Princess Sultana's Daughters

said that he, himself, thought that the man should
not be punished, since he was the father of four daughters and had
desired a son to the point of madness. While Yousif acknowledged
that the Prophet had not condoned such practice, he thought the
authorities should not intervene on a private matter that had
harmed no one but the baby girl.
    Yousif wondered if Kareem could offer
assistance obtaining a work visa for the man, and possibly give him
a job in Saudi Arabia so he would not have to return to his country
and face trial.
    Yousif had not bothered to discover the sex
of Kareem’s children, and Kareem had begun to breathe heavily.
Knowing Kareem’s thoughts on such matters, I thought that my
husband might strike his old friend and fling him to the
ground.
    The back of Kareem’s neck turned red, so I
knew that my husband blushed in anger. I decided that he had eyes
in the back of his head, for he motioned with his hand for me to
stay away. Kareem curtly informed his old friend that he, himself,
had been blessed with two beautiful daughters and one son, and that
he loved his daughters as he did his son.
    A man with thick skin, Yousif gave his
condolences to Kareem, saying that it was too unfortunate he was
the father of daughters. Without taking a moment to breathe, Yousif
then began to argue the benefits of sons, and wondered why my
husband did not take another wife. Kareem could, after all, allow
me to keep the daughters, and he could raise our son.
    Kareem responded with the calm of a man who
is very angry by reminding Yousif of the teachings of Mohammed.
“Yousif,” he asked, “you say you are a practicing and good Muslim.
If so, do you not recall the words of the blessed Prophet when a
man entered the mosque and approached the Prophet?”
    I knew the story well, since I have always
quoted the fairness of the Prophet with regard to women, when
fighting the extremists in my land.
    Yousif listened with a blank face, and it was
evident to my eyes that he was a man who had no interest in the
words of the Prophet if those words did not agree with his own
thoughts on life.
    Kareem plunged ahead, a man intent on making
his point by using intellect, and the teachings of a man anointed
by God to spread his word, instead of by resorting to brute force.
Frankly, I desired to see Yousif beaten and bloodied, but I did
have a moment of pride when Kareem spoke with the passion of a
muezzin reminding the faithful to come to prayer, as he told the
true story of Prophet Mohammed’s reminder to all fathers about the
equal value of their children, regardless of sex.
    *
    A man entered the mosque and approached the
Prophet. He sat down and began to talk. After some time, the man’s
two children, a boy and a girl, followed their father into the
mosque. The boy came in first, and received much praise and a
loving kiss from his father. The boy settled on the man’s lap,
while the man continued talking to the Prophet.
    Sometime later, the man’s daughter arrived at
the mosque. When she approached her father, he did not kiss her or
put her on his lap, as he had done with his son. Instead, he
motioned for the little girl to sit in front of him, and went on
talking to the Prophet.
    The Prophet was greatly concerned when he saw
this. Why, he asked, do you not treat these children equally? Why
did you not kiss your daughter as you kissed your son, and let her,
also, sit on your lap?
    The man felt ashamed when he heard the
Prophet say those words. He understood that he had acted in an
improper manner toward his two children.
    Sons and daughters are both gifts of God, the
Prophet reminded him. Both are equally great gifts, and so they
should always be treated equally.
    *
    Kareem glared at Yousif, his expression
seeming to say, now, what do you have to say to that!
    This Yousif fellow was a rude man. Ignoring
Kareem’s obvious discomfort and the message of the Prophet’s words,
he started his tirade against women once again, quoting remarks
from the Green Book, written by President Qaddafi of Libya, a man
who was known to cling to the strictest interpretation of the
proper role of women in Islam. Seeing that he had not won over
Kareem to his way of thinking, he concluded his efforts by
reminding my husband of the breakdown of the family unit in Western
countries, stating, “God has assigned a specific duty for men and
for women. Women are created for procreation, nothing else! Kareem,
come now, who can deny that by nature all women