[QUOTE=tagos]
Fine - some small and insignificant sects may not treat women as second class citizens but in the real world the two major streams, in keeping with the Koran and Sharia Law, does.
All power to those who can find wriggle room but the historical and doctrinal weight of Islam is that it prescribes some pretty unpalatable stuff as seen from western eyes. And while the law in so many islamic societies implements this to some degree it is just artificial to try and claim Islam isn’t mysogynist or homophobic etc etc.
“Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other, and because men spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because God has guarded them. As for those among you who fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them.” Sura 4:34
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‘Surely for men who submit to Allah and for women who submit to Allah, for believing men and for believing women , for devout men and devout women, for truthful men and truthful women, for steadfast men and steadfast women, for humble men and humble women, for charitable men and charitable women, for fasting men and fasting women, for men who guard their chastity and women who guard their chastity, for men who remember Allah much and for women who remember Allah much, for all of them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a mighty reward.’
‘Whosoever performs good deeds, whether male or female and is a believer, We shall surely grant him a peaceful and tranquil life, and We will certainly reward them for the best of what they did.’
‘And whosoever does deeds of righteousness, whether male or female, and is a believer, they will enter Heaven and not the least injustice will be done to them.’
'And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them,and He has put love and mercy between your hearts. Verily in it are signs for those who ponder.
Hadhrat Abu Hurayra (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) says that a man asked the Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam), ‘Who is worthier of my good treatment?’ The Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) replied, 'Your mother (which he repeated three times), then your father."
The Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) also said, ‘Paradise is beneath the feet of your mother.’
The Holy Prophet (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, 'O Muslims! I command you to behave well with your wives because woman has been created from the left rib of man. If you try to make it straight it will break, and if you allow to let it remain in its original condition, it will remain crooked. Obey my order and live a good life by treating your wives well.
‘The best amongst you are those who are kindest to their wives.’
I maintain that the Qur’an and Sunnah make it clear that women are to be treated with kindness and respect. Yes, I will certainly admit that some Muslims and some Muslim countries do treat women appalingly, but they do this *despite * Islam’s teachings, not because of it. It’s all too easy for a male-dominated regime to ignore the passages I quoted and twist the rest of the scripture to suit their own aims. Case in point - when the Taliban came to power they banned women from attending schools and Universities, even though Islam makes it clear that education and the search for knowledge are obligatory for all Muslims, male and female alike.
