I think its time we live up to it
By Joanna Francis
Writer, Journalist - USA
Between the Israeli assault on Lebanon and the Zionist “war on terror,” the Muslim world is now center stage in every American home. I see the carnage, death and destruction that have befallen Lebanon, but I also see something else: I see you. I can’t help but notice that almost every woman I see is carrying a baby or has children around her. I see that though they are dressed modestly, their beauty still shines through. But it’s not just outer beauty that I notice. I also notice that I feel something strange inside me: I feel envy. I feel terrible for the horrible experiences and war crimes that the Lebanese people have suffered, being targeted by our common enemy. But I can’t help but admire your strength, your beauty, your modesty, and most of all, your happiness.
Yes, it’s strange, but it occurred to me that even under constant bombardment, you still seemed happier than we are, because you were still living the natural lives of women. The way women have always lived since the beginning of time. It used to be that way in the West until the 1960s, when we were bombarded by the same enemy. Only we were not bombarded with actual munitions, but with subtle trickery and moral corruption.
Through Temptation
They bombarded us Americans from Hollywood, instead of from fighter jets or with our own American-made tanks. They would like to bomb you in this way too, after they’ve finished bombing the infrastructure of your countries. I do not want this to happen to you. You will feel degraded, just like we do. You can avoid this kind of bombing if you will kindly listen to those of us who have already suffered serious casualties from their evil influence. Because everything you see coming out of Hollywood is a pack of lies, a distortion of reality, smoke and mirrors. They present casual sex as harmless recreation because they aim to destroy the moral fabric of the societies into which they beam their poisonous programming. I beg you not to drink their poison. There is no antidote for it once you have consumed it. You may recover partially, but you will never be the same. Better to avoid the poison altogether than to try to heal from the damage it causes.
They will try to tempt you with their titillating movies and music videos, falsely portraying us American women as happy and satisfied, proud of dressing like prostitutes, and content without families. Most of us are not happy, trust me. Millions of us are on anti-depressant medication, hate our jobs, and cry at night over the men who told us they loved us, then greedily used us and walked away. They would like to destroy your families and convince you to have fewer children. They do this by presenting marriage as a form of slavery, motherhood as a curse, and being modest and pure as old-fashioned. They want you to cheapen yourself and lose your faith. They are like the Serpent tempting Eve with the apple. Don’t bite.
Self-Value
I see you as precious gems, pure gold, or the “pearl of great value” spoken of in the Bible (Matthew 13: 45). All women are pearls of great value, but some of us have been deceived into doubting the value of our purity. Jesus said: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7: 6). Our pearls are priceless, but they convince us that they’re cheap. But trust me; there is no substitute for being able to look in the mirror and seeing purity, innocence and self-respect staring back at you.
The fashions coming out of the Western sewer are designed to make you believe that your most valuable asset is your sexuality. But your beautiful dresses and veils are actually sexier than any Western fashion, because they cloak you in mystery and show self-respect and confidence. A woman’s sexuality should be guarded from unworthy eyes, since it should be your gift to the man who loves and respects you enough to marry you. And since your men are still manly warriors, they deserve no less than your best. Our men don’t even want purity anymore. They don’t recognize the pearl of great value, opting for the flashy rhinestone instead. Only to leave her too!
Your most valuable assets are your inner beauty, your innocence, and everything that makes you who you are. But I notice that some Muslim women push the limit and try to be as Western as possible, even while wearing a veil (with some of their hair showing). Why imitate women who already regret, or will soon regret, their lost virtue? There is no compensation for that loss. You are flawless diamonds. Don’t let them trick you into becoming rhinestones. Because everything you see in the fashion magazines and on Western television is a lie. It is Satan’s trap. It is fool’s gold.
A Woman’s Heart
I’ll let you in on a little secret, just in case you’re curious: pre-marital sex is not even that great. We gave our bodies to the men we were in love with, believing that that was the way to make them love us and want to marry us, just as we had seen on television growing up. But without the security of marriage and the sure knowledge that he will always stay with us, it’s not even enjoyable! That’s the irony. It was just a waste. It leaves you in tears.
Speaking as one woman to another, I believe that you understand that already. Because only a woman can truly understand what’s in another woman’s heart. We really are all alike. Our race, religion or nationalities do not matter. A woman’s heart is the same everywhere. We love. That’s what we do best. We nurture our families and give comfort and strength to the men we love. But we American women have been fooled into believing that we are happiest having careers, our own homes in which to live alone, and freedom to give our love away to whomever we choose. That is not freedom. And that is not love.
Only in the safe haven of marriage can a woman’s body and heart be safe to love. Don’t settle for anything less. It’s not worth it. You won’t even like it and you’ll like yourself even less afterwards. Then he’ll leave you.
Self-Denial
Sin never pays. It always cheats you. Even though I have reclaimed my honor, there’s still no substitute for having never been dishonored in the first place. We Western women have been brainwashed into thinking that you Muslim women are oppressed. But truly, we are the ones who are oppressed; slaves to fashions that degrade us, obsessed with our weight, begging for love from men who do not want to grow up. Deep down inside, we know that we have been cheated.
We secretly admire and envy you, although some of us will not admit it. Please do not look down on us or think that we like things the way they are. It’s not our fault. Most of us did not have fathers to protect us when we were young because our families have been destroyed. You know who is behind this plot. Don’t be fooled, my sisters. Don’t let them get you too. Stay innocent and pure. We Christian women need to see what life is really supposed to be like for women. We need you to set the example for us, because we are lost. Hold onto your purity. Remember: you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. So guard your “toothpaste” carefully!
I hope you receive this advice in the spirit in which it is intended: the spirit of friendship, respect, and admiration. From your Christian sister with love
14 comments:
sarah, truly a beautiful letter.
menangis kite bace sarah. i wish lebih ramai our sisters here kat malaysia would read this, supaye kite x take for granted our freedom to practice religion kat sini.
sgt2 menyedarkan. bile bce die ckp pasal unhappy women kat america kite tringat sgt citer american beauty. mmg portray the reality of the americans.
Wow!
Such a great advise from a person who we thought might never agree with what Muslims believed.
And great examples shown by the Lebanese women too.
I hope all Muslim's women especially whom trying so hard to look like modern-cum-Western kind of women, will realize that what God has made us to follow is actually brings a lot of good reasons. Which we, the stupid and foolish human beings, can't even think about it.
Let us together protect our dignity!
The easiest step to do da'wah is by setting a good example on ourself first :)
WOW.
It feels like I wasn't breathing for a second back when I was reading the letter.
It has very strong descriptions and analogies, with spectacular focus on things I believe is the very thing a female wants.
And the same enemy Joanna Francis refers to, I believe, is the Jews who control things from the shadows. Kind of remind me of discussion I've had years ago in a halaqah about hirbul fikrah which means "mind war" or something along that line. Hurm.
Farah: yeah, dat was wat I thought too. if only semua perempuan islam boleh bace ni and sedar. kite ni da byk sgt kne brainwash dgn media sampai kite nmpk the western portrayal of women is the ideal one, while perempuan yang tutup2 tu di lable as old-fashioned, mundur. especially teen magazines that keep preaching on how and wat to dress (to win the guy of ur dream, they say) and brainwash the world in setting up the so-called 'modern' norms and culture.oh, alangkah beruntungnya kalau kita sedar kita sepatutnya hanya jadi hamba kpd Allah, bkn pada ideologi manusia.
to aten@aku susah bgn pagi(rasenye,,ngeee, harap2 btol)
btol btol btol (ala2 apan upin,eyhh, btul ke kartun nihh). bagus jugakla I stumbled upon this article. kadang2 kite tau, tapi kite lupe. and we are bombarded by western ideologies left right up and down, everywhere, that the love for our own religion and the beauty of it is forgotten. and seeing it from other people's perspective do helps us to realize how lucky we are to be in this religion. all we have to do is follow what this religion has laid out for us,it is GUARANTEED will lead you to happiness, now, and hereafter
chouji.
haha, this article seems to WOW everyone, including me. its gud kan once in a while to hear how others view us (positively,i must say, which is RARE)
sometimes we muslim just dont realize how lucky we are that we are protected by our religion and they see that our religion as a form of slavery to human rights. wat they dont know is actually by refusing to be a 'slave' to their one true creator, they are being a slave to their fellow humans instead, and for wat? temporary high? wat great loss.
Alhamdulillah Allah made us aware of the beauty of our religion,Islam. Alhamdulillah. because there are others who choose to be blind. May Allah forever guide us to walk in the one straight path. Aminnn
and then 'the arrival' on youtube. a great teamwork by young american muslims. pasal pengikut dajjal. freemason, propaganda ape sume. itupun bagus untuk menyedarkan.
insyaAllah i'll check it out. thanks=)
oh.tapi x jumpe.haha.bleh kasi exact link??
Maybe you can try here?
http://wakeupproject.com/Videos.asp
But you have to download them though. Or here, for viewing on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le_ySMrOkFU&feature=PlayList&p=07774CD42935A66D&index=0
~p/s: I have these videos if you think streaming and downloading will waste up your Woosh bandwidth. :'P
kite xde link die sar, kite amek file die from a friend. i think ur friend hafiz nye tu is the right 1. ade wakeup2 smtg kat die nye link.
kite rase ade part yg tetinggal kat komen previous kite. kite suggest a novel 'looking for love' by sugar jones. pasal illegal immigrant kid ni trapped in london and faces hardship just to survive, nampak mcm xde relation ngan letter ni and its msg but it's actually a story about family breakdown, moral destruction yang menyebabkan social problem mcm child abuse/molestation, prostitution, drug abuse, adultery, pre-marital sex n so on. sumenye sbb xde ajaran agame. it's a very shocking story. it's real and it's happening in london. just a suggestion. very good 1.
I always think that American women are the most unhappiest people. just look at them, drug users aka big-shot corporate officer, pill-popping housewives, changing sleeping partners a little too frequent just to find "the right guy", self-absorbed and anorexic. sure they look glamorous on the cover of some magazines. but does it compare a good night sleep without a help of a sleeping pill?
thanks sara, u changed my life by posting this :)
can i repost this on my blog?
yes, pls aiman=)
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