For a while now I've been intending to write about the (partial) overlap between traditional Islamic opinions on abortion and the pro-choice position. Very briefly, according to some scholarly interpretations, the soul doesn't enter the fetus until 120 days after conception, consequently abortions carried out before that point are not considered to be equivalent to murder. I need to say that there is definitely some nuance and complexity to the issue (which is why I've been waiting to write it)... This is not that post.
It is a post about another area where it is possible that common cause might be made between traditional Muslims and modern Liberals.
From Alt.Muslim: Why the same-sex marriage debate still matters by Sabir Ibrahim. The argument roughly goes: Given that Islamic law enshrines the rights of non-Muslims to follow their own customs and practices when it comes to family life, and given that Muslims living in the West would theoretically want the right to enjoy our own distinctive practices (e.g. polygamy) then we all ought to support other minority groups as they attempt to assert their rights as well.
It is a post about another area where it is possible that common cause might be made between traditional Muslims and modern Liberals.
From Alt.Muslim: Why the same-sex marriage debate still matters by Sabir Ibrahim. The argument roughly goes: Given that Islamic law enshrines the rights of non-Muslims to follow their own customs and practices when it comes to family life, and given that Muslims living in the West would theoretically want the right to enjoy our own distinctive practices (e.g. polygamy) then we all ought to support other minority groups as they attempt to assert their rights as well.
2 comments:
However the proponents of homosexual marriage do not support polygamy. So in effect that argument would be supporting those who do not support you.
In fact under current thinking done by "liberals" polygamists had to give up their rights in order to join the union. Therefore no real legal argument can be made unless it includes polygamy and polygyny since all the arguments put forth have been based on the free will of the individual to love (or not) whomever they please as well as the right to pursue "happiness" as a God given right.
I think your first paragraph is "right" but I really would want to this as advocating for a principle more than a one-hand-washes-the-other type of exchange. Also, in a practical sense, and for multiple reasons, I really don't think that polygamy is a crucial issue for Muslims in the US. But I think it is easier to find liberal support for other more important "Muslim" civil rights issues (e.g. Guantanamo, phone tapping, unjust imprisonment, profiling, etc.)
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