Married Couples Forbidden To Have Sex Naked

OK, that headline should get your attention...

As frequently ranted, I've been working in Egypt for several months. Here's a story that ran in the Egyptian Gazette today.

Al-Azhar University has been around since the Seventh Century and is one of the most respected educational institutions in the Muslim world. (It has not said a word about the Danish cartoon flap, despite a lot of pressure here locally.)

You'll notice that in this story, the female professor of Islamic studies, Souad Saleh, has no problem publicly discussing anal sex and sex during menstruation, though she thinks both are prohibited.

Anyway, all explanations of Islamic religious terms etc. are in the original story. The story is written with the snarky, sarcastic tone that is typical of Egyptians, and one of the things I love about them:

(Standard Disclaimer: I'm an atheist. I don't have a god in this fight.}

The Naked Truth Revealed
Mohssen Arishie, Gazette staff

Couples watching the "Ama Yatsaloon," a religious programme on the satellite TV channel Dream, have been recently shocked when a sheikh said that if couples go to bed totally undressed it "invalidates the marriage contract" and that "it is illegal to have sex" in such a state of undress.

Many couples, who were watching the programme while relaxing in bed, must have panicked, snatching up their clothes and hastily dressing themselves in compliance with the cleric's outrageous fatwa (religious edict).

That the sheikh was none other than Rashad Hassan Khalil, Dean of the Faculty of Sharia at Al-Azhar University gave his shocking fatwa extra clout. Khalil's fatwa came when someone phoned in and asked whether it was all right to be totally naked when making love to one's spouse.

"This is religiously prohibited and condemned, invalidating the marriage contract," warned the scholar.

If senior sheikhs and scholars hadn't immediately contacted the show to denounce their colleague's ruling, many marriages could well have ended up on the rocks, while newlywed couples would have had to tie the knot once more.

Millions of Muslim couples heaved a collective sigh of relief when a prominent professor, Souad Saleh, Dean of the Faculty Of Islamic Studies at Al-Azhar, intervened. But in the light of the heated dispute which has erupted between the two notable professors, the public has become confused over who should announce a binding fatwa.

Saleh, widely known for her moderate rulings when it comes to thorny Islamic issues, explained that, according to Sharia (Islamic Law), married couples should enjoy their most intimate moments, so long as they engage in "proper sexual intercourse," explaining that they shouldn't have anal sex and a man shouldn't have sex with his wife while she's menstruating.

Surprisingly, the strongest condemnation of Khalil's outrageous fatwa came from women professors. Amna Noseir also phoned in, telling the programme exactly what Saled did, adding that the proponents of outrageous fatwas are influenced by tribal cultures, which are totally alien to the text of the Holy Qu'ran.

"It is unfortunate that many faqeehs (preachers and interpreters of the Qu'ran) want to impose outrageous restrictions on married life, which will only jeopardise whole families," Noseir warned.

The arguments of both women were upheld by Sheikh Mahmoud Ashour, former Deputy President of Al-Azhar University. Sheikh Ashour, who is also a member of the Islamic Research Academy, said: "There's nothing wrong about married couples being naked while making love. Nor is it a sin for a man or woman to look at their spouse's genitals."

He regretted that some conservative sheikhs misconstrue the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed and passages in the Qu'ran. "I wonder how such people can come up with such outrageous interpretations," he added.

END

I always wondered what those things looked like, That's it? :boring:

one of those white night-shirt outfits and the little pillbox hat.

Seriously, "Academy of Islamic Research"? :crazy: Go to real college, "Professor."

:eyes: He's gotta be hella lotta fun in bed. :sarcasm:

are not subjected to this holy rule :evilgrin:

Paul had some crazy-assed ideas about what people should do and not do with their naughty bits.