Women in Islam; early education; politics and medicine

Women in Islam

In today’s society, Islam and its teachings are often a hotly debated topic.

One of the main misconceptions is in regards to the role and status of women in Islam.

Muslim women are often portrayed as repressed and devoid of freedom.

In reality, Islam gives great respect and high status to women. Islam provides guidance to Muslim women on the roles as a daughter, wife and mother. Furthermore, Islam gives women spiritual, educational, economic and social rights in society. These rights were given at the time of Prophet Muhammad, (peace and blessings be upon him) more than 1400 years ago.

Many of the horrific headlines we see coming from Muslim countries regarding women is due to the repressive culture of the country, not due to Islam.

In these countries, the religion of Islam and the culture are so closely meshed, that people are not able to differentiate between Islamic customs and cultural customs.

As an American Muslim woman, I hope to continue to help dispel these misconceptions about women in Islam by educating others of the true status of women in my beautiful religion.

— Musleha Ahmad, Fort Worth

Early education

Thank you for your March 12 editorial, “Whole-hearted for pre-K, or only half?”

We don't have to wait until our kids graduate from high school and college and get good jobs to see the economic benefits of high-quality pre-K.

Early intervention prevents downstream problems in education, health, social and economic productivity that place large burdens on local, state and national budgets, as well as weaken our global competitiveness and security.

Data shared by the business group ReadyNation shows that a dollar invested in quality early childhood programs can return $2 in the sales of goods and services.

A recent study at the Bush School of Government and Public Service determined that for every dollar invested in a full-day, high-quality pre-k program, the state of Texas would reap $3.50 in benefits. Over the long-term, Nobel Laureate James Heckman places the ROI at 7:1.

That's a great bottom-line message for everyone who cares about kids and the economy, and a good reason to expand our investment in quality preschool today for long-term benefits in the years to come.

— Nancy Jones, Community Foundation of North Texas, President & CEO

Ralph Heath, President, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Ret.

Politics and medicine

As an obstetrician-gynecologist, I am deeply concerned about the proposed Unborn Child Due Process Act.

This legislation would put yet another person between a pregnant woman’s family and the doctors caring for her in an already tragic and traumatizing situation.

The intrusion into deeply personal medical decisions by third parties is dangerous, and usually makes things worse rather than better.

The physician-patient relationship depends on a bond of trust and respect. Politics has no place in this relationship.

Let’s keep the Legislature and the courts out of our most private decisions.

— Dr. G. Sealy Massingill, Fort Worth

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Women in Islam; early education; politics and medicine."