Free to Choose

As intended in its purest form, faith in God and religious practices were meant to forge a global alliance of goodwill and common humanity by encouraging diverse tribes to work together - a social, moral and ethical construct to help define coexistence as a way of life. However, the creation of hierarchies and religious clergies converted religious texts into tools for division and judgment.This second volume continues the journey into deconstructing the texts of the Qur'an and peeling back the layers of complex undertones and contexts in an effort to empower the reader to do the same. Reviewing the third and the fourth chapters of the Qur'an, this volume brings to life the fundamental right of each and every human being to be free to choose his or her faith and the mode of its expression while volume 1 was focused on fundamental aspect of this faith in God without confining such faith to mere rituals. While chapter 3, "The Family of Amran", draws attention to the original convergence of the three faith - Judaism, Christianity and Islam; and delves into the underlying root causes of subsequent divergence of these religious beliefs and practices; Chapter 4, "The Women" makes a passionate appeal to our human consciousness and God given freedom to create a social construct where gender equality is absolute by providing directional guidance on man-woman relationships, marriage commitments, inheritance, equal rights and obligations and a confirmation that each one of us, irrespective of gender, is to be equally responsible and empowered to do good on this earth.