Recently we were contacted by the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW (antidiscrimination.justice.nsw.gov.au/) pertaining to a complaint regarding our recent event (The war to end the blessed revolution on 10/10/2014). The complaint was filed by Alison Bevage who it seems is a journalist and wrote the following piece (tinyurl/p7s97n3). Below is our response to the complaint which is a matter of public record. ------------------------------------------------ 4/12/2014 COMPLAINT REFERENCE NUMBER C2014/0821 Response to the complaint letter of Ms Alison Bevege Dear Sir, I categorically reject the claims made Ms Alison Bevege under this complaint. It is clear Ms Bevege has preconceived views regarding Islam and Muslims. This is apparent on three fronts: 1- Her repeated efforts at the event to take the event’s discussion away from its appointed topic and towards her grievances with Islam and its laws; 2- Her subsequent article published after the event, and her mixing between words that were uttered by a section of the audience, and some other words which they did not utter but she has used to build her arguments. An example of this is the incorrect conflation of ‘takbeer’ (The Islamic terminology used to praise God in a collective setting) and ‘takfeer’ (an excommunication of a Muslim) and the use of this to incorrectly portray the gathering as hostile. People did indeed call to the ‘takbeer’, but never to ‘takfeer’, a completely different meaning which indicates her biased views towards events which took and did not take place to advance your position; and 3- Her accusation of discrimination which is rejected in principle and context. It would have been possible for me to take her to court because of her accusation and the defamation flowing from it, and I will be seeking advice to this affect. A case in defamation would have been possible on the grounds that she claimed the gathering, I, or the organisation of which I am a part discriminates against women, when nothing of the sort is correct. However, I am willing to refrain from pursuing any legal action and give her the benefit of the doubt on account, firstly, of her obvious lack of knowledge of Islam, and secondly, because she is clearly a victim of the media propaganda misinformation that abounds in relation to Islam. I thus take this opportunity to inform her of some of the central ideas of Islam, specifically in regards to how it views human beings and women in particular. Prior to this, however, allow me to clarify a number of points: Firstly, the separation between men and women in Islamic gatherings is not limited to Muslim groups or mosques; rather, it is a part of Islam, and Muslims globally are adhering to this practise through choice and as part of their belief and culture. Secondly, Ms Bevege has no right to cast aspersion and judgement on the practices of another way of life based on her own narrow minded views of what is and is not acceptable. It is more befitting that in such a case she educates herself about the culture of community groups before participating in their gatherings and expecting that her view of what is right or wrong should be enforced upon others. Requesting her take a seat in the Women’s Section alongside other women as she entered the venue was not a compulsory direction to her. Rather, it was a mere request; it was, however, open to her to sit anywhere she wanted. This protocol has been followed at similar past events where some women have chosen to sit outside the women’s section and even sat at the front in the men’s section. While this is not normal practise as Muslims choose to adhere to their culture of seating arrangement, we point this out for clarity purposes that what was put Ms Bevege was a request, not a compulsory direction. Furthermore, every individual at the event was afforded the same opportunity to participate in the question and answer session after the speakers had delivered their speeches. In fact, it is on public record that Ms Bevege, despite the open hostility she displayed at the event, asked the most questions, albeit irrelevant to the topic being addressed. As for some of the central ideas of Islam, specifically in regards to how it views human beings and women in particular, I take this opportunity to enlighten Ms Bevege of certain Islamic principles. In the Quran and Prophetic tradition, it is stated: CREATION BEING EQUAL إنا خلقناكم من ذكر وأنثى “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female…” [Quran 49:13] EQUALITY IN HUMAN DIGNITY ولقد كرمنا بني آدم “And we have indeed mankind…” [ Quran 17:70] EQUALITY IN OBLIGATION أني لا أضيع عمل عامل منكم من ذكر أو انثى “So their Lord accepted their prayer: That I will not waste the work of a worker among you, whether male or female…” [Quran 3:195] ADVICE REGARDING PARENTS IN PARTICULAR THE MOTHER ووصينا الإنسان بوالديه خيرا “We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth” [Quran 46:15] THE MARITAL AFFAIRS ومن آياته أن خلق لكم من أنفسكم أزواجا وجعل بينكم مودة ورحمة “And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts)…” [Quran 30:21] وعاشرونهن بالمعروف “…live with them on a footing of kindness and equity…” [Quran 4:19] RELATIONSHIP WITH WOMEN IN GENERAL استوصوا بالنساء خيرا “Deal kindly with women” (Prophetic Tradition) As the above verses of our holy book (the Qur’an) and Prophetic traditions illustrate, Muslims build their relations with each other based on the concept of harmony and reject in totality the discrimination of any person on the basis of their gender, race, colour, religion etc. The premise on which Ms Bevege makes this complaint is entirely prejudice and unfounded. I am of the opinion that her preconception of Islam and its position on women – apparent in her continued attempts to malign Islam on the night of the event during the question and answer session – prompted the complaint. Again, I reiterate it is my view that Ms Bevege’s accusation is based on an incorrect understanding of Islam and thus lacks validity. In light of the aforementioned points, in seeking to clarify the Islamic viewpoint of the relationship between men and women, and by clarifying the facts regarding what took place during the lecture, I trust my response is satisfactory. Please do not hesitate to contact me if further clarification is required. Yours sincerely, Ismail Alwahwah
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 02:56:51 +0000
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