Following this discussion on religion and breastfeeding with interest. 
I'd just like to add that often these types of discussions are perceived
as attacking religion when a distinction needs to be made between a
religion and the culture and practice of some people who adhere to or
even preach it, especially in situations where the majority of the
population is un-educated, undereducated, or illiterate, as these people
are less likely to know first-hand the teachings of their religion from
the original sources and one finds a lot of cultural interpolations.  

As a Muslim I am constantly trying to explain to people that there is
usually a HUGE difference between the core teachings of any religion from
its original sources and how people, including religious "authorities"
(whose "authority" can often be highly debatable) interpret it, teach it,
or live it.  When it comes to breastfeeding, I often encounter
misinformed Muslims, including those who have the status of "religious
authority" (although there is no formal authority or anything like a
priesthood or even a certification for such positions) who believe that
Islam prohibits breastfeeding for longer than 2 years when in fact this
is not the case if one seeks out the original verses on the subject in
the Qur'an and what the explanatory books (called "tafseer") say about
the context in which those verses were reavealed and their meanings.  In
fact, there is NO upper limit to breastfeeding a child in Islamic law yet
many women over the centuries have been told to forcibly stop
breastfeeding their almost-2-year-olds because a "religious authority"
told them it was prohibited.  (If anyone is interested in the details of
this I would be glad to provide.)

It is important, however, to recognize instances in history (and in the
present day) when people under the guise of "religious authority" mislead
and even harm people based on ignorance.  It has happened and continues
to happen in EVERY religion and one can only do a service to their
religion by acknowledging the abuses and clarifying the true nature of
the faith.  

Tasneem Jennifer Crooker
LLL Leader: Norman, OK, USA
LLLI Global Publications:  Arabic
http://www.arabicbreastfeeding.info 

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