Tech Doctor Explains What It Means to be Female, Muslim
For one doctor at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, a second marriage involved an exchange of much more than vows and wedding bands.
Dr. Jane Colmer-Hamood earned a Ph.D. in medical microbiology, married, raised three children, divorced and - at the age of 50 years old - after meeting her soon-to-be second husband, converted to Islam.
Hoping to dispel some of the common misconceptions many Americans may have about being a woman of the Islamic faith, Tech's Muslim Student Organization gave Colmer-Hamood an opportunity to tell her story Wednesday evening in the Human Sciences building.
"You have to be very careful when you look at things that appear to be great or that seem to be - somehow assuming that a woman is less - it may not have anything to do with the religion," she said, "and everything to do with the culture that people have been raised in."
Growing up to become a woman in a strict Christian Science household gave the Kansas City native few breaks, Colmer-Hamood said.
Disregarding his daughter's No. 1 position in her high school class and nearly a perfect GPA upon graduation from college, her father refused to endorse her desire to get an education and start a career.
"My father, to his dying day, thought the best accomplishment I did with my life was produce three children," Colmer-Hamood said. "That, in his mind, was what I was supposed to do, and I was supposed to be thrilled-to-death that I produced those children."
Within the constructs of her father's Christian beliefs, she said, because they give birth, and that is their primary duty in life, women existed on a level lower than that of men.
While the Quran teaches that there is a difference between men and women, Colmer-Hamood said, it establishes a foundation of equality between Muslim couples.
"I have been in many places many times within my own country where that doesn't occur," she said.
After a "family emergency" indirectly led to Colmer-Hamood's divorce from her first husband, she said she began feeling empty and wanted to find fulfillment.
The Muslim faith piqued her interest, she said, and she began to see Abdul Hamood, a devoted Muslim who was happy to introduce her to his beliefs when she asked.
After learning more and more about the teachings of the Quran, Colmer-Hamood said, she began to see that the mainstream representation of Islam was a far cry from the reality, especially when it came to the women who practiced that faith.
The choice to convert to Islam did not come without considerable thought, she said. She talked about it extensively with Hamood because Muslim laws forbid interfaith marriage. Once she decided to convert, she felt right; she said she felt as if she was "coming home."
While Muslim women may not have the same financial entitlements as their male counterparts, she said, there is good reason: It is the man's duty to take care not only of the women in his own immediate family - mother, sisters, cousins, etc. - but there is an entire network of interconnected women who could call upon the man for help if circumstances should arise and call for it.
"Well, the woman doesn't have the responsibility to care for everybody that the man does," Colmer-Hamood said. "So, in that sense, the woman inherits what? She is already protected, and she's not forbidden an education. She's not forbidden to work. Again, she's an independent person."
Muslim women are treated with respect as mothers and wives, she said, which are sacred roles, but not the only role Muslim women are expected to take.
While there may be some countries that practice a distorted version of the Muslim faith and misrepresent Islam, Colmer-Hamood said, Christianity in America does not always follow the Bible perfectly, either.
America considers itself a Christian nation, she said, but rarely is there a perfect example of any religion's practices within one country.
"There is a large portion of America that is not Christian," she said. "Some of the things in the Bible don't support women that well."
In the Quran, divorce greatly is discouraged because it betrays a "sacred contract in the presence of God," Colmer-Hamood said. But, if the marriage has deteriorated to a point of extreme need, divorce could be an option.
Muslim patriarchs are permitted to have as many as four wives, she said, it requires the man to treat all of his wives equally.
Polygamy, however, is not a distinctly Islamic practice, Colmer-Hamood said. The Bible also contains references to a man having more than one wife.
Because Colmer-Hamood could not give her second husband children, she said she gave him the choice of having another wife, but Hamood declined.
Not everyone in attendance Wednesday night thought Colmer-Hamood was convincing.
Jason Hoskin, a graduate student from Las Vegas, said he was skeptical of Colmer-Hamood's lack of direct citations from the Quran when she said some practices were culturally isolated.
"I was worried that there wasn't really any discussion about the Quran," he said. "If you're going to say that this behavior is cultural and it's not in the Quran, then talk about the Quran."
Rehan Safiullah, a member of the organization, said the evening gave students an excellent opportunity to get a better perspective on the Muslim faith.
"I think it's just that, for a lot of people on campus and with the media, there are a lot of misconceptions, especially about women," he said. "It was just a great forum for students in general to ask questions."
Source: The Daily Toreador
Hoping to dispel some of the common misconceptions many Americans may have about being a woman of the Islamic faith, Tech's Muslim Student Organization gave Colmer-Hamood an opportunity to tell her story Wednesday evening in the Human Sciences building.
"You have to be very careful when you look at things that appear to be great or that seem to be - somehow assuming that a woman is less - it may not have anything to do with the religion," she said, "and everything to do with the culture that people have been raised in."
Growing up to become a woman in a strict Christian Science household gave the Kansas City native few breaks, Colmer-Hamood said.
Disregarding his daughter's No. 1 position in her high school class and nearly a perfect GPA upon graduation from college, her father refused to endorse her desire to get an education and start a career.
"My father, to his dying day, thought the best accomplishment I did with my life was produce three children," Colmer-Hamood said. "That, in his mind, was what I was supposed to do, and I was supposed to be thrilled-to-death that I produced those children."
Within the constructs of her father's Christian beliefs, she said, because they give birth, and that is their primary duty in life, women existed on a level lower than that of men.
While the Quran teaches that there is a difference between men and women, Colmer-Hamood said, it establishes a foundation of equality between Muslim couples.
"I have been in many places many times within my own country where that doesn't occur," she said.
After a "family emergency" indirectly led to Colmer-Hamood's divorce from her first husband, she said she began feeling empty and wanted to find fulfillment.
The Muslim faith piqued her interest, she said, and she began to see Abdul Hamood, a devoted Muslim who was happy to introduce her to his beliefs when she asked.
After learning more and more about the teachings of the Quran, Colmer-Hamood said, she began to see that the mainstream representation of Islam was a far cry from the reality, especially when it came to the women who practiced that faith.
The choice to convert to Islam did not come without considerable thought, she said. She talked about it extensively with Hamood because Muslim laws forbid interfaith marriage. Once she decided to convert, she felt right; she said she felt as if she was "coming home."
While Muslim women may not have the same financial entitlements as their male counterparts, she said, there is good reason: It is the man's duty to take care not only of the women in his own immediate family - mother, sisters, cousins, etc. - but there is an entire network of interconnected women who could call upon the man for help if circumstances should arise and call for it.
"Well, the woman doesn't have the responsibility to care for everybody that the man does," Colmer-Hamood said. "So, in that sense, the woman inherits what? She is already protected, and she's not forbidden an education. She's not forbidden to work. Again, she's an independent person."
Muslim women are treated with respect as mothers and wives, she said, which are sacred roles, but not the only role Muslim women are expected to take.
While there may be some countries that practice a distorted version of the Muslim faith and misrepresent Islam, Colmer-Hamood said, Christianity in America does not always follow the Bible perfectly, either.
America considers itself a Christian nation, she said, but rarely is there a perfect example of any religion's practices within one country.
"There is a large portion of America that is not Christian," she said. "Some of the things in the Bible don't support women that well."
In the Quran, divorce greatly is discouraged because it betrays a "sacred contract in the presence of God," Colmer-Hamood said. But, if the marriage has deteriorated to a point of extreme need, divorce could be an option.
Muslim patriarchs are permitted to have as many as four wives, she said, it requires the man to treat all of his wives equally.
Polygamy, however, is not a distinctly Islamic practice, Colmer-Hamood said. The Bible also contains references to a man having more than one wife.
Because Colmer-Hamood could not give her second husband children, she said she gave him the choice of having another wife, but Hamood declined.
Not everyone in attendance Wednesday night thought Colmer-Hamood was convincing.
Jason Hoskin, a graduate student from Las Vegas, said he was skeptical of Colmer-Hamood's lack of direct citations from the Quran when she said some practices were culturally isolated.
"I was worried that there wasn't really any discussion about the Quran," he said. "If you're going to say that this behavior is cultural and it's not in the Quran, then talk about the Quran."
Rehan Safiullah, a member of the organization, said the evening gave students an excellent opportunity to get a better perspective on the Muslim faith.
"I think it's just that, for a lot of people on campus and with the media, there are a lot of misconceptions, especially about women," he said. "It was just a great forum for students in general to ask questions."
Source: The Daily Toreador
