Letter: Education on rights of Muslim women

Letter: I read PB Johnston's letter about being worried by Muslim extremists. I read the letter and thought it necessary to educate him/her on Islam, in particular on the rights of women. Islam granted Muslim women numerous rights almost 1,500 years ago which Western women could only have dreamt of at the time.

These rights were the right to vote, to be educated, to be treated with respect and kindness, rights of inheritance. In the US and UK it was only 100 or so years ago when women were actually allowed to vote.

Indeed during Europe's dark ages, it was being debated by the church whether a woman actually possessed a soul. Islam also gives the woman the right to work and the money she earns is hers only. Her father or her husband have no right on her earnings unless she willingly gives it. Has PB Johnston read Prophet Muhammad's last sermon? Maybe not.

Islam is probably the world's fastest growing religion as thousands of people in the West are converting in large numbers each year.

These converts are discovering the facts and not basing their decisions on biased media.

I am a Muslim who was born and have lived all my life in the UK and I can assure PB Johnston that he/she has nothing to fear from me but I do feel that he/she should eradicate his/her bigoted views on Islam and Muslims.

If certain Muslims don't adhere to the teachings of Islam or Prophet Muhammad, then why blame the religion? Similarly if certain Christians don't wish to follow the teachings of Christ and commit acts of injustice then one cannot label Christianity or all Christians as being evil.

Muhammad Azfar

Hadley