WHY ISLAM IS THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGION IN THE WORLD

ISLAM GROWING THE FASTEST IN THE WORLD

Why?

Islam, a religion that was for centuries believed to have been ‘spread by the sword’ is currently the fastest growing religion in the United States and in the world.

Adherents to the Islamic faith number 1.5 billion worldwide. And growing… In the United States, where Muslims number over 10 million, the Islamic faith has in many estimates surpassed Judaism and is believed to be the second largest religion in America after Christianity.

While part of the rise in the population of Muslims in the United States is due to immigration, the phenomenal growth of Islam in the past 10 years has come from an increasing number of Americans converting to Islam from other religions especially the women.

Let us go straight to statistics and what the media is saying about ISLAM's growth WHAT THE MEDIA and PERSONALITIES SAY ABOUT ISLAM


"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..." HILLARY RODMAN CLINTON, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3

Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. ABCNEWS, Abcnews.com

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country." NEWSDAY, March 7, 1989, p.4

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States..." NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 21, 1989, p.1

"Moslems are the world's fastest-growing group..." USA TODAY, The populationreferance bureau, Feb. 17, 1989, p.4A

"Muhummed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities. " Encyclopedia Britannica

"There are more Muslims in North America then Jews Now." Dan Rathers, CBSNEWS

"Islam is the fastest growing religion in North America." TIMES MAGAZINE

"Islam continues to grow in America, and no one can doubt that!" CNN, December 15, 1995

"The religion of Islam is growing faster than any other religion in the world." MIKE WALLACE, 60 MINUTES

"Five to 6 million strong, Muslims in America already outnumber Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Mormons, and they are more numerous than Quakers, Unitarians, Seventh-day Adventists, Mennonites, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Christian Scientists, combined. Many demographers say Islam has overtaken Judaism as the country's second-most commonly practiced religion; others say it is in the passing lane." JOHAN BLANK, USNEWS (7/20/98)

"In fact, religion experts say Islam is the second-largest religion in the United States... Islam has 5 million to 6 million members, followed by Judaism, with approximately 4.5 million..... And Islam is believed to be fastest-growing religion in the country, with half its expansion coming from new immigrants and the other half from conversions." By ELSA C. ARNETT Knight-Ridder News Service

WHAT SCIENTISTS ARE ALSO SAYING

Professor Keith Moore, one of the world’s prominent scientists of anatomy and embryology. University of Toronto, Canada "It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Qur’aan about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from Allah, or Allah, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been a messenger of Allah."

"But Islam has a still further service to render to the cause of humanity. It stands after all nearer to the real East than Europe does, and it possesses a magnificent tradition of inter-racial understanding and cooperation. No other society has such a record of success uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity, and of endeavours so many and so various races of mankind . . . Islam has still the power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If ever the opposition of the great societies of East and West is to be replaced by cooperation, the mediation of Islam is an indispensable condition. In its hands lies very largely the solution of the problem with which Europe is faced in its relation with East. If they unite, the hope of a peaceful issue is immeasurably enhanced. But if Europe, by rejecting the cooperation of Islam, throws it into the arms of its rivals, the issue can only be disastrous for both." --H.A.R. Gibb, WHITHER ISLAM, London, 1932, p. 379.

"It (Islam) replaced monkishness by manliness. It gives hope to the slave, brotherhood to mankind, and recognition of the fundamental facts of human nature." --Canon Taylor, Paper read before the Church Congress at Walverhamton, Oct. 7, 1887; Quoted by Arnoud in THE PREACHING OF ISLAM, pp. 71-72.

"The founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammed. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he? " Lamartine, Historie de la Turquie, Paris 1854, Vol. 11 pp. 276-2727

"If a man like Muhamed were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness." George Bernard Shaw

"How, for instance, can any other appeal stand against that of the Moslem who, in approaching the pagan, says to him, however obscure or degraded he may be 'Embrace the faith, and you are at once equal and a brother.' Islam knows no color line." (S. S. Leeder, VEILED MYSTERIES OF EGYPT)

Professor Siaveda , He is also one of the most famous scientists in the world. "I think it seems to me very, very mysterious, almost unbelievable. I really think if what you have said is true, "

Professor William W. Hay is one of the best known marine scientists in the United States. satellite photography and emote-sensing techniques. Professor Hay replied: I find it very interesting that this sort of information is in the ancient scripture of the Holy Qur’aan, and I have no way of knowing where they would come from, but I think it is extremely interesting that they are there and that this work is going on to discover it, the meaning of some of the passages. Professor Hay: Well, I would think it must be the divine being!

Professor Yushudi Kusan: Director of the Tokyo Observatory, "I can say, I am very mush impressed by finding true astronomical facts in the Qur’aan."

Professor Alfred Kroner who is one of the world’s most famous geologists "Thinking about many of these questions and thinking where Muhammad came from, he was after all a bedouin. I think it is almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few years with very complicated and advanced technological methods that this is the case."

Dr. T.V.N. Persaud is a Professor of Anatomy and Head of the Department of Anatomy, and a professor of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is the author or editor of 25 books, and has published over 181 scientific papers. In 1991, he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada. "It seems to me that Muhammad was a very ordinary man. He could not read or write. In fact, he was illiterate. We are talking about 1400 years ago. You have someone who was illiterate making profound pronouncement and statements and are amazingly accurate about scientific nature. I personally cannot see how this could be mere chance. There are too many accuracy’s and, like Dr. Moore, I have no difficulty in my mind in concerning that this is a divine inspiration or revelation which led him to these statements."

Joe Leigh Simpson, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the North Western University in Chicago in the United States of America. Professor Simpson said: It follows, I think, that not only is there no conflict between genetics and religion, but in fact religion can guide science by adding revelation to some traditional scientific approaches. That there exists statements in the Qur’aan shown by science to be valid, which supports knowledge in the Qur’aan having been derived from Allah.

Professor Palmer a scientist from the U.S. "We need research into the history of early Middle Eastern oral traditions to know whether in fact such historical events have been reported. If there is no such record, it strengthens the belief that Allah transmitted through Muhammad bits of his knowledge that we have only discovered for ourselves in recent times. We look forward to a continuing dialogue on the topic of science in the Qur’aan in the context of geology. Thank you very much."

Professor Tagata Tagasone, formerly Head of the Department of Anatomy and Embryology at the University of Shiang Mai in Thailand. He is now the Dean of the College of the Medicine at the University. From my studies and from what I have learned throughout this conference, I believe that everything that has been recorded in the Qur’aan 1400 years ago must be the truth, that can be proved by the scientific means. Since the Prophet Muhammad could neither read nor write, Muhammad must be a messenger who relayed this truth which was revealed to him as an enlightenment by the One Who is an eligible Creator. This Creator must be Allah, or Allah. Therefore, I think this is the time to say ‘Laa ilaaha illallah’, that there is no Allah to worship except Allah, ‘Muhammad Rasool Allah’, Muhammad is messenger of Allah...

Professor Armstrong, Scientist works at NASA, "I am impressed that how remarkably some of the ancient writings seem to correspond to modern and recent Astronomy. There may well have to be something beyond what we understand as ordinary human experience to account for the writings that we have seen."

Professor Dorja Rao, "It is difficult to imagine that this type of knowledge was existing at that time, around 1400 years back. May be some of the things they have simple idea about, but do describe those things in great detail is very difficult. So, this is definitely not a simple human knowledge."

ISLAM AND THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN:

Indeed, Islam is the only way of life that gives women their full rights. Each and every one of the following points is a real and true teaching of Islam, based on the Holy Qur'an and on the tradition of the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him):

- Islam declared women and men equal in rights and duties.

- Islam condemned pre-Islamic practices degrading and oppressing women.

- The same injunctions and prohibitions of Islam equally apply to both sexes.

- Islam gave woman the right of inheritance and the right of individual independent ownership unhampered by father, husband, brother, son or anyone else.

- Islam gave women the right to accept or reject a marriage proposal free from pressure, and by mutual agreement to specify in the marriage contract that she has the right to divorce (if she misses that option she has the right to seek court divorce if she deems the marriage to have failed beyond repair).

- Islam does not require woman to change her name at marriage.

- Islam protects the family and condemns the betrayal of marital fidelity. It recognizes only one type of family: husband and wife united by authentic marriage contract.

- "Heaven is at the feet of mothers", is a basic Islamic teaching (which means: if you're kind to your mother, if you obey her, if you don't 'forget' her when she's old... then God (Allah in Arabic) will grant you Heaven (Paradise)).

- "The best of you are the kindest to their wives and I am your best to mine", is a teaching by prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

- Islam enjoins sounds morality in thinking, behavior and appearance. Dress fashions and social patterns that reduce woman to a sex object and exploit her as such are not acceptable to Islam.

- The observance of chastity and moral standards is equally demanded by Islam from both men and women. "Women are the siblings of men", is a saying of prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Let me sum up with this QURANIC chapter about forced conversion to ISLAM HOLY QURAAN Chapter 2:256

"There is no compulsion in religion(ISLAM). Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower"

And Allah knows best.

STORIES OF NEW MUSLIMS(Conversion to Islam growing rapidly)

THIS IS THE STORY OF HOW I BECAME A MUSLIM
by
Amina (Canada) mailto:nkhadora@direct.ca

I was born in Canada to Christian parents from European descendants. I was raised in Canada for the first several years of my life. Then my parents became missionaries. We moved all over the U.S.A. and Europe, while my family tried to make people become Christian. Finally we moved to Jerusalem. There I discovered so many things about life. I never knew what was a Jew or a Muslim before this, but I soon learned. I remember the first time I visited the Old City of Jerusalem and I saw Muslims for the first time.

I was fascinated by their culture. I soon found myself attracted to the Old City more and more. I made many friends there. I went to a Christian school that was first located on the Jewish side of Jerusalem but was later moved to the Arab side. I found my self going to school with these Muslim people. My parents soon forbid me to be their friends, or to even talk to Muslims, because she said they were filled with demons.

At this time I was very young, a teenager, but I still never believed her. I saw no demonic actions from these warm hearted people. I made many friends, and I snuck away to visit them. Soon my mother found out and beat me. I was told I also had demons for loving these people. Soon after this my mother threw me in the street to live.

I lived in a boarding school after this and worked to pay for my schooling. Eventually, my family left Jerusalem for Canada. And I was left all alone in Jerusalem. After 3 years I went to Canada to visit my family. They were less than hospitable to me, their own daughter. I was told I was demon possessed and thrown into the street. I stayed in Canada for 3 months. I felt lost and alone. I went back to Jerusalem and got a job in the Old City and moved there. I worked for an Arab family who helped me and took care of me, even more than my own family.

Everyday I felt my self drawn to the Large Majestic Dome of the Rock. I would go there and sit in the gardens listening to the call to prayer. As I watched the faithful Muslims gather for prayer, I felt a longing in my heart. I wanted this, this peace of heart that most seemed to have. Despite the Intafada, the torture, and killing, that happened to them everyday, they had peace. Peace of heart. I saw many horrible things in Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza.

And I heard the world cry for peace!!. But always for the so called "poor Jews".

I hardly ever heard a cry for the poor children trying to defend their mothers and sisters from rape and torture. These people had the bravest hearts I have ever seen. Small children would corner soldiers toting guns in a corner, with just stones as their weapons. I hope one day to have one quarter of their bravery. When I moved to Canada I met some Muslims here from Lebanon.
They seemed to be able to answer all the questions I had. And If they didn't have the answers, they said they could find them by asking scholars of Islam. I was very impressed by this because they were not afraid to say I don't know. They never lied to me or tried to fool me. There is no shame in saying I have to ask. In fact this proved to me their honesty and love for this religion. I was told by many people that women are oppressed in Islam. So of course this was a major concern of mine. So I asked questions of them concerning this.

They explained to me that women are precious, like the most valued treasure. They also explained to me that men are not better than women and women are not better than men, they are just different. Different in feelings, thought, and emotions, among other things.

They also told me that in Islam, there is no prejudice at all, and in fact being prejudice is against Islam. Muslims do not judge a person on their skin color, place, status of birth, male or female. The only way a person can be better than another is if they are a better Muslim. And this makes sense because we cannot help our birth place or to whom we were born. The same as a murderer or a rapist cannot be placed on the same platform as a man who has been good all his life.

I asked these people to explain to me all about the fighting and so called terrorism that is going on in this world. And the answer they gave me was, there are people who practice Islam and people who do not. The fault is not with the religion, but with the people who disobey the religion. And besides, we do not know all the circumstances of what life is like, other than our own.

I didn't really know how one becomes Muslim and they explained the belief of Muslims to me. And here it is, as it was explained to me and to all Muslims dating back to the first Prophet, ADAM. Peace be Upon Him.

Allah (God) is One Indivisible.
Allah does not resemble any of his creations.
Allah exists without a place.
Allah has no beginning.
Allah has no end.
Allah has the attribute of hearing.
Allah has the attribute of sight.
Allah has the attribute of Kalam (speech)
Allah has the attribute of Will.
Allah has the attribute of Power.
Allah has the attribute of Knowledge.
Allah has the attribute of Life.
Allah does not need anyone or anything.

When one looks at the belief of Islam it becomes so logical and obvious. It is logical to believe that there is only One God. For example, If someone said there were 2 gods and one wanted a person dead and one wanted a person alive, a person cannot be dead and alive in the same time, so one of these so called gods would be weak, and anything weak does not deserve to be worshipped.

Let me explain to you what is the definition of perfection, because when I heard this, it all made sense. Perfection is something that does not change and has no flaws or weaknesses, because if something changes, it either changes for the better or for the worse. And if something changed for the better, that means it was bad and then became good. Nothing changes and stays the same. And if something changed for the worse, this means it is no longer perfect. So God is Perfect. God does not change. Anything that is weak does not deserve to be worshipped. When we say God exists without a place we mean that everything other than God is a creation. And all creations have a beginning and a possible ending.

Therefore all creations need One to give them their beginning and ending. Some people do not think about the extent of the creations. Place, time, light, imagination, thoughts, as well as all the humans and animals are creations, among many many other things. For example, a place is a creation. It has dimensions or a body just like the other creations. And they need One to give them their shape form and dimensions. Therefore we say that God exists without a place before God created place, and since God does not change, then God exists without place after God created place. How totally logical!! So this is the correct and Logical belief in God. And this is the belief of every Muslim on this planet no matter where or when he or she lived.

When Islam is practiced accordingly, it is a beautiful sight. I hope I have shed some light on those who have questions about Islam. You are also welcome to e-mail me if you have any other questions. I ask Allah to show you the right path, or to keep you on the right path.

If one wants to become Muslim, it is very simple. All you need to do is say

"I believe there is only One God, and Mohammad is the last Prophet and Messenger of God"

One says this loud enough for themselves to hear. You don't need to go to a mosque or a person in order to become Muslim, but after you become Muslim, go and learn more about Islam from a Mosque.

They will be happy for you, no matter where on this earth you are. And they will help you as much as they can. If you want a listing of Mosques near you, perhaps I can help. I know a lot of Mosques all over the world. So just e-mail me if you like, and I will help you.

WE NEED COUNTER- TERRORISM SOMETIMES...

Mr.Bellamy, US Ambassador to Kenya and Mr.Shaaban Ali, MP for the Mandera East at Arabia Secondary School, Kenya.


U.S. EmbassyPublic Affairs SectionUnited Nations Avenue
P.O. Box 606 Village Market00621 Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: 254-20-3636439Fax: 254-20-3636353

Press Release

US AMBASSADOR VISITS MANDERA

The US spends 7.3 million Kshs to expand Arabia school facilities

Nairobi, 21 January 2004

The U.S. Ambassador to Kenya William M. Bellamy on Tuesday this week, presided at the dedication of the Arabia Secondary School in Mandera District of Kenya's Northeastern Province. He was hosted by the area M.P., the Hon. Shabaan Isaak.

U.S. soldiers and the Kenyan military cooperated over the past several months on this project to refurbish and expand facilities at the school, located some 70 kms . south of Mandera town. The Arabia Secondary School now has a library, a new dining hall and kitchen, and an additional classroom building. As a result, the number of students attending the school will increase from 160 to 240. The U.S. committed a total of 7.3 million Kshs. to underwrite the project, using local contractors and supplies.

The Arabia Secondary School project is by far the largest of many similar "Civil Action" projects in Kenya. Over the past year U.S. military and counterparts in the Kenyan Department of Defense Projects have worked together on projects at various locations in Coast, Eastern, Central, and Rift Valley Provinces, along with others in the Northeast Province.

All these Civil Action projects are supported through the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), a U.S. led multi-nation group based in Djibouti, which seeks to establish a closer working relationships with local militaries in order to end the threat of terrorism in the region.

Civil Action projects - repairing schools, digging wells, running medical and veterinary clinics - help familiarize U.S. soldiers with the land and people of the Horn of Africa region. They also provide opportunities for American soldiers to learn work together with their Kenyan counterparts on locally beneficial projects, a working interaction which helps to build trust and confidence with each other.

Ambassador Bellamy noted in his dedication remarks how appropriate it was that the Arabia project, both the largest and among the most distant from Nairobi, was a school. Both Kenyan and American parents, he said, understood how vital education was for the future of their children.


All took place on Tuesday, Jan. 18 in Arabia, Mandera District, KENYA.

CAN ISLAM LIBERATE WOMEN?

Can Islam liberate women?

Muslim women and scholars think it does - spiritually and sexually. By Madeleine Bunting
Madeleine BuntingGuardian
Saturday December 8, 2001


We're sitting in a stylish club, ArRum, in Clerkenwell, central London. Firelight is flickering on the leather sofas, there is contemporary art on the walls and delicious "fusion" food on the table, but what distinguishes this club from its many neighbours is that it is Muslim, there is no alcohol on the menu and downstairs there's a prayer room. The stylish place conveys a complex ethos - modern, yet true to its Muslim identity.

A suitable setting, then, chosen by the six Muslim women who agreed to meet me to discuss Islam and the position of women. All university graduates, all in their mid-twenties in careers ranging from journalism to teaching, all have chosen in the past few years to wear the hijab (a scarf wrapped tightly around their heads to conceal every wisp of hair).

Most strikingly, however, all of these women fluently and cogently articulate how they believe Islam has liberated and empowered them. The Islam they describe is a million miles away from that of the Taliban, let alone the Islam practised in many Muslim countries from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, but they insist - and back up their points with Koranic references - that the Islam they first discovered when they were teenagers is true to the Prophet's teachings.

They don't need western feminism, which, they argue, developed as a reaction against the particular expression of western patriarchy.

Within the Koranic tradition and the life of the Prophet lie the rights and inspiration a woman needs to achieve her full potential - the challenge ahead is to educate Muslim girls and women so that they have that knowledge. They justify wearing the hijab, either as a public statement of their own spiritual quest, or of their political identity in a world where Islam perceives itself as under threat, or both.

Shagufta, the 25-year-old editor of the Muslim magazine Q News, was brought up in London, in a traditional Pakistani home where the emphasis was on cultural conservatism rather than piety. A marriage to a cousin from Pakistan was arranged for her when she was about 10. Her parents had no wish for her to continue her education, and her adoption of the hijab was her rebellion against this traditional cultural background. "When I first put on hijab, my parents were shocked," she says. They would have been happier for her to wear the Pakistani shalwar kameez and a loose headscarf. "But I found liberation in Islam. It gave me the confidence to insist on a good education and reject the arranged marriage. Islam made sense to me, and I could understand it, as opposed to what I had grown up with. Plus, it was compatible with being British - being a British Muslim, rather than Pakistani."

Shagufta was influenced by her friend Soraya's decision to put on hijab. Soraya's French Catholic/Muslim liberal background could not have been more different but, like Shagufta, she found in the Koran an affirmation of herself as a woman: "The Koran says that men and women are equal in the eyes of God, and that we are like a garment for each other to protect one another."

Again and again, the women emphasise these two themes, evoked in richly poetic Koranic metaphor: first, the equality of the sexes in the eyes of God (the most meaningful equality of all, they argue), and second, the complementarity of the sexes.

As the Koran puts it, "I created you from one soul, and from that soul I created its mate so that you may live in harmony and love."

It is true that there is plenty of material in the Koran that is more egalitarian than the western Christian tradition, which was heavily influenced by the misogyny of Greek thought. Perhaps the most fundamental is that the Islamic God does not have a gender. Arabic may refer to him by use of the male pronoun, but he is never described as "father" or "lord" as he is in the Judaeo-Christian tradition.

Indeed, the Islamic God has characteristics that are expressly feminine; one of his most important "names" is al-Rahman (the All-Compassionate) from the Arabic rahma , which comes from the word rahim , meaning womb. In Islamic mysticism, the divinely beloved is female, unlike in Christian mysticism - for example, Bernini's famous statue in Rome of St Teresa of Avila is in love with the male Christ.

As one Muslim women, Sartaz Aziz, writes, "I am deeply grateful that my first ideas of God were formed by Islam, because I was able to think of the Highest Power as one without sex or race and thus completely unpatriarchal."

Jasmin also escaped from an arranged marriage by discovering Islam. Her transition to full religious observance came after university, when she was working for a television company. "I went to Agadir on holiday, returned with a fantastic tan, but went back to work in a hijab. One week in a skimpy swimsuit, the next in a hijab. One of my colleagues couldn't understand. She was crying as she said to me, "One moment you were a sex kitten, the next you're all wrapped up. She thought I was repressing myself; I felt I had achieved liberation.

"The attention I got from the other sex changed. Instead of a sexual approach, they had to take an interest in what was in my head and in my personality, rather than my body. Sometimes, when I flick through a fashion magazine, I think of taking off the hijab, but it passes quickly. Too many women exert power through their sexuality, and that's degrading to women. It's a form of enslavement."

The importance of each of these women's decisions to wear the hijab leads quickly to a heated discussion about where and how and why one expresses one's sexuality. All the women agree that this is one of the biggest sources of misunderstanding between western feminists and Muslim women. They do not wish to express their sexuality in public, and believe that its proper place is in the privacy of an intimate relationship.

Sexuality is not to be used to assert power but to express love, they add. What they hotly deny is that veiling, and modesty in public, is a form of repression. It is not about shame of the female body, as western feminists sometimes insist, but about claiming privacy over their bodies.

The Moroccan writer, Fatima Mernissi, ponders on how, in the west, women reclaiming their bodies has led to the public expression of their sexuality, whereas in Islam it is about modesty. The associations with shame and repression stem from the influence of the Christian tradition's hostility to sexuality and hence women, and the legacy of confusion and guilt that has bequeathed western society. Islam, on the other hand, has a healthy honesty and acceptance of human sexuality, which is evident in a wealth of detail in Islamic jurisprudence, they argue.

Dr Tim Winter, a Muslim convert and Cambridge lecturer, probably one of the most respected Islamic scholars in Britain, corroborates the assertion that Islam does not accept the mythology of Eve seducing Adam, and thus triggering the Fall and the endless cycle of death and procreation. According to Christian thought, sex was the result of human beings' fallen state and was traditionally regarded with distaste; celibacy was promoted as a sublimation of sexual energies in pursuit of God, epitomised by Christ's celibate life.

Nothing provides a sharper contrast with that model of holiness than the life of the Prophet Mohammed, who took 12 wives after the death of his first wife, Khadija. His love for his wives and sexual relationships with them are referred to in the hadith (the sayings of the Prophet). One reference even extols the Prophet's virility, revealing how he could visit all of his wives in one night. This, says Dr Winter, makes him a full, complete man, closer to models of holiness such as Krishna or a Jewish patriarch such as King Solomon with his many wives.

Indeed, one of the injunctions on a husband is that he must sexually satisfy his wife; the Prophet recommends foreplay, and a great Islamic scholar, Imam Ghazali, warned men not to come too quickly. As Mernissi points out in Beyond The Veil, Islam always understood that women's sexuality was active, while western Christianity socialised women into accepting sexual passivity - the "lie back and think of England" approach. The latter, argues Mernissi, was a way of internalising in women the control on female sexuality that men wanted; Muslim cultures used external controls of segregation and male authority.

Back at ArRum, the women say that, for them, the affirmation of women's sexuality in Islam renders pointless many of the battles fought by western feminists. They have no need of Madonna-style exhibitionism to assert the power of female sexuality. Indeed, one woman said that the one achievement of feminism that she admired was to break down the restrictive passivity of Victorian perceptions of female sexuality.

Aisha and Khadija come out as the two top Koranic role models for these women, and both are quoted as examples of the prominence of women in the development of Islam. Khadija, the Prophet's first wife, was old (40) by the standards of the day when she proposed to the 25-year-old Mohammed. His first believer, she was his sole wife and a close adviser until her death. It was only then that the Prophet took other wives; he married several older widows, but Aisha was much younger than the Prophet, highly intelligent and assertive. There are several stories of how jealous she was of the Prophet's other wives and of how much he loved her. He died in her arms, and she became one of the first teachers of Islam after his death.

All the women I interviewed roll off a long list of hadiths and Koranic verses to support women's rights: the right to education; the right to work and their right to keep the money they earn, while men must use their earnings to look after their womenfolk; property rights; in one school of Islamic thought, women don't have to clean or cook for their husbands unless they are paid for it (wages for housework long before the 20th century thought it had invented it); the fact that the Prophet, according to Aisha, was something of a new man, and used to clean and sew when he wasn't praying; and then there is the praise lavished on the emotional qualities engendered by motherhood of nurturing and patience, with the Prophet's repeated injunctions to honour your mother.

But there are other parts of Koranic tradition that, to a western eye, seem deeply shocking. By some accounts, Aisha was only nine when her marriage to the Prophet (who was then in his fifties) was consummated. Or that, although the Koran insists that a man should treat all his wives equally, the Prophet admitted that he had a favourite, Aisha. Or the controversial incident when the Prophet glimpsed the wife of his adopted son and, after she had been divorced, he married her. Worst of all to a sceptical western eye, the Prophet often invoked God to explain such incidents.

This is very sensitive territory for devout Muslim women. For believers, the Prophet's life was perfect and according to God's plan. They haven't the freedom to develop the critical analytical tradition of western feminism, which has been so important in understanding how patriarchy has influenced religious, legal, moral and political systems. So, either they offer long explanations (such as that Aisha's age was due to the custom of the time and was probably not much different from the Virgin Mary's), or they acknowledge there are some things that they find very difficult.

As one woman put it, "When I read about the Prophet's life, I feel it is unjust: he favoured one wife over another, and that makes me uneasy. I haven't found a scholar who can explain it, but I believe in a just God and the wisdom of the Prophet, so I take it on trust. That's faith. To have real knowledge of Islam is to study it for a long time; eventually, I might find an interpretation that satisfies me."

These are the sort of explanations that simply fail to convince a sceptical western mind. Perhaps one of the hardest things for a woman to accept in the Koranic tradition is polygamy and, indeed, many of the women I spoke to conceded some unease here. Although some were prepared to consider a polygamous marriage, they all confessed that it would be very difficult; one married woman had even included a prohibition on a second wife in her pre-nuptial contract (a Koranic invention that is mutually negotiated and can cover everything from housework to the frequency of sex).

They had various explanations for why the Koran allows men to take four wives, such as the need to provide for war widows in a nomadic warrior culture. With the advent of the welfare state, such arguments are hard to sustain, as several of the women admitted.

Dr Rabia Malik, a psychotherapist, sometimes finds herself in the difficult position of having clients who want to take another wife: "Usually, the first wife doesn't satisfy them intellectually or sexually, and they start to think of taking a second wife, and I try to help them find solutions within their existing relationship."

Both Dr Malik and Humera Khan, founder of the women-run organisation An-Nisa, believe that the Koranic conditions on polygamy are so hard to meet that they virtually rule it out: only those men who can treat their wives equally are allowed more than one. But the fact remains that polygamy, though by no means the norm, is practised in all Muslim countries. Mernissi believes that this is an explicit humiliation of women, because it asserts that one woman can't satisfy a man; interestingly, Mernissi, a stout critic of certain aspects of Islam, is regarded with some suspicion by many of the women I spoke to.

Dr Winter takes a different tack, defending polygamy by arguing that it is widely practised in the west, from Bill Clinton to Prince Charles. It is, he says, simply more cruel in the west , because all the "wives" bar one are deprived of legal status and dignity. Controversially, he insists that "men are biologically designed to desire a plurality of women... and will always do so".

Such gender stereotypes (which are guaranteed to infuriate most western feminists) peppered all my interviews. The Muslim women I spoke to happily talked of women as being "more emotional" and men as "more rational". This was not the result of socialisation, but of nature, and western science was only finally catching up with Koranic insight into the profound differences and complementarity of the sexes.

But they denied that this meant that women had to stay at home and men go out to work - they pointed out that many Muslim women work, both in the UK and abroad. The point was that equality did not mean the same in the two cultures, so that the preoccupation in western feminism to achieve and compete on equal terms in the public sphere was a response to the west's own history of seeing women as inferior. What the vast majority of women really want to do is to have and care for children, they said, and a genuinely equal society would be the one that honours that role and provides them with the financial resources to concentrate on it. After such responsibilities have been met (and, with the extended family, there are many to help with childcare), the woman is free to work.

To Muslim women, equality means giving their femininity equal worth in the purpose of every human life - to know God. That's as possible in the domestic life of home and children as it is in the marketplace.

As Humera points out, Islam is a home-centred, family-oriented religion that, given the central role of women in both, explains the power of women in Muslim society. Part of the reason why westerners often don't grasp this, explains Dr Winter, is because this home life is private. Muslim cities don't have the grand civic spaces of European cities; they have little alleyways and the vibrant family life takes place behind high walls. The debate about the balance between the private and the public sphere has become much more acute, he says, with the development of industrialisation and the men leaving the home to work long hours.

Dr Winter is sharply critical of the west's resolution of the balance between private family life and public life, arguing that the home has almost become a dormitory where the exhausted two-career couple meet briefly, rather than a setting in which children and the elderly can thrive, and where there is a range of familial relationships.

The way in which the traditional segregation is breaking down is one of the most problematic issues in current Islamic thinking. Dr Winter believes that some form of segregation would benefit women in the way that single-sex schooling helps girls develop more confidence, and would help prevent the problems of marriage breakdown experienced in the west: "Segregation has proved a spur in Iran to employing more women, for example," he says. "They now have quotas in the universities so women can be taught by women." But he goes on to acknowledge that "the practice of early Islam did not mean strict segregation, and the historic record is of a more relaxed and open society".

Many Muslims argue that the Prophet's injunction that no one address his wives except through a veil is the model for relations between the sexes. Strict segregation with women confined to the private sphere has been the rule in most Muslim cultures, though rarely as extreme as under the Taliban in Afghanistan. Dr Winter admits that total segregation in the workplace is not practicable, so that leaves devout Muslims with a dilemma of balancing the woman's right to work and be educated with the need to keep to Koranic tradition.

The women I met at ArRum all live with their families or relatives, yet they work in mixed environments and travel to attend study courses (they claim they are allowed to travel more than 50 miles from home without a male companion if they are studying Islam). They say they naturally prefer a degree of segregation, enjoying deeper female friendships, rather than the confusing ambiguities of friendships with men. But the result is intense pressure on the women themselves.

All the women I spoke to, without a moment's hesitation, dismiss the restrictions in the many Islamic countries that oppress women as unIslamic "cultural practices", for example women not being allowed to drive or travel alone in Saudi Arabia.

Blaming Islam for practices such as female circumcision, they claim, is the equivalent of blaming feminism for domestic violence - it is linking totally unrelated phenomena. Again, the absence of a critical analysis of the tradition is striking, and there is no answer to the question of why, if Islam offers women a bill of rights, it has not liberated more women.

The point, they reply, is that male chauvinism and its bid to control women exists the world over; it simply takes different forms, and when women are educated and know what Islam really means, they can fight back.

They refuse to accept that some of the provisions of Sharia law seem to institutionalise inequality, such as the rule that a woman's evidence must be backed up by another woman. Shagufta admitted that she could see how an outsider might find the idea of stoning adulterers to death, the punishment prescribed in Sharia, as horrific, but, as her friends quickly pointed out, it requires four witnesses to the act of sexual penetration to convict an adulterer - a standard of proof so exacting, they claim, that it would be virtually impossible to achieve.

What women such as Shagufta, Maha, Soraya, Fareena and Jasmin want is to return to the freedoms that Islam brought women in the 7th century and beyond, when women became prominent Islamic scholars, poets and thinkers."We need a reformation in this global community," said Fareena. "We need to go back to the Islam of the golden age from the 7th to the 13th century."

Soraya recognises that this desire to return to the 7th century is paradoxically close to the avowed aims of the Taliban and other fundamentalist groups, but the struggle is over interpretations of what is the true Islam, and British Muslim women are all too well aware of how fragile their position is, defending themselves against criticism from all sides - both from the westerners who accuse them of being oppressed and from the traditional Muslim cultures shocked by their independence and "westernisation".

The biggest danger is of a backlash in which the position of women is politicised as it was under the Taliban, where women were not allowed to work or be educated. In such a context, Dr Winter says, women are repressed to salve the sense of Islamic pride wounded by western hegemony and the savage poverty of many Muslim countries. Women are the traditional symbol of honour, and find themselves subjected to restrictions to safeguard their (and the next generation's) contamination from western culture.

So there is a striking bravery in these British Muslim women in their struggle to understand what they see as timeless truths and apply them to 21st-century life. They assiduously attend home-study circles, travel to California and the Middle East for special courses, take up correspondence courses with Islamic scholars and read to deepen their knowledge of Islam, and they believe they are pioneering a spiritual renewal and a rediscovery of their faith that empowers women

A GREAT PATNER IN LIFE....are you one of them?

I love making a fine family and will always cherish this remains the main topic that I write more.

Where’s lots more to life than scented candles. And yet having someone to love is probably the most important thing that will ever happen in your life. So what does it take to be a great partner?

Surprisingly little, actually. So get on with it! It all starts with real commitment and unconditional love – accepting your partner the way they are. OK, I know that life is hard, and promising to be with someone all your life sounds completely impractical, even dishonest, especially with divorce statistics the way they are.

But make a sincere choice to stick with your partner no matter what.

It makes such a difference to a relationship that you must do it, even if only one day at a time!
And tell the truth to each other! The truth’s very sexy, and creates trust, respect, and a deep romantic bond between you. So make it a priority in your lives together.

Even if you can’t tell the truth to anyone else.

Lies create huge barriers in a relationship, even if your partner never finds out about them. Make clear agreements between you – and keep them. So if you’re expected home, be on time, and call if you’re going to be late. Keeping promises shows respect for your partner, and builds a sense of trust and security.

Successful relationships give far more appreciation than criticism. So if you really value your relationship, start appreciating now! Notice what’s good about your partner. Like when she’s doing a good job as a parent. Or his dedication to his job. Whenever you spot something that you like, say it out loud. It’s difficult to appreciate your partner during an argument. So start during the good times. Then it’ll be easier when things are stressful.

You can either choose to be "right" – or you can have a relationship. You can’t have both. Most people say "If you loved me, you’d..." But it doesn’t work. In a healthy relationship you each have your way of looking at things and you learn from both.

Want more romance? Then take the initiative! It’s no good wanting your partner to change – you’re much more likely to get what you want if you do it first. So create your own romantic mood – music, sensuous food – and your partner will soon want to join in the fun!
Does your partner really know that you love them? Probably not. So tell them! Show them with little gifts, running a bath, tidying up or doing the dishes. Or by just sitting together and enjoying each other’s company. And you can’t really love your partner unless you love yourself. So spend a little time each day recognising the good things in yourself. Your appearance. Your abilities.

Whether you’re a celebrity or an everyday guy, your partner wants to be proud of you. So you should be too! And as you love yourself more, your love for your partner will grow.
Be there for your partner when they get home. Smile and be welcoming. And it’s the little things that count! So make your partner feel loved by making her tea. Or giving him a massage when he’s had a bad day. And listen. Really listen – it can be magical for both of you. Don’t feel you have to fix all the problems, it’s the listening that makes the difference.

And don’t expect your partner to be perfect.

Unrealistic expectations create disappointment and anger in any relationship. And changing your partner won’t improve things – you’ll just get a new and different set of frustrations! So try to set standards that are practical. Like it’s unfair to expect to be lavished with possessions if that leaves the love of your life worrying how to pay the rent. And do ask for what you want nicely.

Whining, demanding and manipulating destroys romance and trust. So use clear, but kind and loving words. Once or twice. Then leave things for another time.
If you’re unhappy with your partner, try not to take everything personally. Most of the time it’s either a misunderstanding or a tough day. And ask yourself whether the situation is similar to others from your past – which might mean that it’s got nothing to do with your partner at all! Thinking about your past can help you understand why you’re sensitive about an issue, and how you can fix it so that your relationship gets better.
Do your arguments degenerate into abuse? Fights, insults and name calling? That’s something you must deal with. Everyone argues – that’s OK –

but decide as a couple that from now on there’ll be no more abuse.

And that if either partner breaks the agreement, there’ll be very serious consequences.
If you’re on the receiving end, set up clear boundaries – what’s OK and what’s not – and stick to them. It can be hard, especially if you’re not used to expressing yourself. You have a right to be angry about abuse, and to say so. Abusers on the other hand are often driven by fear rather than the anger they’re actually showing. So the best way to end abuse is to learn better ways of expressing your emotions to one another.
Is your partner fiercely independent? Then help them feel they’re freer with you than they could ever be with anybody else! They won’t meet your every need – so think about your priorities.

What exactly do you want out of the relationship? Commitment? Respect? Honesty? Affection? Passion? Security?

Understand what you want most and just ask for that. Nothing else.
And don’t sweat the small stuff! Punctuality, safety precautions and such stuff just don’t work for someone who likes to flow through life. So choose your battles wisely. If they’re 15 minutes late, just go with it. But if they’re hours late picking you up at night from a bad neighbourhood? That’s serious – and you should express your anger.
Get to know what motivates them. Their deepest needs and fears. Be accepting and open-minded. Always give them the benefit of the doubt. The better you know them, the less you’ll be bothered by their behaviour. And they’ll feel like you’re the only person they can be themselves with.
Someone who values their independence will really test your tolerance. You’ll need to decide early on whether you can cope – and then to trust them completely. Sure, you might get hurt. But you might also capture the heart of someone who brings a touch of magic into your life.
But whatever else you do, work hard at your relationship. Don’t treat it as something to be discarded whenever the going gets tough. Learn together – and you’ll end up with something more precious than gold.

do I write more?