Afzal Tahir commented on a photo of you.

Afzal wrote:
"Already discussed on Dr. Waleed Sheikh's thread. I posting for your reference and information:-

Afzal Tahir
The women and men were praying together at the time of Prophet. They were together in Mecca. The Mekky and Medani culture never separated sexes. The pre-islamic culture of Meccan and Medina extended itself after the Islam with reforms certa...inly. What we call Sunna was also adopted pre Islam "beaten path" and extended afterwards. The great shift in cultural development both forward and backward was started when it moved from Medina to Domascus. The historical evidence shows that face-veil by the majority of women from the affluent sections of the society started from the fourth century of the Hijra (the eleventh century C.E) (al-Mar'a fi-l-Islam wa-l-Hijab wa-s-Sufur chapter 24.). The separation of gender is in fact came from Persian culture during Bugdad time.
There fore mixing or non-mixing of genders do not have any religious bearing. It is mostly local cultural of feudal pride in relation to peasants and slave peasants. It is pride of the feudal class that their women don't mix with peasants and slave peasants, don't marry with peasants class, don't sleep with peasants, whereas it is pride for peasants women and daughters to mix with feudal (working in their homes+house made in middle east), marry with feudal class and even also a pride that feudal fall in relation with peasants. There fore what Geelani sb is suggesting, knowingly or unknowingly upholding the norms and values of a feudal culture while claiming to be the leader of a cosmopolitan society of 21st century.
The separation of gender is not the question? The protection of women dignity, women self-respect, respecting women not only as mother, sister, daughter or wife but as equal human being. We have seen this in west where no one can touch a women against her will. It is not possible yet in the so-called spiritual societies of the east with small exceptions.
I stand with Geelani sb to condemn those who attack Hazrat Bell's Shrine. Certainly these people do fall under Khorjati in Islamic history who were extremist and expels from Islam. Today every body knows who they are? The money and petrodollars can not hide the historical evidences and with the power of money we can not sell our falsehood in the name of truth.

DrWaleed Sheikh Anything that can create FITNA should be avoided.Geelani sahab is right

Ayaan Hassan kaun kArega tArjumani ???? ;)

Afzal Tahir
@Dr. Sheikh, if the question is FITNA, then we have to identify first the ingredient of FITNA itself. The term FITNA, in a tribo-agrarian society which in fact used as historical narration, by and large reflect the feudal norms and values ...rather than culture of common people of the time. The term "FITNA" according to Islamic history used to identify the political confrontations leading in to conflicts and total war. The murdered of Hazrat Uthman ben Affan, leading in to war of Jamul lead by Hazrt Ali and Hazrt Aysha, opposing each others and ultimately the war of saffin and subsequently the Shadit of Imam Hussain. To answer this FITNA Imam Abu Hanifa had constituted a committee of his student in order to formulate the constitution which was not acceptable to the Rulers of the time to be accountable to public, there fore Imam Abu Hanifa was put behind bar and died in Jail.

To protect rights of the people, it need a proper system of rules. The reason for the political FITNA in early Islam simply because there was no system available to answer questions such as, how to elect a leader? How to remove him? How to impeach him? If one take your suggestion, then they should abolish the government system because the power was the source of the conflict. In stead Imam try to regulate it.

If you mean that women among men do attract men's sexual feelings which means it can lead into conflict? Then what about the word most repeated in Qur'an "al-sabro". A man who don't control his sexual feelings then what is the difference between a human being and animal? In every civilized society, there are rules of engagement. Every one have follow the rules otherwise would face music. The most important question to all those who uphold this so-called FITNA. If mixing men and women encouraged cohabitation just because the human beings of opposing genders, then what about brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons etc?

A woman is not FITNA while socializing with man instead the devil which is the product of tribo-agrarian and feudal society sitting in the minds of men. Why it is not possible to respect women as we are respecting our mothers, sisters and daughters? I hope Dr. Sheikh you will reconsider your views because woman is a human being and not commodity just to be available for man to enjoy it keeping in view that both in Mecca and Medina, no separation of genders, praying together from the time of the Prophet simply because this is against nature. This is the only place sustain its original practice and survive for last 14 hundreds years otherwise the bigot of tribal prejudices would love to change from these two holly mosques.

DrWaleed Sheikh We appreciate u'r views .let the people decide themselves what is right and what is wrong as per Allah's book and Ahadis of our beloved Rasool A.S

Afzal Tahir
I do agree with you that it is fundamental choice of the individuals by themselves. The state, society and theologians can not be given authority to dictate. The question of Qur'an and Sunna is subject to interpretation according to time an...d space. The majority people follow Imam Abu Hanifa's interpretation of Islam who himself was a known rationalist of his time. There fore rational tools can not be ignore along with other developments in human knowledge, otherwise we will trap into literalist interpretation of scripture and tradition.

Innocent Kashmiri
Afzal.. sorry to say... but u r wrong..
no one is following any imaams.. we r just followng allah n mohammad saw..
yes shariat ijaazat nahi deti ki men women ek saath protest kare.. bcozz hum loog tou boool hi gaye hai ki parda kya hota hai......