people should do so. perhaps the only reason why religious leaders say there’s no specific ruling about pedophiles is just this reason.
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 4:37 pm
interesting to read what the blogsphere has to say…
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 4:31 pm
i was thinking the same thing. i can not fathom the ultimate reason for Hajj. Its so un-islamic if we are to consider that Mohammad came with his prophesy with the slogan “no idoltary”. My parents cry eveyday, because the house they live in is not in the same level as our neighbours standards. but do not have the sufficient funds to upgrade. So sufficient funds to provide a good education for the kids, not enough money to pay for nice food, nice cloths and some basic households BUT they feel obliged to pay $10000 or more and go Mecca as pilgrim to complete the fifth pillar of Islam. I have seen on NGC and other sources how Hajj is carried out. I do not want to be there! Although back in stone age it was couple of thousand pilgrims, as human population grew, now there are nearly 2 mil every year going on Hajj. Its impossible to accommodate this and disasters are inevitable. especially throwing stone to pillar to shun the satan. Its very pagan, ubelievably hilarious acts to perform after paying up your nose for the trip. Its plain tourism and thats its massive profit is the only reason why they preserved the act.
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Islam is nothing godly to start with. Why would a God declare that arabs and their barbaric way of life is the way to live. Islam is nothing more than a ploy underpinned by the Hajj to make billions to the Saudi economy at the expense of the starving islamic nations, most of whom are in Africa. And stupidly enough, this country binds this evil religion to its constitution. There’s no way out of this, ever.Islam, worst than other religions, prohibits simple harmless pleasures of life,including casual sex, masturbation, alcohol and even the flavorful pork. when everything likeable is prohibited, pedophilia gets on the same list, then if sin is sin, pedophilia equals masturbation, perhaps that’s how pedophiles see it.
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 11:11 am
Anon: 10:55 You seem you have only watched BBC and NGC and read few books by Islam schollars.We can see clearly, nothing can be agreed as facts or truth or authentic Hadith. If anything is questionable, its reinterpreted to fit the purpose or called they are wrong even though the same versions has been used to explain other aspects of Islam. Why is this hypocracy? I think we can never be sure if the hadith were authentic, if the verses meant really this or that for we are not even sure on Prophets b’day?http://maldiviansforislam.blogspot.com/2009/03/rabi-al-awwal-12th-just-another-day.html
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 11:00 am
“It is the likes of our magistrates and religous clerics who take a simplistic and pure literal meaning”So where is the other intepretation? Please give a link to it at least.You’re in favour of re-interpreting the age of Aisha, but when someone says homosexuality doesnt have a shariah punishment, he lacks understanding of islam? Did it cross your mind that he might have meant no HADD punishment, or he might have reinterpreted the verses?I’m all for a moderate version of Islam but it is moderates who are harshest critics of other moderates.Remember when Aniya talked about the veil? Amina Wadud led prayers? Irshad Manji okayed homosexuality? Or when others raise the marriageable age, or abolish coporeal punishments or limit the no. of wives, why do moderates NOT defend them? Why do they join the extremists in condemning these brave voices? If moderates are such softies, then no wonder Islam is being hijacked by the extremists.
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 10:59 am
child abuse is more in maldives cause Atheists who support the idea of gay and trying to get their rights. gays know they cant get a hold on a new man only the few they have so they pick on kids. we have to stop this gay community while its small, they are like vampires every time they rape a kid they create a gay person. we need to bring shariah to protect kids and to punish the wrong.
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 10:55 am
islam has no moderate version nor extreme version, if you dont follow it your simply not a muslim. i think for those who dont like Mohammed(peace be upon him) you should read about him, some articles are just man made stories so try to get the bbc documentary and the NGC documentary on Mohammed and there are very good books, you’d see he is not the person you think he is, the best example to mankind, abt the bukhari’s hadith, try reading the arabic one with sharaha, she was asked by her father about marrying Mohammed when she was six and later whle she was nine, read it aisha would say” after my father asked me i left to play” pls show me where it says she got married and had sex with mohammed at the age of 6 or 9. most of you had the wrong education you think the Islam you studied in your school was the whole islam so u think its not perfect, its better to learn before you speak, talking abt leaving religion would be good, what happened in France when they tried to do so, communists dont believe in a god, nazi and stalin. considering 18 makes you a man, but after maturity even though your not 18 your caplbe of somthings what kind of a justice it would be if a 17y old is caught with an 18y old they both would get diff sentences on the same crime, just because one is 17, he thinks and acts and do as the 18y old. the point is after maturity your a grown up. for those who dont know if you see an arab 10y old you’d think she is 20, maturity differs from hot countries to cold countries. those who called some ppl extremists try to learn islam and than you’d know extremists and where you stand. the problem is all of you read crapy stuff written by non-muslims to bash religion and some stupid muslims who speaks without any knowledge, Maldivians think that Islam is what they have practiced through ages.
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 10:42 am
The great unmentionable evil at the center of ourculture is monotheism. From a barbaric Bronze Agetext known as the Old Testament, three anti-humanreligions have evolved – Judaism, Christianity, andIslam. These are sky-god religions. They are, literally,patriarchal – God is the Omnipotent Father – hencethe loathing of women for 2,000 years in thosecountries afflicted by the sky-god and his earthly maledelegates.GORE VIDAL
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 10:35 am
As far as I know the example for mankind, the model for all Muslims, married a six year old girl and had sex with her when she turned nine. This is reported in Sahih Bukhari, a hadith collection regarded by Sunnis, as the most authentic book after the Quran.What prevents a Muslim man from following this model then? Why aren’t alternative interpreations taught in the schools? Why are moderates so SILENT?! Why do they tolerate an extremist as their Islamic Minister?
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 9:57 am
All religions are a man-made virus of the mind. They did not come from God. If people gave up religion and trusted in God and themselves, society would be a much more peaceful place. But the problem is now people trust these so-called Prophets and Messengers and Nabees and Maseehs who have sick psycho power agendas to enslave the world and have sex with whoever they want to fulfill their fantasies. That’s the problem with any ‘believing’ society like Maldives which is negatively affected by Islam and America which is negatively affected by Christianity. Europe is becoming more safe and progressive because more people in Europe are able to recognise the evil that is religion and are giving up religion. I say give up religion and believe and trust only in God and yourself. You are intelligent and you are able to know what is right and wrong. You don’t need a Rasoolu or Nabee to tell you what is right and wrong. Isn’t that even kind of arrogant for Rasools and Nabees to think that they are the only intelligent ones and every other human being is stupid and need to be told what is right and what is wrong?
Anonymous
March 12, 2009 at 9:28 am
No NO, No religion is like that! But it is a byproduct of the likes. With due respect, i disagree that prophet Mohammad (pbuh) was “an icon of tolerance and all human qualities that we hear about in the civilized world”.He was in deed, but back in Mecca when he did not have the full power. he was inspiring, spiritual, peace promoting and very very tolerant leader. However, things changed after the Hijr. the immigration to Medina. Moslems became restless in collecting booties, fighting the non-believers, beheading the non moslems arrested in the wars. His attitude changed dramatically towards the tolerance as Moslems gain power and were never tolerant ever since.I would like to believe that Islam is not the reason for the misery in Maldives, but when the reasons and facts are obvious, its hard, isn’t it? It’s not a problem with Islam per se. It would have been same even if it was for anyother religion. But the extent of it would vary due to monopoly and intolerence that advocates by the Schollars of the Islam.