mayjooss

For what crime it was killed." (Qur'an, Chapter 81, Verses 8-9).

In the world of Justice - the day of judgement, full questions will be asked, and the victim herself - unable to speak in this world, will be able to give evidence, for she had committed no crime herself. A fair-minded orientalist, the Professor of Eastern Languages at the University of Geneva, Mr. Edouard Montet, speaking on this subject in the introduction to the translation of the Qur'an writes:

"Progress of infinite significance has been realized through these reforms, so that Muhammad can be considered as one of the greatest benefactors of mankind. Were it only for the absolute interdiction to kill girls at birth, Muhammad would have left an unforgettable memory in the history of his time." (Montet, Qtd. In "Conferences on Muslim Doctrine and Human Rights in Islam," 170.)

The same could be said about "love", it has been used as a means to an end. Love itself is the victim today, it has committed no crime, rather it is people who have exploited it's good name to indulge in all types of sexual crimes. Love has been oppressed and may soon be "buried alive " like the female infant in pre-Islamic Arabia.

There are daily reports of men defiling kids as young as 5 years old in some parts of the globe. To many people these men are mere rapists, but to this writer, they are nothing but "love offenders".

And, although, there may be a thin wall between a rapist and a love offender, I define a sex offender as a person who forcefully have sex with an unwilling and helpless individual. On the hand, love offenders all do have consensual sex, except that, in their case, they make their gullible partners believe that they are having sex because they "love" each other. The other partner, being gullible believes that is the case. However, the one professing "love" knows they are being deceitful. They also do know that, the only way they can get to "slip between the sheets" with the other party is by employing that magical word 'love'! Their deceitfulness is only exposed after they have achieved their desires.

Admittedly, it may not be easy to apprehend love offenders, but they can still be caught in what this writer calls a "sex laboratory". This is a hypothetical enclosure, within which two lovers get involved in discussing sex and one partner's avowed goal is nothing but to get their way. Let's surmise that, within this hypothetical enclosure a scenario like this unfolds: A twenty-something year-old girl pleading with his boy friend in the following words: "If you really love me, why are you insisting that we have sex before getting married?" Her boy friend replies: " After we've had sex, you will understand.

"The reason why I insist we ex before marriage is because I love you. " He retorts bitterly. If the girl refuses to have sex, and a breakup occurs, then he would have been a "love offender". On the other hand, should the girl agree (out of her own free will) to have sex with him, then they will all be criminalized as "love offenders" in this writer's lexicon. This will hold true until marriage is finally consummated between the two.