Why I support Maryam Lee’s non-fasting protest
In ISMA’s article against Maryam Lee, a slew of scholars were invoked to say that Muslim women who cannot fast should not consume in public because it may tempt Muslims. Not a single Quranic verse nor even a directly relevant hadith was quoted.
Farouk A. Peru, The Malay Mail Online
It has been a more dismal week than usual for Malaysian Islam. There was an exhibition in Kedah where Muslims were invited to kiss the holy footprint of Prophet Muhammad. Unusually and commendably, the Islamic Department of Kedah actually warned against it although strangely, they did not dispatch any enforcers to stop this obviously unIslamic practice. Perhaps the enforcers were busy monitoring Muslims who were sneakily not fasting. Or perhaps they are too afraid of losing Muslim support?
Before I explain why I support Maryam Lee’s protest, I would just like to say that I have a deep admiration for Muslim women who unflinchingly stand against Islamofascism. Amina Wadud Muhsin, the famous female Imamah, withstood many death threats and harassment; she never wavered from her stand. Our very own Sisters in Islam has been facing up to the Islamic Patriarchal Elite for more than three decades. And now we have a new generation of Muslim feminists, one of whom is Maryam Lee.
The first thing we should note is that Maryam Lee did not break Islamic law. In Traditional Islam, women are actually forbidden (i.e. it is haram for them) to pray and fast during menstruation. According to Maryam, it is also not a crime for a Muslim woman to eat and drink during Ramadan either. What does exist, however, is an unspoken rule. This is the intangible policy which manifested as a moral obstruction to Maryam’s act.
So what really happened? According to Maryam, she was making a conscious act of protest. During her “time of the month”, she went to a restaurant in and ordered some food. The manager, who was rude to her from the start, served her lunch but literally tossed the plate of food on her table. He then asked if she was Malay (a strong indicator of racial-religious signals here, take note) and then proceeded to berate her. Her non-Muslim friend was told to shut up and not get involved. His excuse was, he could get raided by the authorities for serving a Muslim during Ramadan!
As if that was not enough, a total stranger came up to Maryam and proceeded to berate her as well. His excuse was, her act would tarnish the image of Islam in front of the general public! How exactly is not easily deduced by logic. Would they be tempted less by a Muslim woman who ate and drank than if a non-Muslim did so? Also, would the image of Islam be actually improved if we can show how magnanimous we are?
Surprisingly, much of the social media response to this report was to focus on Maryam’s so-called “provocation.” Apparently, Maryam should not have provoked the Muslims by eating while they were fasting. We should first ask the question, did she loudly shout the shahada (Muslim profession of faith) before eating? Of course not! Her only “tell” was that she was wearing the headscarf. The headscarf is not the sole domain of the conservative Muslims.
Secondly, is she entitled to consume during Ramadan? God himself entitles her to do so although God’s self-proclaimed agents do not. Not once but twice in the Quran when fasting is mentioned (Chapter 2, Verses 183-185), for those who are indisposed, flexibility is afforded to them. Not just for the indisposed but for those who are travelling as well.
Even Islamic Tradition, which is usually at odds with the Quran, supports the notion that if one is hard pressed, one may break his fast. This can happen with diabetics or with those with low blood pressure who need water to prevent them from fainting. So it is actually OK with God Himself. Who is it not OK with?
