Posted by: parallelsidewalk | May 8, 2008

Muslims, Stop Defending the FLDS Cult! And In Unrelated News, I’m a Jerk.

Seriously, did every third Muslim blogger get together and agree that this group deserved their support? I may not be a Muslim anymore but I would like to see those who are get a fair shake in American society. It becomes harder to do that when Muslims decide to do weird things like, say, throw in behind a child-abusing rape cult. Those people were sick and taking their children was absolutely the right thing to do under the circumstances. If you want your non-Muslim neighbors to think that you’re a) not insane and b) capable of living in the modern world (and I believe both propositions are mostly true), then please show some sense on this. Hell, show half as much outrage over the systematic enslavement of women and children, abandonment of adolescent boys, and ruthless suppression of natural rights as you are over, oh, I dunno, a Muslim woman whose khimar got taken by the police.

What bothers me is that I’m not sure where this sentiment came from. If it’s because Muslims can relate to being a religious minority with practices that seem strange to Americans…Okay, still bugs me, but I can understand it. But I’m wondering how many Muslims (strangely, including women) might just have a crush on the cult’s lifestyle, where old men with beards and holy books basically run everything now and forever through a top-down system. I remember very well the way a lot of Muslims, even the good guys, have a severe misogynist streak. Even a lot of guys who personally treat their (singular) wife and their kids well, sometimes would praise one-sided, polygamous patriarchal systems that the Robert Spencers of the world couldn’t dream up to discredit Islam. I really hope that wasn’t the motivator here.

I’m sorry if I’m being unfair, and I know some Muslims were on the side of the angels here; I was just amazed at how many Muslim bloggers reflexively defended these sick perverts.

+++

In unrelated news, I realized recently a lot of my natural compassion and patience just sort of dried up without me noticing. I want to blame so many different factors–my insane job, the idiocy around me, being separated from Shan, etc., but the truth is it’s just me. I don’t want this to happen. So I’m going to be intensively working on this. Anyone been through this before? Any tips?

Okay, real writing goes up even later than I promised. Yeah, I know, I’m a slacker. Hey, I’m finishing the last of my senior work AND doing a 56 hour work week, you try that sometime.

Posted in Uncategorized

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Responses

Internal systems tend to be cyclical. I know there have been times where I myself felt completely dried up, even in the recent past. Things I normally would tolerate without blinking got under my skin, I found myself not even really wanting to be around my husband and kids.

I was mostly just tired, emotionally physically and spiritually exhausted. Whatever it is that makes you feel contended, do it in high doses until you feel your internal regulators clicking into place again. Take care of yourself.

By: Lindsey on May 8, 2008
at 6:46 pm

You’re right about the FDLS cult defences. I was stunned by what some wrote. There is also the fact that cults, by their very nature are very destructive.

I don’t think it’s misogyny that some Muslim men have, but sexism and chauvanism, which is not the same thing. I think misogyny is as a term over used now, which is a shame because it robs the term of it’s impact against the very real misogynies in the world.

By: Safiya Outlines on May 9, 2008
at 12:50 pm

Those people are a bunch of idiots and I made that clear when people wanted to try and defend them.

As to you being a jerk, I dont think so. Since when did “keeping it real” make someone a jerk.

By: AbuSinan on May 9, 2008
at 2:47 pm

Everybody goes through stuff. You’ll be cool. If you think putting up a post later in the day is bad, I’ve supposed have been writing my conversion story for about a year now. /bad Wanda

Anyway, I’ve read a lot of the Muslim blogs and I think they keep defending it because of the relation of polyandry. Making the argument that the children were taken away because of the polygamy and not because of the forced marriage and abuse the women, young men and children were suffering.

Unfortunately though, I don’t think this case will end positively at all, especially since it’s being revealed that the raid was based on prank phone calls.

By: Wanda on May 9, 2008
at 5:18 pm

EA
Thanks for the insights. Maybe I am in such a cycle. Time will tell.

Safiya
That’s a good point, and I agree. Obviously, Muslim men who don’t hate women but have some lady issues shouldn’t get tagged as misogynists.

Abu Sinan
Thanks. I more meant in day to day life though, lately I’ve just found my sense of empathy and mercy waning. Hopefully it’ll make a comeback.

Wanda
Yeah, I considered the polyandry angle too, but even then the FLDS guys were practicing it very differently than any Muslims I’ve ever known.

Whatever the disposition of this case (and I could imagine several), ultimately I am looking forward to the polygamist Mormon communities getting more attention, since many have been grossly abusive of women and children for decades while law enforcement looked the other way. I’m not a big fan of government intrusion in personal matters but if we’re going to have it at all, this is one of those cases we need it.

By: parallelsidewalk on May 10, 2008
at 7:15 am

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