Is it religion or culture?

Beheading, that is.

The crime was so brutal, shocking and rife with the worst possible stereotypes about their faith that some U.S. Muslims thought the initial reports were a hoax.

The harsh reality of what happened in an affluent suburb of Buffalo, N.Y. – the beheading of 37-year-old Aasiya Hassan and arrest of her estranged husband in the killing – is another crucible for American Muslims.

Here was a couple that appeared to be the picture of assimilation and tolerance, co-founders of a television network that aspired to improve the image of Muslims in a post 9-11 world.

Yep. I for one wasn’t shocked. Nothing surprises me when it comes to Islam, the Religion of Peace.

The killing and its aftermath raise hard questions for Muslims – about gender issues, about distinctions between cultural and religious practices, and about differing interpretations of Islamic texts regarding the treatment of women.

“Muslims don’t want to talk about this for good reason,” said Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur, a Muslim author and activist. “There is so much negativity about Muslims, and it sort of perpetuates it. The right wing is going to run with it and misuse it. But we’ve got to shine a light on this issue so we can transform it.”

There is evidence of movement in that direction in the 10 days since the Hassan slaying. In an open letter to American Muslim leaders, Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali of Sterling, Va., vice president of the Islamic Society of North America, said “violence against women is real and cannot be ignored.”

As with terrorism, not all victims are Muslim, but those who perform these barbaric acts are Muslim. An odd coincidence? Violence against women is a common and perpetual theme in Islam. Women of Islam have never had many rights, or a voice. It starts in their childhoods- when little girls are denied educations and then sold off to old men in marriage arrangements.

He urged that imams and community leaders never second-guess a woman in danger, and said women seeking divorces because of physical abuse should not be viewed as bringing shame to their families.

Muslim women’s advocates consider the statement significant after years of indifference in a community which has seen only recent progress – for example, the opening of shelters for battered Muslim women in a few major cities.

“This is a horrible tragedy, but it gives us a window,” said Abdul-Ghafur, editor of the anthology “Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak.”"The next time a woman comes to her imam and says, ‘He hit me,’ the reply might not be, ‘Be patient, sister, is there something you did, sister? Is there something you can do?’ The chances are greater the imam will say, ‘This is unacceptable.’”

(Emphasis mine) Years of indifference, eh? Not according to American liberals, who will always defend the Religion of Peace. Particularly readers like Reasic, who like to pretend that Muslims everywhere denounce acts of terror…he even told us to Google these so called denouncements. Yet, as stated in this article, it is the culture of this religion, that makes these things acceptable to it’s members.

At the South Bay Islamic Association in San Jose, Calif., Imam Tahir Anwar said he preached at Friday prayer services about keeping peace in the family and denounced physical and emotional domestic violence.

“I wouldn’t say (the problem) is particular to the Muslim community, but to the immigrant community whether you’re Muslim or otherwise,” Anwar, whose parents are from India, said in an interview. “Women don’t speak up about it. It’s a taboo that all immigrant communities sort of face.”

Of Islam’s potential role in the Hassan slaying, Anwar said: “All religions have texts that can be misinterpreted. Good people regardless of faith would never do something like this.”

Of course domestic violence is not a product of Islam…however, cutting off the heads of another human being IS strikingly a trademark of Islam. Let’s not allow any misinterpretation here.

While sermons like Anwar’s are encouraging, other Muslim clerics in the U.S. likely preached that Aasiya Hassan could have avoided her fate by being more obedient, said Muqtedar Khan, an associate professor of political science and international relations at the University of Delaware.

“The imam has to be enlightened enough to recognize this violence happens, to not hide in denial or somehow blame it on American culture,” said Khan, author of “American Muslims: Bridging Faith and Freedom.”

“In order to essentially condemn violence against women, they will have to treat women with greater respect. Unfortunately, the level of enlightenment among imams in North America varies significantly.”

Exactly. When we have Imam’s making these statements, why can’t our own liberal fellow citizens understand this? Why the silence? Silence is easy, that’s why. And, it is a lot easier to blame America, than it is to blame the religion practiced by Muslims- which is the biggest factor in their culture. That culture is full of hate.

Asra Nomani, a Muslim journalist, author and activist from Morgantown, W.Va., challenged Muslims who say the murder has no link to Islamic teachings. While Islam does not sanction domestic violence or murder, a literal reading of a controversial verse in the Quran taught in some mosques can lead to honor killings and murder, she said.

“It’s sort of like the typical reaction to terrorism in the community, where people want to say, ‘This had nothing to do with Islam,’” Nomani said. “Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with your interpretation of Islam that teaches you can’t kill innocent people. But terrorism, violence, honor killing – they are all part of ideological problems we have in the community we need to eradicate.”

The passage – Chapter 4, Verse 34 – has been widely translated to sanction physical discipline against disobedient wives. There is disagreement about to what degree and whether it’s punitive or symbolic.

The verse is cited “all the time” to justify domestic violence, just as people of other faiths cite scriptures to support oppression of women, said Salma Abugideri of the Peaceful Families Project, which offers training and workshops to combat domestic violence in Muslim communities.

The verse, is followed literally, and Muslim women have suffered tremendously, because of it. Dress it down all they want, it is the source for much of the oppression and violence these women experience. Until we all see this, and stand up and call Muslims out on it, IT will continue. We can make all the excuses in the world. But that’s not our job. Muslims need to condemn their own, more often, more loudly and with meaning. Until they do, it’s very difficult to not see Islam as the Religion of Hate.