That’s funny…I didn’t even notice the “guests†part. I need to learn to stop reading things through so quickly.
I don’t think one should generalize Muslims as “guests†here simply because some are not citizens. The majority of Muslims in America are citizens and contribute a great deal to American society. This includes your dentist (and mine! oy, you reminded me I have a dentist appointment today 
). There is no need to alienate Muslims as guests on the basis of the ones that are. Most of us are here fair and square, and should not be regarded differently from any other American.
Yes, if a Muslim lives in the US, where polygamy is prohibited, he should not practice it. Polygamy is not a requirement in Islam; it is not even recommended, so there is no reason for a Muslim to break the law based on something he merely desires to do, just because it is permitted (under very strict conditions! i will explain below) in his religion.
Islam absolutely permits a woman to divorce her husband for physical/verbal abuse.
“If a woman fears ill-treatment or desertion on the part of the husband, it shall be no offense to seek mutual agreement (to separate); for agreement is better (than strife).†4:128
The general grounds of divorce in the Qur’an is failure of a spouse in carrying out his/her marital duties and treating one another with kindness, respect and compassion. Islamic jurists have developed causes which may be accepted as grounds for divorce, e.g: long absence of husband without a valid reason, long imprisonment, refusal to provide for wife, impotence, abuse, etc.
Thanks! Glad I could help. Thank you for being kind and open-minded in your responses.
It’s different for people who religiously adhere to a religion. I’m sure that if your son were a devout Catholic, for example, he would likely want to choose a woman with the same religious inclinations.
Of course a couple may decide amongst themselves what is better for them & their family. If they decide that the husband is best suited to stay at home and the wife is best suited to be in the workplace, then by all means they may follow this agreement. Also, if they decide that they should both work then they may do this as well. Islam does not require the wife to stay home while the husband makes the money. A woman does indeed have all the opportunities that a man has, and a man is required to be a good father, not just a breadwinner. The difference is that men (in the absence of an agreement otherwise) are required to provide for their families, and women have a choice. If the woman wants to stay at home while the man works, he must abide. On the other hand, the man may not force the woman to work. She may leave the house and work, or she may stay at home.
Regardless of this, Islam demands a great deal of respect for mothers. Both parents are to be respected, as is explained in various verses of the Qur’an. But mothers have a special place in Islam. “And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning takes two years. Give thanks to Me and to your parents; unto Me is the final destination†(31:14). Also: “We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says, "O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for the favor which you have bestowed upon me and upon both my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that please You, and make my off-spring good. (46:15).
So even if a mother decides to work, Islam still emphasizes her importance because of her pains to deliver her children and tend to them in ways only she can (e.g. breastfeeding).
Apostates are those who abandon the faith of Islam. No one is an apostate unless he/she renounces the religion. Even the biggest Muslim sinner can still be a “Muslim†by name unless he/she outright renounces the religion. However, those who “dis†their wives are sinning, yes, because the Qur’an requires men to be good to their wives. “O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will, and you should not treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the dowry you have given them, unless they commit open illegal sexual intercourse. And live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and God brings through it a great deal of good†(4:19).
As for your discussion with AD, in his defense, I don’t think he was directing the guidelines to you. He just copied & pasted the whole caption from his discussion with Adler.
Adulterous males are to be punished as well. Like AD stated, four witnesses are required, which is really really hard. But an ultimate death sentence is simply the rule in Islam. As I explained in the War on Terror thread, Islamic society is based on the sanctity of marriage and the family. Modesty is regarded very highly in Islam, and sins such as adultery are not to be taken lightly. Although in today’s society, sex is seen as something very free and ordinary, Islamic law (as I presume Christian and Jewish law) considers chastity and faithfulness as integral to family life and societal stability. This may sound primitive to you 1400 yrs later, in a world that takes sex and adultery a lot more lightly than they were taken over a century ago. However, Islamic society still puts a lot of emphasis on the family and the sanctity of marriage. It’s a huge deal, as is the imposition of a death sentence for some murders in the United States. Those are justified in the eye-for-eye sense. This is justified in the sense that one stupid adulterous act can severely damage the family, and cumulatively, such acts have a great negative impact on society.
As for changing like Christian and Jewish laws, Islamic laws never change. The Qur’an is believed to be the ultimate word of God and Muslims believe they do not have the authority to tamper with it.
As for polygamy, a man can’t just go off and marry a bunch of women while his wife sits at home. I explained the issue in the “catholocism and women†thead, so I will copy & paste from there (this is in reference to the verse which allows men to marry more than one):
Totally un-Islamic ruling. I see that as misogynistic as well.
Calling the ideas “erroneous†and “incorrect†is quite presumptuous. The concept of emotional stability was my perspective and is not outlined in the Quran. I explained the witness deal as a commercial thing, as women were not literate in finance back then. And what did we say about sexual function that you found to be “erroneousâ€? That a woman can’t have sex while she’s menstruating? How do you know what is and is not ultimately healthy for one’s body? How can you call this erroneous? I explained that during the rest of the month, a couple can have as much sex as they want and it is not at all considered taboo or wrong for her to enjoy it. Also, what ideas about women do you claim are “incorrect†and “erroneousâ€? Islam provides women with great amounts of freedom, liberation, and rights; rights that women in the West did not have until much later. During the early history of the United States, a man virtually owned his wife and children as he did his material possessions. On the other hand, as I stated earlier, way back in the seventh century Islam allowed women to inherit, to become involved in politics, to vote, etc. The Qur’an declared that that men and women are equal in the eyes of God. Men and women were created to be equal parts of a pair (51:49). The Qur’an describes the relationship between a man and a woman as one of “love and mercy” (30:21). Men and woman are to serve as one another’s garment (protection, security) (2:187), and are to be like “members of one another" (3:195).
Unlearn human rights? Islam is all about human rights. Please specify what you are talking about. Perhaps you have a misunderstanding of the religion.
Then everyone (with the exception of native Americans) is a guest here. What do you mean from other cultures? Do you think anyone here, besides the native Americans, does not come from another culture?
First of all, not all Muslims in America moved here. But anyway, I agree that people living here should accept the USA as their country, and if they prefer living somewhere else then they should just live there. Now, a great deal of Muslims do this. They live here as good, law-abiding American citizens and still abide by Islamic rulings. I don’t see any problem with that. It’s why we have freedom of religion.
No, she said that all Muslims should abide by the law of the land as long as the law does not violate religious tenets. If the law violates the tenets, she said religious Muslims should leave the land.
