women in islam

The Moslem religion has been seen as controversial because of the way women are treated in many Islamic countries.
Strict rules in many of these countries oblige these women to have their whole body covered in black so that they are not attractive to attract men. In some Moslem countries women cannot even vote and do not have the same rights as men.
The basis for this situation is the Koran is the holy book of the Moslems. In it is the testament of the Prophet Mohamed and sets out the way a good Moslem must behave.
Many women say that what is in the Koran describes how the women were treated during the 7th century and should not apply to the present.
In fact, for the 7th century, the Koran’s treatment of women was actually progressive as it set out their rights in marriage, divorce and protected their property. There were also opportunities for education, even though the life of most women revolved around the house.
A Moslem man was allowed to take four wives but had to treat them all equally. Even so, he was responsible for the family and the woman had to obey him. And though women had the right to property, daughters were allowed half the inheritance compared to their brothers.
And if they went to court, their word also counted for half the weight of that of men.
Time has since changed and so has the status of women, worldwide, including in some Islamic countries.
Some of these have changed the laws to ensure equal rights for women. Several Islamic countries have elected women as leaders and women there have successful careers. Examples include Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
There is also an Islamic feminist movement that quotes from the Koran and say that it protects the rights of women. Their efforts have concentrated on educating women in the villages about their rights even though they know that it is difficult because traditions are strong.
But in other Islamic countries the situation is very different. Afghanistan during the rule of the Talaban is one of the worst examples of how badly women can be treated by men who say what they are doing is the law of the Koran.
There young girls were not allowed to go to school. Very few women could work. They could not go outside unless they had a male relative with them. And when they did they had to wear the burqua that covered them completely, with narrow slits for the eyes. Their husbands were allowed to beat them and divorce them for no reason. Any woman found guilty of not being faithful to their husband was stoned to death in public. When the Taleban regime collapsed, the women in Afghanistan were able to return to work and to school. They were even able to compete in sports—things that we take for granted in the west.
Aghanistan may have been an extreme case, but even in Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia women do not have the same rights as men. Although there has been progress, it is slow, perhaps too slow.

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