Has Euro News ever run an admiring feature of anyone who is dedicated to dispelling misconceptions about Christianity? About Judaism? About Hinduism? About Buddhism? Why not?
Meanwhile, Soundous Boualam would doubtless dismiss such concerns as “hate and lies” and “Islamophobia,” but can she kindly explain how these passages from the Qur’an and Hadith are “empowering”?
The Qur’an teaches that men are superior to women and should beat those from whom they “fear disobedience”: “Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because Allah has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them.” — Qur’an 4:34
Muhammad’s child bride, Aisha, says in a hadith that Muhammad “struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then said: ‘Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you?’” — Sahih Muslim 2127
The Qur’an likens a woman to a field (tilth), to be used by a man as he wills: “Your women are a tilth for you, so go to your tilth as you will” — Qur’an 2:223
It declares that a woman’s testimony is worth half that of a man: “Get two witnesses, out of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and two women, such as you choose, for witnesses, so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her” — Qur’an 2:282
It allows men to marry up to four wives, and have sex with slave girls also: “If you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, two or three or four; but if you fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly, then only one, or one that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice” — Qur’an 4:3
It rules that a son’s inheritance should be twice the size of that of a daughter: “Allah directs you as regards your children’s inheritance: to the male, a portion equal to that of two females” — Qur’an 4:11
It allows for marriage to pre-pubescent girls, stipulating that Islamic divorce procedures “shall apply to those who have not yet menstruated” — Qur’an 65:4
Islamic law stipulates that a man’s prayer is annulled if a dog or a woman passes in front of him as he is praying. “Narrated ‘Aisha: The things which annul the prayers were mentioned before me. They said, “Prayer is annulled by a dog, a donkey and a woman (if they pass in front of the praying people).” I said, ‘You have made us (i.e. women) dogs.’ I saw the Prophet praying while I used to lie in my bed between him and the Qibla. Whenever I was in need of something, I would slip away. for I disliked to face him.” — Sahih Bukhari 1.9.490
Another hadith depicts Muhammad saying that the majority of the inhabitants of hell are women:
“I looked into Paradise and I saw that the majority of its people were the poor. And I looked into Hell and I saw that the majority of its people are women.” — Sahih Bukhari 3241; Sahih Muslim 2737
When asked about this, he explained:
“I was shown Hell and I have never seen anything more terrifying than it. And I saw that the majority of its people are women.” They said, “Why, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Because of their ingratitude (kufr).” It was said, “Are they ungrateful to Allah?” He said, “They are ungrateful to their companions (husbands) and ungrateful for good treatment. If you are kind to one of them for a lifetime then she sees one (undesirable) thing in you, she will say, ‘I have never had anything good from you.’” — Sahih Bukhari 1052
And in another hadith:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went out to the musalla (prayer place) on the day of Eid al-Adha or Eid al-Fitr. He passed by the women and said, ‘O women! Give charity, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell.’ They asked, ‘Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, ‘You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religious commitment than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you.’ The women asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is deficient in our intelligence and religious commitment?’ He said, ‘Is not the testimony of two women equal to the testimony of one man?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Is it not true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?’ The women said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is the deficiency in her religious commitment.’” — Sahih Bukhari 304
Another statement attributed to Muhammad: “If a husband calls his wife to his bed [i.e. to have sexual relation] and she refuses and causes him to sleep in anger, the angels will curse her till morning.” — Sahih Bukhari 4.54.460
“Meet the Moroccan on a mission to shatter stereotypes about Islam,” by Méabh Mc Mahon, Euro News, March 8, 2021:
Shattering stereotypes about Muslim women and changing misconceptions about Islam – the reason 28-year-old Soundous Boualam decided to launch her own video blog.
A big fan of yoga and cooking, the Brussels-based Moroccan wants to paint a truthful picture of an Islamic upbringing and the positive teachings in the Qur’an.
“I really want people to feel lighter and feel a bit more healed when they look at the videos,” Boualam told Euronews.
“And I chose this angle also because I feel that Islam in general is just over politicised in the media and in the conversation in general.
“Whereas how I see Islam is actually a way out of the daily stresses that we can have.”
Brought up in Rabat in a house full of girls with encouraging, progressive parents, Boualam vlogs in English to reach Muslims and non-Muslims alike….
Growing up, she was also empowered to wear what she wanted, behave as she wanted, speak up for herself and never be dependent on a man for anything.
“I would say that especially being a woman, it’s important that I speak out about how Islam really empowers me and makes me feel free because there is a lot of misinformation and there are misconceptions about what Islam truly means,” she said.
“Whereas the reality is that in Islam, for example, in the Qur’an, it is said that God created us men and women from one same soul.”
A feminist, activist and pro-European, Boualam hopes that by opening her home to the world in her free time, she will counter Islamophobia.
“The best way to combat all of the hate and the lies that these people are spreading is to actually tell the truth and show the beauty….
gregbeetham says
I doubt she is qualified to speak on behalf of Islam as she doesn’t even practise true Islam judging by what she writes, she’s either off with the fairies or an apostate or both.
gravenimage says
Imams have declared Fatwas against Muslims practicing yoga, for instance.
Lara says
It i better that she doesn’t even practise true Islam. I read quran and haddiths and I think it is better for a good human fulfillment to stay away fromo islam.
gregbeetham says
Yes quite so, as Apostate Prophet says at the end of every one of his videos about the horrors of Islam, “Stay away from Islam”.
william carr says
greg: If she was brought up in a ‘progressive’ home
“Growing up, she was also empowered to wear what she wanted, behave as she wanted, speak up for herself and never be dependent on a man for anything” unless she is delusional she must know that that is not typical of the majority of Muslim females or even an average Muslim female. Who grow up in households where the father is the embodiment of ‘allah’ and whose word is law. I am sure she has never suffered the agony of FGM either
gregbeetham says
Yes she would have grown up in a household that didn’t practise Islam but it’s sort of embarrassing to watch someone commit self harm in public, at least she still has a lingering vestige of Islam in her capacity for hypocrisy and the ability to tell bald faced lies with a straight face.
mgoldberg says
“The best way to combat all of the hate and the lies that these people are spreading is to actually tell the truth and show the beauty….” And I can’t help but wonder- all the homicided and serial slaughtered by muslims in the name of Allah, and Mohammed- is she completely unaware of the overwhelming numbers and totality of such in every nation with muslims? Is she so naive and self deceived that she forcibly prevents herself from seeing any of that- all of that- in the name of her private Islam? Possibly so. There’s money and glory to be made in creating that loving view of Islam that the powers that be fawn over, but I wonder…. what are her motives beyond her own narcissism and glory?
gravenimage says
Interesting that she is not taking this up with oppressive Muslims–just with the credulous and hopeful Infidels…
Westman says
It’s nice to see someone speaking out about her own freedom in Morocco, on mass media. That must encourage others women to demand the same. Yet, one is inclined to wonder if her program will provide enough income to hire the security team she will need to protect her from the “brothers” who have more limited Quranic and Hadith-derived views about womens roles.
simon says
Soundous Boualam is not practising Islam. She is following a new age practice mingled with some of the more the flowery passages of the Koran. Essentially, she has an ingrained fear of becoming a complete apostate not only because of retribution from Muslims but from birth she has brought up to believe in a hellfire for non believers. This fear is so deeply imbedded that she cannot let go. ( I gave up Catholicism and Christianity over 30 years ago at the age of 27 but it took me almost 20 years to finally overcome my long held guilt and fears of eternal damnation). So to be on the safe side she’s hedged her bets by taking the things she likes, discarding what she doesn’t and mixing it up with a bit of mysticism and spiritual dogma.
Treereen says
Perhaps Ms Boualam could put her hijab where her mouth is and do a travelog of North Africa and the Middle East showing us the free and empowered women there. It’s easy to be a poster apostate girl in Europe.
Wassat, Ms Boualam? You might get murdered for blasphemy by a random religious nut job of whom there are plenty? Oh, go on! Surely, that’s not true of the religion of piece, tolerance and highest regard for women.
Or perhaps, on her travels, Ms Boualam would like to visit one Fatemeh Khishvand serving a 10 year prison sentence for “zombie makeup” and talk to her about how islam empowers women and makes them free.
E T says
She could talk about Nasrin Sotoudeh, the 55 year old Iranian woman, lawyer, who received 38 years in prison and 148 lashes for defending 7 women who decided to remove their head scarves.
gravenimage says
Belgium: Migrant Muslima fights ‘hate and lies,’ says ‘it’s important I speak out about how Islam empowers me’
………………….
Islam “empowers” Muslims over Infidels–it in no way empowers the equality of women.
More:
Has Euro News ever run an admiring feature of anyone who is dedicated to dispelling misconceptions about Christianity? About Judaism? About Hinduism? About Buddhism? Why not?
………………….
Good question. Why is it only Islam that is so terribly, terribly misunderstood? sarc/off
Wellington says
Damn good question, gravenimage.
Poor Islam. So misunderstood.
Well, Islam stills condones death for apostasy (e.g., Sura 4:89) and sanctions rape (e.g., Suras 4, 23, 33 and 70). It also condones severe punishment or death for any criticism of Mohammed or the Koran, as taught by every major school of Islamic theology, Sunni or Shiite, to this very day. Islam also considers a woman’s testimony worth only half that of a man (Sura 2:282 and as mentioned above) and allows men to hit women per Sura 4:34. And on and on with such Muslim rubbish.
This woman is an apologist for evil. Whether she is lying or suffering from some kind of Islamic Stockholm Syndrome is secondary. She is wrong in any case and terribly and malignantly wrong.
gravenimage says
Yep.
Michael Copeland says
And not just misunderstood, as Western politicians tell us: warped, twisted, perverted, contorted, fanatical, hijacked, extreme. Oddly, these handicaps do not afflict other systems.
It is inescapable that this ideology has to be just about the worst-taught subject in the world. with the most inadequate learners.
Ms Boualam evidently has an uphill struggle ahead of her.
Michael Copeland says
Memo to Ms Boualam:
“Islam is a religion of power, fighting, jihad, beheading and bloodshed”,
So says Imam Hussein Bin Mahmoud, a prominent writer.
RichardL says
she wears lipstick and doesn’t cover herself. I would like to see her go to the terror club in her neighbourhood like that. Only she won’t because the imam running the terror club would throw her out as a whore.
James Lincoln says
So what would happen if Soundous Boualam, with makeup and no hijab, decided to walk alone through Molenbeek, Belgium looking for a place to listen to music, dance a little, and have lunch…
Fred van de Bunt says
Can you imagine how backward in the meantime large parts of Western Europe have become.
Whole areas, the size of large towns are covered with a dark blanket of early medieval thinking, imported from the deserts of nothingness, except for the fact that those desert contain lots of oil and gas.
I mean, you have to be pretty desperate if you have to drag a woman on a pedestal of diversity, feminism and progressiveness, a woman that was considered just a normal woman 50 years ago in Afghanistan or Western Europe, before those Taliban guys entered the scene.
Chrissie01 says
if it works for her, great! I am all in for a digressing version of this ideology. Why not?
I am sure there was a lighter version of National Socialism practiced somewhere in a remote village in Austria. I would, however, not have felt “healed” over it.
Let’s see how long she can carry on without fatwas and threats – with her red lipstick, yoga and V-neck sweater in public.
gravenimage says
Mostly, this is not a reform of Islam–it is a point of lying to non-Muslims–Taqiyya. And this not good for Infidels.
Ade Fegan says
Well of course it empowers you .. nobody is allowed to criticise
and your jihadis have created an atmosphere of unspoken terror
gravenimage says
+1
Jayell says
‘It’s important I speak out about how Islam empowers me’, says Soundous Boualam proudly.
Very impressive, except we already know how islam empowers people as we retrieve the body parts from the scenes of their many terrorist outrages or try to counsel all those young infidel girls who have been abused and violated because islam has ’empowered’ their repulsive attackers to treat them like third-rate dirt. And of course we mustn’t forget how islam ’empowered’ the likes of Shemima Begum to skip the UK on stolen money and a stolen passport to aid and abet her murderous criminal chums in Syria and blithely carry around buckets with severed heads in them.
Perhaps Soundous Boualam should keep her ideas to herself.
very old white guy says
Her personal level of ignorance is staggering.
E T says
She is a “Plant the seed, Islam is wonderful” girl. – – “you will do and say what you are told for Allah , or we will kill you.” Peace be upon you.
Oh Allah, he’s so fine, don’t cha just love him, he will blow your mind. Boom Boom
gravenimage says
Probably more Taqiyya than ignorance.
mortimer says
Soundous Boualam cannot find any hadiths that empower women, because the hadiths of Mohammed insult and degrade all women.
– I think that women were created for nothing but evil
– Women have ten ‘awrat (vulvas). When she gets married, the husband covers one, and when she dies the grave covers the ten (of her shameful parts)
– A straw mat in the corner of the house is preferable to a barren woman
– Women are toys, so choose (your ‘toys’)
– The woman is a toy, whoever takes her, let him care for her [or do not lose her]
– Had it not been for women, God would have truly, truly been worshipped
– Men perished the day they obeyed the women
– Obedience to a woman’s advice causes regret
– Consult women and act contrary (to it)
– Sneezing, drowsing, yawning in prayer, also menstruation, vomiting and nose-bleeding are from Satan
– When…your affairs are in the hands of your women, the interior of the earth (hell) will be the better for you than its surface
– If a woman offered one of her breasts to be cooked and the other to be roasted, she still will fall short of fulfilling her obligations to her husband. And besides that if she disobeys her husband even for a twinkling of an eye, she would be thrown in the lowest part of Hell, except she repents and turns back
– Mohammed asked some women, “Isn’t the witness of a woman equal to half that of a man?” The women said, “Yes,” He said, “This is because of the deficiency of the woman’s mind.”
– I have not seen any one more deficient in intelligence and religion than you (women)
– I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers are women.
– Bad omen is in the woman, the house and the horse
– After me I have not left any affliction more harmful to men than women
– Don’t wear false hair for Allah sends His curse upon such ladies who lengthen their hair artificially
– Treat women well for they are like domestic animals and they possess nothing themselves. Allah has made the enjoyment of their bodies lawful in his Qur’an
– Women, slaves and camels are the same
– Prayer is annulled by a dog, a donkey and a woman
– “Women are like cows, horses, and camels, for all are ridden,” is in fact recorded in Tafsir al-Qurtubi (see vol. 17, p. 172)
– If you relax the woman’s bridle a tiny bit, she will take you and bolt wildly. And if you lower her cheek-piece a hand span, she will pull you an arm’s length … Their deception is awesome and their wickedness is contagious; bad character and feeble mind are their predominant traits
– “[A man’s wife] fears him, while he fears her not, a kind word from him satisfies her, where nothing of hers has importance in his eyes, it is she who must tolerate the presence of concubines, and it is she who worries when he is ill whereas even her death would leave him indifferent
– If a man calls his wife to his bed and she refuses, and he spends the night angry with her, the angels curse her until morning
– Treat women well, for they are [like] domestic animals [awan] with you and do not possess anything for themselves. You have taken them only as a trust from God and you have made the enjoyment of their persons lawful by the word of God, so understand and listen to my words…
– Muhammad’s last words on women during his farewell speech:
– God allows you to put them in separate rooms and to beat them but not with severity. If they refrain from these things they have the right to their food and clothing with kindness. Lay injunctions on women kindly, for they are prisoners with you having no control of their persons. (Sirat Rasul Allah. Translated in English by A. Guillaume. First published by Oxford University Press, London in 1955)
……………………………………………
We will not expect Soundous Boualam to explain how these insults ’empower’ her! She is a fraud.
john smith says
Thank you for this compilation mortimer.
gravenimage says
Important list, Mortimer.
mortimer says
Making ad hominem slanders is what empowers her because Islam does the opposite of empowering women. Islam strips women of their independence and voice and even their appearance.
Being a life-long and eternal slave of men is the reverse of empowering.
mortimer says
Soundous Boualam denounces ‘HATE AND LIES’ … but hate and lies are canonical and compulsory in Islam …
– Al BARAA is the Islam teaching that Muslims should HATE KAFIRS and show hostility towards them
– TAQIYYA is the Islamic teaching that Muslims should LIE TO KAFIRS in order to advance jihad.
Soundous Boualam is 1) expressing her HATRED towards kafirs … they should have the freedom of speech stripped from them and 2) using TAQIYYA to deceive KAFIRS about the CANONICAL teachings of Islam.
Crusades Were Right says
“The best way to combat all of the hate and the lies that these people are spreading is to actually tell the truth and show the beauty….”
And yet I can’t help noticing that the migrant flow direction is from the Islamic countries to the Christian countries, Ms Boualam.
And so I ask you: are people more likely to run FROM “truth” and “beauty”…
…or towards it?
“Al taqiyya for a ride, kafirs!”
Crusades Were Right says
“show the beauty….”
Islamic lands – even those with massive oil wealth – have appalling regimes, especially regarding their treatment of non-Mohammedans. Belgium, and every other non-Mohammedan country on earth, should take note and take the necessary steps to ensure they never become Islamic lands.
“Beauty”, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. Frankly, I for one am not impressed, Ms Boualam.