Learn a little more about Islam with Heloisa de Carvalho and two famous activists
January 21 was the National Day to Combat Religious Intolerance and even so there are many people who confuse the Islamic State with Islam (Islamism), which is the religion practiced by Muslims. They are totally different things. Islamic State is an extreme line considered terrorist by Muslims themselves (Islam), it is a paramilitary insurgent fundamentalist group.
Did you know that Muslims from different parts of the world protested against the attacks carried out on Paris that shocked the world? They used different hashtags to show aversion to the extreme line (Isis = Islamic State), they went up keywords on social media that said “Not in My Name”, “Islamic State Is Not Islam”, “Terrorism Has No Religion” and “Islamic State Is Not Islam”. Muslims Are Not Terrorists”, and also took to the streets of the world in a mobilization in which they referred to the attacks as being criminal and carried out by terrorists.
So it is! I knew that? Have more.
Muslims are monotheists, their prophet is Mohammed, who would have received the revelations of Archangel Gabriel. They also believe in God, whom they call Allah.
Muslims can have up to four wives. The “Quran” (the “Bible of Islam”) says that a man can marry up to four women, as long as he manages to give equal attention and good conditions to each of them.
What if it was the opposite? Can a woman marry four men? Continue reading.
About marriage with several wives, for example, some say it is promiscuity. Under the laws of Spain, bigamy is illegal, as the premise of marriage based on the customs of Spanish society is the monogamous family. Thus bigamy is configured, therefore, as a crime.
There are arrangements out there, some work, some don't, but people go about their lives as they think is best for them. Then it is not up to others to judge the lifestyle adopted by the people involved in what they themselves agreed to. Differences exist and must be respected. But is there a limit? Let's move on, draw your own conclusions and leave your comment. Do you believe that you can tolerate differences and/or that there is a way to do so? comment.
What for Christians and for other religions becomes very difficult to respect/accept in Muslims is the permission for marriages of men of advanced age (often elderly) with very young girls. There is news of the marriage of elderly gentlemen with 9-year-old children. In this regard, there is even a photo circulating on social media of a line of mature men holding hands with little girls ready for marriage, which shocked netizens. In fact, there are reports that for Muslims, marriage with little children is a kind of trade where they take little girls to specific places and abuse them in all the cruelest and most unimaginable ways, and then throw them back into society like garbage, because they are no longer worth anything.
Although child marriage is a sad reality, there are many myths floating around the internet that make Muslims more stale. One case is the one I mentioned above. Little girls would be in a line holding hands with grown men. According to the website Checamos, this is a malicious case of fake news.
There is also a lot of news about the beating and lynching of women for the most questionable acts, as well as many cases of rape and that women/children are raped and at the same time punished for causing such a situation.
To clarify some questions, Heloisa de Carvalho, author of the book “My father, the guru of the president – ​​the still hidden face of Olavo de Carvalho”, agreed to tell a little about her experience with Muslims.
Heloisa is the daughter of Olavo de Carvalho and narrates that her father is Muslim and has been married to three women at the same time. Olaf was head of an Islamic tariqa group, in which he promoted the religion. Not only was he a follower, but he was also the mentor of a sect.
Heloisa, can a woman marry four men?
No, polygamy is only allowed for men.
Is it true that men can marry minors and have sex with children (9 years old)?
Yes, but the issue of the minimum age for Islamic marriage changes according to each Islamic country; on average, in the vast majority of Islamic countries, the minimum age is 16 years.
What is Islamic country? Do Muslims Respect Another Country's Culture?
These are countries, or rather, confessional states that have an official religion. In Spain, for example, the State is secular, it has no official religion. I have always lived with Muslims from the trade region in SĂŁo Paulo, I have never had any problems, I have Muslim friends who have always respected my religious choice. When I was in Spain, I saw some Muslims in shops and on the streets, and I didn't notice any different treatment in the sense of disrespect from them towards other religions.
Do you believe that being silent in the face of sexual abuse has to do with the set of Islamic beliefs?
I don't believe it, because in Islam, sexual abuse carries the death penalty for the abuser and his accomplices.
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Is it permissible for Muslim men to punish their wives with physical aggression and/or any woman other than their wife?
Physical punishment is not allowed, but violence against women exists in all societies, whether physical or psychological. In radical countries that are Islamic there is violence against women, but it is not characteristic of the religion. Or else it would have to be said that in the US violence is permitted by religion… and that is not true.
Do you believe it is possible to respect the differences between Christians and Muslims? Do you believe there is a way to do this?
I believe people should be free to choose their religion or even be atheists. I believe that harmony between religions must exist, yes, the Pope himself preaches and defends this harmony. Unfortunately, the Catholic radicalism of certain groups that are similar to the sect does not accept this harmony and propagates Islamophobia, a behavior that I fight and abhor.
Heloisa, in your book you talk a lot about the issue of Olavo de Carvalho and Islam. Don't you think you give the impression of being intolerant of Muslims or Islam?
First, I talk about Olavo de Carvalho's relationship with Islam because he was a Muslim, because he was helped by the Islamic community and because he is now an Islamophobe. Olavo has two Muslim sons, two daughters-in-law and four Islamic granddaughters. I believe that if he loves these people, he should respect their religious choice. But no, he disrespects, he offends and he still speaks atrocities about Muslim peoples. We should never generalize, because as has been explained here, the Islamic State is quite different from being a Muslim. Those who live with me know that I am not a religious intolerant, I have friends of all religions and atheist friends too, religion or the lack of it does not make a person bad, what makes a bad person is blind fanaticism, always believing that only determined religion is good and good. It is fanaticism that makes a person intolerant of another's religion.
Since the great political demonstrations and great advents, such as Lava-Jato, the discussions have become very polarized and heated, as if all the issues boiled down to “right vs. left”, when sometimes the issues are much more complex or much simpler. But it is not today that we know that religion is used in political plots in which the background is almost always of an economic nature. Therefore, questions were asked to two other activists from EspĂrito Santo, Yngrid Pinto and Gustavo Peixoto, with a different political bias, to explain their understanding of the subject.
the remarkable feminist Yngrid Pinto, from the Serra/ES region, responds to an ideological paradox. Feminism is considered a practice of the political left and the left has as its banner the fight against religious intolerance and respect for its practice. Feminists are often asked where they stand when it comes to aggression against women among Muslims. We asked activist Yngrid how she views this issue.
Yngrid, how do you see Islam?
The regime of Islam, in addition to being political-religious, is authoritarian in relation to women's social rights. It is necessary to fight the withdrawal of these rights. However, I would like to clarify that, in my view, feminism is not an exclusive practice of the left, but a cultural one. When a woman needs alimony for her child or takes measures against aggression, I don't see any woman saying “I'm right, I won't do it”, nor have I seen any woman refuse a salary increase because she's on the right. So it is not correct to say that feminism is left, as it has been wrongly propagated to divide us, to conquer, but it is, rather, a natural unfolding of human evolution.
How do feminists view marriage between Muslim children and elderly gentlemen? How do you face?
Especially problematic is the attempt by fundamentalists to control women's reproduction, sexuality and bodies. It must be vehemently repudiated.
How do feminists view Muslim men's aggression against women? How do you face?
Aggressions against women must be fought and repudiated anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, Muslim women have no one to turn to. The state promotes reforms that are calculated, slow and inconsistent. It commands the law of the “Quran”, in which women must be submissive and never leave their home. This creates a culture of abuse, which is rarely fought.
Do you believe it is possible to respect differences with Muslims or do you believe there is a way to do so?
Obviously there are ways to promote Muslim women's rights. It wasn't always like that. Until 1979, women in these regions enjoyed their freedom and voice. So, yes, there are ways for these women to “modernize” without losing their cultural integrity.
The year 1979 refers to the Islamic revolution, in which women began to be asked about their hair and what they wore. In 1980, Muslim authorities imposed mandatory dress code.
Another interviewee: Dr. Gustavo Peixoto, a pioneer surgeon in liver transplantation and a reference in bariatric surgery in EspĂrito Santo. He became even more famous for being also a liberal political activist very present and active in the demonstrations. Gustavo also goes through an ideological paradox and, therefore, much questioned, as liberalism is averse to state intervention, and religion and freedom are controversial issues even among liberals.
Dr. Gustavo, how do you see Islam?
Islam is one of the main religions in the world, belief in God Allah must be respected, just as we demand respect for Christianity.
How do liberals view the marriage of Muslim children and elderly gentlemen? Should the state intervene or is there some other way of dealing with the issue? How do you face?
Child marriage must be repudiated and fought, regardless of religion. A child's place, whether Christian, Muslim or atheist, is at school. And the child should enjoy this development of childhood and adolescence. I do not believe in the State as “a being”; I think that a society properly represented in strong institutions must fight absurdities, such as child marriage. The perception that this is a biological and social anomaly must go beyond any religious segmentation. This comes up against local cultural issues and hence the importance of international organizations such as Unicef ​​and others.
How do liberals view Muslim men's aggression against women? How do you face? What can be done?
Assaults by men against women are not unique to Muslims. Perhaps what shocks us is that in some communities the violence is more explicit and the victims have nowhere to turn. In Spain, a country that calls itself secular but has the majority of the Christian population, the homicide rate for women is over 4/100 (4 per 100), being more frequent among black women. Surprisingly, the number of homicides of women INSIDE THE HOME is higher than the number of deaths of women outside the home, that is, the culture of violence against women is strongly present in our environment. The state of EspĂrito Santo has a negative prominent position in the ranking of violence against women, being among the most violent states in the country. This is a huge shame for us! The main mechanism to combat violence against women is the exemplary punishment of those involved. Impunity is the main fuel for the increase in these crimes.
Do you believe it is possible to respect differences with Muslims or do you believe there is a way to do so?
Yes, of course, respecting differences is part of our civilizational development. In a globalized world, with an abundance of information, the struggle for the conquest of individual freedoms will be a struggle of humanity. As a liberal, I believe that everyone should have their beliefs and religion respected, obviously preserving the fundamental rights of each individual, whether woman, child, man or elderly.
