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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, while 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 standardised the ancient world; namelysituation on the Arabian peninsula, inheritance, ownershipat a level slightly above the lowest, granting women limited rights an distinct legal standing (however diminished it is in Sharia law)individuals, education rightsa restricted right to divorce, and the ability required her not to divorcedirectly object to a marriage contract in order for it to have validity. It also limited polygamy to a maximum of four wives at any one time, though the use of "temporary" marriage in effect rendered this restriction meaningless. That was over a thousand years ago and there has been little progress 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>.

Women are treated as inferiors to menin almost every regard. 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 cover the head and body in public (, by wearing the hijab) is imposed as a protection of female status. Hijab is applied in different ways: a small scarf around the head and western street clothes may be 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 , Iran, and Pakistan are the only two most significant Middle Eastern countries where the government requires women to wear some form of restrictive garb, though cultural pressure in most Islamic countries lives women little choice but to submit to the dictat of hijab. [[Honor killing]] is winked at.

Muslim women's status is controversial. Some critics claim that Whilst Muslim men control and oppress Muslim women by compelling them to remain hidden behind the veil, sequestered in the home, and ignorant of the world by denying them access to education and worldly opportunities. Defenders of , Islamic apologists defend some practices suggest that many of them, such as the veil, are cultural traditions that pre-date Islam and are intended to protect women from predatory men.

Observant Muslims are not supposed to eat pork and in general do not have dogs as pets; both swine and canines are considered unclean. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcoholic beverages. Observant Muslims do not collect , and from collecting intereston financial transactions.

====Non-Muslim Practices=Female Genital Mutilation and Honour Killings===Some practices have been associated with Islam because they occur in Islamic countries, but actually are not a part of Islam. For example, FGM (also known as female circumcision is not mentioned in the Qur'an, but ) is mentioned in Hadith as an "honorable" but not obligatory conditionfor a woman, and act to carry out. It is a pre-Islamic tradition in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab world, notably though not in Eritrea, Yemen, and Coptic Egyptas some Islamic apologists claim. Another example of a pagan practice that has been associated incorrectly with Islam practice continued in Islamic countries is [[honor killing]], in which a brother, father, or uncle "restores" or "defends" a family's honor by killing the sister, daughter, or niece that "dishonored " the family through unmarried pregnancy or supposedly, "promiscuous behavior" behaviour. This "promiscuous" activity often includes women from Islamic societies living in the West aspiring to a Western/Christian lifestyle. The "honor killing" is more ancient , and possibly tribalistic pagan in origin, but tolerated and practised more or less openly in many Muslim societies, and is totally keeping with Shariah law, at least in regards to adultery, in that the woman should be killed.

[[Image:StarCresent.png|thumb|right|220px|The Star and Crescent is a symbol of Islam. It is featured in the national flag of [[Algeria]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Malaysia]], [[Tunisia]], [[Mauritania]], [[Pakistan]], and [[Turkey]]., amongst others]]

Sharia deals with many aspects of day-to-day life, including politics, economics, banking, business law, contract law, sexuality, marriage, divorce, and social issues. Some Most Islamic scholars accept regard Sharia as the body of precedent and legal theory established before during the 19th centuryearly stages of the Islamic Empire, while other though a few scholars view also believe contemporary legal cases can and should shape the law, though such thinkers may be subject to ridicule and even threats from Islamists. Sharia law proscribes often brutal punishments for acts, that, in the western world, are relatively minor. For example, under sharia law, converting from Islam is punishable by death,<ref>[http://www.ntpi.org/html/whyoppose.html]</ref> whilst women found guilty of adultery is punishable by stoning to death, which often includes many rape victims, as Sharia courts often regard a changing bodyrape victim as guilty of adultery unless she can provide four witnesses to the act of rape.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6148590.stm</ref> In cases involving the death penalty of corporal punishment, methods of carrying out the punishment are often barbaric, and include Islamic legal theory from public beheading, chopping off of the contemporary periodhand, and flogging.<ref>http://saudiwoman.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/punishment-in-saudi-arabia/</ref> Many Islamist groups have been attempting to have Shariah courts set up in European countries, initially to rule over civil cases between Muslims in Europe.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,422661,00.{{fact}}html</ref>