In defense of our 'Muslimah'...

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In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful; blessings and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.
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Reflection
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The Declining Day (Al-'Asr)
1. By the declining day,
2. Lo! Man is in a state of loss,
3. Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort 
one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance.
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ONCE a Muslim woman was teased by Jews in the Jewish quarter of what was then Byzantine bordering the Muslim empire. The Jews pulled at her 'hijab' and mocked her in a most ignoble manner.

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She cried and wrote to the Caliph addressing him in her letter, "Ya Mu'tasimah!" (Al-Mu'tasim Billah of the Abbasid Dynasty, 794-842 AD) and told him of what had happened. When the Caliph heard of this news, he was so outraged he dropped the cup of water he was drinking.

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Immediately, Caliph Mu'tasim wrote back to the Roman Emperor of Byzantine, saying: "Ya kalb ar-Rum! (Oh you Roman dog!) I have an army of men that stretch from where I stand (Baghdad) to where you stand (Constantinople), who love to fight and die as much as your men love to live." He then commanded to deploy a massive army to retaliate against the Romans.

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Yes, during the early years of Islam, a Caliph would take responsibility to protect the honour of each and every one  of his 'rakyat' including 'this Muslimah' who was being made fun of by the Jews; but what we have today – the secretary of 'Ulama Muda Umno' (Ilmu), Mohd Radzi Othman reported to have posted on Facebook that "Muslim women wearing long veils who attended the anti GST (Goods and Service Tax) rally were the same as high class prostitutes."

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He also wrote that men who supported the Muslimah who attended the rally were like customers who 'were high (on the list) to have their service'. Immediately, former Mufti of Perlis, Dato' Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin was quick to respond to the uncalled-for remark, saying that it was a rude and disrespectful act on the part of the secretary of Ilmu.

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Dr Asri said, everybody could give their criticism on something but to liken the Muslimah as prostitutes was rude and showed how low and crude the morals of the person involved was.

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The Women”s Wing of PAS (Dewan Muslimat PAS) was enraged with the wild accusation with its Federal Territory unit headed by its chief, Ustazah Nuridah Salleh who is also a member of the PAS Central Committee, making a police report at the Balai Polis Sentul.

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Her side demanded that Mohd Radzi make an apology and retract the rude accusation, otherwise she would take legal action.

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Well, now our respected women are open to mockery by quarters who 'are crazy for power' by pleasing 'their masters', but one question is what have we done to protect or defend 'our women'? Are there still 'brave men' like Caliph Al-Mu'tasim around to defend our women-folk?

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Mu’tasim was not free from faults – readers should be aware that Mu’tasim was a staunch Mutazilite (follower of the Mutazilah ideology) and someone who oppressed, killed and imprisoned many scholars including the great Ahmad ibn Hanbal. However, he and others like him had the sense of honor and chivalry for the religion and women. When the call of the weak and the oppressed reached them, they hurried to their rescue.

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What is happening now is a complete disgrace. 'Good and pious Muslimah' have been insulted, yet 'all seems quiet at the front'; only a few individuals such as Dr Asri have voiced their concern; perhaps the women involved are forced to fight the battle alone.

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Muslims should take a stand against falsehood and come to the aid of the oppressed. Prophet Muhammad's teachings reinforce this noble, heroic attitude and confirm that Allah would support those heroes who defend the truth, and would condemn those cowards who remain silent.

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In a 'hasan hadith' (good hadith) by Ahmad and Abu Daud, the Prophet said: "No man forsakes a Muslim at a time when his honour is attacked and his sanctity is being violated, but Allah will forsake him at the time when he desires His help. And no man comes to the aid of a Muslim at the time when his honour is attacked and his sanctity is being violated, but Allah will come to his aid at the time when he desires His help."

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To Mohd Radzi Othman of 'Ulama Muda Umno' and those who are in the same basket as him, religion is not a joke; it is a serious matter, and there is no compromise when it comes to 'degrading pious women' as 'pelacur' (prostitutes), as Allah SWT has given us a warning in Ayah 4 of Surah Al-Nur (Light, 24) with the meaning; "Those who accused married women of adultery, then fail to produce four witnesses, you shall whip them eighty lashes, and do not accept any testimony from them; they are wicked.”

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In Ayah 5 also of Surah Al-Nur Allah SWT says: "If they repent afterwards and reform, then God is Forgiver, Merciful"...so are you going to repent and make an apology to the 'Muslimah', dear brother Mohd Radzi Othman?