Question about female worth in islam.

[Aegrus]

I'm not very familiar with Islam. However, I recently had a small portion of it explained to me by a Muslim woman who goes to the same college as I.

According to her, a woman in Islam is worth 1/2 of a man. (She actually tried to argue that this was proof that Islam respects women. I don't know how she thought that saying women are worth 1/2 of men would help her case. Maybe she assumes that women outside of Islam are worth less than 1/2 of a male?)

At any rate, her English wasn't very good, so it's possible she meant that men and women are considered equal halves by Islam.

Does anyone here know if Islamic texts give any fractions for the worth of women? I will consider it bigoted and horrid unless 1 woman=1 man.

[Rayaan]

Take a thorough read through the articles below and then and let me know if there is something not sitting well with you.

Equality of Men and Women as Stated in the Quran

The Status of Women in Islam

[Aegrus]

Take a thorough read through the articles below and then and let me know if there is something not sitting well with you.

Equality of Men and Women as Stated in the Quran

The Status of Women in Islam

Thanks for the sources. Based on the quotes, it seems very likely that the person I spoke with meant the 1/2 comment as in women are an equal half of men. (As in, not half of men, but an equal half of humanity.)

Edit-- However, upon googling outside sources, I noticed that there seems to be cherry-picking going on here.

"Call in two male witnesses from among you, but if two men cannot be found, then one man and two women whom you judge fit to act as witnesses..." Quran 2:282, "The Cow," Dawood, p. 47

"Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because God has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and forsake them in beds apart, and beat them." Quran 4:34, "Women," Dawood, p. 83

http://freethoughtnation.com/contributin...women.html

Is there a reason why these two quotes should be disregarded?

[Kayenneh]

Since we're on this topic, could a muslim explain to me why women have to cover their hair? That's something I have never understood.

[WinterHold]

Since we're on this topic, could a muslim explain to me why women have to cover their hair? That's something I have never understood.

Blasphemy spread in the early Muslim society & ended up with a group of people accusing the prophet's wife (aisha ; which many people think she was a child) of being a whore.

In the same time, many of the surrounding tribes used to ambush Muslim women.

The covering of the hair & attractive body parts became a requirement for all Muslim women, to prevent blasphemy & rape.

[Dee Dee Ramone]

Since we're on this topic, could a muslim explain to me why women have to cover their hair? That's something I have never understood.

Blasphemy spread in the early Muslim society & ended up with a group of people accusing the prophet's wife (aisha ; which many people think she was a child) of being a whore.

In the same time, many of the surrounding tribes used to ambush Muslim women.

The covering of the hair & attractive body parts became a requirement for all Muslim women, to prevent blasphemy & rape.

Aisha was not a child? How old was she then when they met?

Anyway...in other words if a woman has not covered up her hair and attractive body parts (you know that's subjective, don't you?), she shouldn't be suprised if she gets raped sooner or later? Or is it just a tradition?

[WinterHold]

Aisha was not a child? How old was she then when they met?

Anyway...in other words if a woman has not covered up her hair and attractive body parts (you know that's subjective, don't you?), she shouldn't be suprised if she gets raped sooner or later? Or is it just a tradition?

The external sources which Muslims use to indicate details about the prophet's life aren't accurate, nobody knows.

No, actually the penalty of rape & blasphemy stays either she was covering herself or not. As long as the penalty stays, the act is not justified.

[Zone]

The external sources which Muslims use to indicate details about the prophet's life aren't accurate, nobody knows.

Mohammed isn't a vague mystical figure we don't know very much about people did write quite a lot about him, this was all compilled into the hadiths. So as far as we know Aisha was 6 when Mohammed married and 9 when he did the deed.

http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Qur'an,_Hadith...lars:Aisha

[CapnAwesome]

Take a thorough read through the articles below and then and let me know if there is something not sitting well with you.

Equality of Men and Women as Stated in the Quran

The Status of Women in Islam

None of those quotes state what would be obvious if the Quran supported equality between men and women, which is simply "Men and women are equal."

Clearly in Islamic law they are not. Women inherit half of what men do. Where is the equality there. I think the most clear example of how Islam is unequal to women are the divorce laws, men can divorce a woman at will where as women have to go through a lengthy and difficult process which involved giving up the custody of their children.

Considering that Islam is a religion and also a system of government, it's pretty difficult to make the case that Islam treats men and women as legally equal.

[Dee Dee Ramone]

Anyway...in other words if a woman has not covered up her hair and attractive body parts (you know that's subjective, don't you?), she shouldn't be suprised if she gets raped sooner or later? Or is it just a tradition?

No, actually the penalty of rape & blasphemy stays either she was covering herself or not. As long as the penalty stays, the act is not justified.

So, if a lady doesn't cover herself properly...and then she gets raped...both the rapist and the lady will be punished (blasphemy, right?).

Where are the punishments described?