Changes

====Women in Islam====

====Women in Islam====

In pre-Islamic times women's rights were defined by tribal laws which differed amongst the tribes. Some women had absolute equity and the ability to hold power, some women were treated worse than chattel, bride prices, unlimited polygamy, and female infanticide were a common theme. Islamic law gave women rights they had never had in the ancient world; namely, inheritance, ownership, legal standing (however dminished it is in Sharia law), education rights, and the ability to divorce.<ref><ref>Saifur Al Mubarakpuri,Ar-Rahiq Al Makhtum, Trans. Jamie Salafia,Isslam Diab, (Islamic University of Al Madinah : Dar al Salam : Saudi Arabia, 2002) pp 55</ref></ref>  That was over a thousand years ago and there has been little change since.  The reality of traditional Sharia law as applied in the modern era has shocked the modern conscience. <ref>Linda Rae Bennett, ''Women, Islam and Modernity'' (2005)</ref>.  However this claim is submerged in the greater reality of the inapplicability of traditional Sharia law in the modern era, producing arguably the greatest crisis in Islam since the sack of Baghdad in 1258; the emancipation of women<ref>Linda Rae Bennett,Women, Islam and Modernity(Routledge-Curzon: New York,2005)</ref>

In pre-Islamic times women's rights were defined by tribal laws which differed amongst the tribes. Some women had absolute equity and the ability to hold power, some women were treated worse than chattel, bride prices, unlimited polygamy, and female infanticide were a common theme. Islamic law gave women rights they had never had in the ancient world; namely, inheritance, ownership, legal standing (however dminished it is in Sharia law), education rights, and the ability to divorce.<ref><ref>Saifur Al Mubarakpuri,Ar-Rahiq Al Makhtum, Trans. Jamie Salafia,Isslam Diab, (Islamic University of Al Madinah : Dar al Salam : Saudi Arabia, 2002) pp 55</ref>  That was over a thousand years ago and there has been little change since.  The reality of traditional Sharia law as applied in the modern era has shocked the modern conscience. <ref>Linda Rae Bennett, ''Women, Islam and Modernity'' (2005)</ref>.  However this claim is submerged in the greater reality of the inapplicability of traditional Sharia law in the modern era, producing arguably the greatest crisis in Islam since the sack of Baghdad in 1258; the emancipation of women<ref>Linda Rae Bennett,Women, Islam and Modernity(Routledge-Curzon: New York,2005)</ref>

For the most part, the Qur'an treats men and [[woman|women]] equally, applies the same injunctions and prohibitions to men and women, and grants many of the same privileges and benefits. But women are treated separately in certain instances. For example, women are required to "... draw their outer garments around them ... that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed (by men)." (Qur'an 33:59) Covering the head and body in public (hijab) is viewed by many Muslim women as a protection of their modesty, a way to discourage men's covetous eyes. The principle of hijab is applied in different ways: a small scarf around the head and regular "street clothes" may be voluntary and acceptable in Cairo or Damascus but a full length opaque [[Burqa]] was enforced in Taliban Afghanistan. The treatment of women may depend upon rural or urban settings, educational level, society norms, tradition, or other factors. As of 2008, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are the only two Middle Eastern countries where the government requires women to wear some form of modest garb.Another issue in the quest for women's rights in Islamic countries is the tribal theme of "honour killing", wherein a woman may be murdered by the family to preserve some sort of sense of family reputation when the woman has committed sexual crimes or apostasy <ref>http://www.canada.com/news/Archive+Honour+killings+females+rise+Canada+Expert/1821831/story.html </ref> <ref>http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/07/possible-honor-killing-in-canada-three-muslim-sisters-murdered-parents-and-brother-arrested.html</ref>.

For the most part, the Qur'an treats men and [[woman|women]] equally, applies the same injunctions and prohibitions to men and women, and grants many of the same privileges and benefits. But women are treated separately in certain instances. For example, women are required to "... draw their outer garments around them ... that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed (by men)." (Qur'an 33:59) Covering the head and body in public (hijab) is viewed by many Muslim women as a protection of their modesty, a way to discourage men's covetous eyes. The principle of hijab is applied in different ways: a small scarf around the head and regular "street clothes" may be voluntary and acceptable in Cairo or Damascus but a full length opaque [[Burqa]] was enforced in Taliban Afghanistan. The treatment of women may depend upon rural or urban settings, educational level, society norms, tradition, or other factors. As of 2008, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are the only two Middle Eastern countries where the government requires women to wear some form of modest garb.Another issue in the quest for women's rights in Islamic countries is the tribal theme of "honour killing", wherein a woman may be murdered by the family to preserve some sort of sense of family reputation when the woman has committed sexual crimes or apostasy <ref>http://www.canada.com/news/Archive+Honour+killings+females+rise+Canada+Expert/1821831/story.html </ref> <ref>http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/07/possible-honor-killing-in-canada-three-muslim-sisters-murdered-parents-and-brother-arrested.html</ref>.