Friday August 7, 2009, 7:18 pm
Evolution takes time...War will not bring it about any sooner...Congrats to those who dare to challenge the wisdom? of old, and to Tom for the article :-)

Sunday August 9, 2009, 2:40 am
I appreciated this Tom. Thank you

Sunday August 9, 2009, 5:31 am
I like this, Tom, thank you. I hope these men pave a path for all to travel.

Sunday August 9, 2009, 5:46 am
This is really great. Men need to realize their lives are only as good as the women around them. Women can bring so much into the world if they are not abused and allowed to be who they are in their full potential, which then flows over to the men.

Sunday August 9, 2009, 7:54 am
This is a great article. Maybe we will see a positive trend started here. Remember it took a woman to bring you into this world.

Sunday August 9, 2009, 8:13 am
What David said. TY Tom

Sunday August 9, 2009, 3:03 pm
Thank you so much for this Tom
I just hope things change quickly for those poor women.

Sunday August 9, 2009, 6:07 pm
What Dandelion said! :)

Monday August 10, 2009, 3:22 am
Better late than never.I saw a woman in a bhurka in the store the other day dutifully following her husband.I wonder who is she, what does she look like?Is she happy? What colors does she like?Does she like music? Is she free in her heart? Or must she hide behind that black shroud that expresses nothing of her self? I wonder.Maybe men should be required to wear them too.

Monday August 10, 2009, 12:13 pm
It's about time they began helping their women get rights and freedoms and that they are treated better by their Governments..I wonder how really free any women in those countries really are...

Monday August 10, 2009, 9:42 pm
thank you Tom.excellent article

Monday August 10, 2009, 11:38 pm
Tom thank you for sharing this incredible article that provides so much hope for any woman especially within the Islamic faith who has suffered abuse. The philosophy to clearly stated and reiterated here along with the resources available truly endow and reinstate the positive aspect of respect for women encouraging, applauding and 'exaulting' the manner in which women should be treated... as expressed and copied below.

Islam categorically condemns violence against women. The Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace--whom Muslims are told to emulate--had immense respect for women. He treated his wives with great kindness and never hit them. The Prophet (saas) stated,

"The best of you is he who is best to his family, and I am the best among you to my family." (Tirmidhi)

A YouTube video well worth watching is Sermon: Removing the Silence on Domestic Violence by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf (see link below). At one point Shaykh Hamza states,

Anybody that tells you violence against your own spouse is justifiable in Islam is not only a liar but he’s absolutely disparaging the Messenger of Allaah (saas), who was sent as a mercy to all the world and certainly a mercy to women."

What confuses me is why the clerics 'rule' against women contrary to the word of their Prophet and philosophy of the Islamic tradition! This makes for a very interesting study;however in reality, my hope is that all women will some day, as they are in Qatar, be able to enjoy freedom of expression in every aspect of their lives.

Saturday August 15, 2009, 3:54 am
Please Lynda, this is not about THOSE countries or THEIR women, this is about all countries and all women. No discrimination, please. "Violence against women does not discriminate. Women suffer throughout the world, regardless of country of origin, economic status, educational level, religion, etc." Did you read the article? The same to you, Marsha.

Saturday August 15, 2009, 2:45 pm
as with the other news bulletin you posted on this story in pakistan to end domestic violence there, i am in awe of this story and cannot understand why more is not being done to cover this by major news outlets like cnn, fox and msnbc here in america. maybe we need to start emailing and calling them and imploring their coverage of this history making in progress - it's truly incredible and i hope this brings a wonderful new beginning for women and men alike in the middle east. women are not property.

Thursday August 20, 2009, 4:25 pm
Wonderful actions & beliefs. Thank you.