oblongo,
Having looked at the two articles, my first inclination is to say, harshly and emphatically, that they are garbage, pardon my French. That the author subscribes to the same view of Islam as Muslim misogynists is clear, but that it is an accurate representation of Islam at all is something I dispute.
I’ve posted earlier (see the last page of the previous thread for example) about the position of women in Islam, and I’m not sure what to add to this debate.
Two things to remember:
- Everything has a context
- Hadith (the reported sayings of the Prophet) can be deceptive, and not all are reliable reports.
“O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should you treat them with harshness, that you may take away part of the dowry you have given them… On the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If you take a dislike to them, it may be that you dislike something and Allah will bring about through it a great deal of good.” (Surah 4:19)
A woman is not to be married against her will – if she is not consulted about this, she has the right to dissolve the marriage – and she can seek divorce for any number of reasons, though divorce is considered to be highly undesirable – even the reason that she finds her husband impossible to look upon. She is to receive a dowry, gift of monetary or material value, before the marriage, which she keeps even in the case of divorce. She keeps her name and her bank account – any money that she earns or gains during her marriage is hers and hers alone; her husband has no claim on her property. (and any money she contributes to the household is considered to be charity)
Men are awarded, according to the Qur’an, a degree of advantage over women because they are traditionally expected to provide for them. This is the “supremacy” referred to. If this situation does not exist – for example, if the woman is helping to support the household or whatnot – he no longer holds this degree of advantage. Therefore this is an issue of expectations of financial support and no inherent female/male supremacy issue. An “obedient” wife, in the Qur’an, is obedient to GOD, not to her husband. It’s very easy, today, to look at the gender division of roles with a biased eye, but considering the pre-Islamic society, a commandment from God for men to provide for their families and not leave their wives bereft of financial support was a great help up. Context counts!
“And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women.” (Surah 2:226)
“For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah’s praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.” (Surah 33:35)
Regarding sex in marriage, since marriage is considered the only means by which sex can be lawfully engaged in, both women and men are to make themselves sexually available to one another. And the man’s duty in this – and his wife’s right over him – is to ensure that he satisfies his wife before himself.
Polygyny:
To imply that the Qur’an views this institution as some sort of glorious sexual free-for-all is more than a gross misrepresentation – it ignores what the Qur’an has to say about the subject altogether.
Seeing as the Prophet was married exclusively to his first wife, Khadijah, for twenty-five years, ending only in her death, and that most of his later wives were elderly and widowed, that would hardly seem to indicate that there were baser motives in his contracting multiple marriages.
“And [following on from the instruction regarding orphans in the previous verse] if you have reason to fear that you might not act equitably towards orphans, then marry from among (other) women such as are lawful to you - (even) two, or three, or four: but if you have reason to fear that you might not be able to treat them with equal fairness, then (only) one - or (from among) those whom you rightfully possess. This will make it more likely that you will not deviate from the right course.” (Surah 4:3)
And then the Qur’an goes on to read:
“And it will not be within your power to treat your wives with equal fairness, however much you may desire it…” (Surah 4:129)
This would seem to indicate that multiple marriages are reserved for specific situations, and further that they are discouraged on the basis of fearing injustice. Lobbying for polygyny rights outside of this scenario would, in my view, be contrary to the Qur’anic message – not that it hasn’t been abused in the past. But polygyny is rare even in the Muslim world, so it would seem to bear out my suspicions.
Wife-beating:
“Do not beat your noble wife like a slave.” – Prophet Muhammed
One recent Qur’anic translation (Ahmed Ali, 1993) of the verse traditionally used to condone wife-beating (however mild; it’s been almost universally considered to be a symbolic rather than physical act – but no matter) is offered as follows:
“As for women you feel are averse, talk to them suasively; then leave them alone in bed (without molesting them) and go to bed with them (when they are willing).” (Surah 4:34)
And footnoted:
For the three words fa-‘izu, wa-hjuru, and wa-dribu in the original, here translated ‘talk to them suasively,’ ‘leave them alone (in bed–fi 'l-madaji‘),’ and ‘have intercourse,’ respectively, see Raghib, Lisan al-‘Arab,and Zamakhshari. Raghib in his al-Mufradat fi gharib al-Qur’an gives the meanings of these words with special reference to this verse. … Raghib points out that daraba metaphorically means to have intercourse, and quotes the expression daraba al-fahl al-naqah “the stud camel covered the she-camel,” which is also quoted by Lisan al-‘Arab. It cannot be taken here to mean ‘to strike them (women).’ This view is strengthened by the Prophet’s authentic hadith found in a number of authorities, including Bukhari and Muslim: “Could any of you beat your wife as he would a slave, and then lie with her in the evening?” There are other traditions in Abu Da’ud, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and others, to the effect that he forbade the beating of any woman, saying: “Never beat God’s handmaidens.”
Again, that there has been a patriarchal bent to traditional interpretations of Islam, and that there have been misogynistic tendencies expressed over the centuries, is undeniable. But that these exist within Islam as revealed to the Prophet, or that they existed in the Prophet’s own mind and practice, is something that I simply have not seen to be the case. And quite honestly, I would think that we women who convert to Islam would tend to be even more cautious about investigating just what we were getting into ;).
Oh-- you wanted hadith? 
“The best among you are those who are who are kindest to their wives.”
“No believer should be angry towards his wife. If some of her qualities are displeasing, there will be many other qualities worth appreciation.”
“Women are the twin halves of men.”
“Paradise lies beneath the feet of the mothers.”
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