I just finished reading this article in the International Herald Tribune about the lack of romance in Islam. Am I ever glad we're not Muslims.
Basically, men and women don't have any contact whatsoever, and only see their spouse on their wedding day. The sexes are completely segregated, yet it's normal to be curious about the other gender.
When you can't communicate in any way, pathology develops. In this article, the men being profiled are simultaneously obsessed with women and romance and yet at the same time abuse any woman who seems to be open enough that she could actually flirt. So they live in a schizophrenic society.
And then you wonder why rates of depression and drug use are sky high. We were not meant to live in such a segregated way.
What Muslims don't understand is that men and women can relate in a way that is not sexual. Islam too often relegates all relationships to sexual ones, and so there is no such thing as just having a conversation with someone of another gender. Ironically, the segregation between the sexes is supposed to be to prevent overt sexuality, but instead its function is to make everything into something sexual.
At church I talk to tons of men every Sunday without any sexual thought passing my brain at all. We're friends, colleagues, brothers and sisters, and it's great.
I talk to my neighbours, and say hi to the old man across the street who sits out on his porch all day watching what happens on our road. I talk to the teenage boys who live down the street, and the boys who are in the youth group at church. My daughters have friends who are boys, even though they're not allowed to date yet. And it works fine. And they do have great friendships.
I think it's sad that such friendships become illegal in much of the world, and women are punished for being sexually tempting. In fact, I think it's more than sad. I think it's disgusting. And it makes me so happy that in God's grace we in the West have learned to see each other for the human beings we are. I feel far more cherished here by a husband who loves me and that old man across the street I know will protect me than I would by having to wear a veil in the hottest countries in the world "for my own benefit" to cover up my shame as a woman. No thank you.
So I'm glad we have the freedom to have romance. I'm glad I fell in love with my husband. And I'm glad for the friendships I share with other men. You can't have romance without friendship, and that's what much of the world is missing.
About Me: I'm a Christian author of a bunch of books, and a frequent speaker to women's groups and marriage conferences. Best of all, I love homeschooling my daughters, Rebecca and Katie. And I love to knit. Preferably simultaneously.
Stumble It!
Great post! Smiles!