Islam honours and Respects women

Greetings, all. I'm very excited to be debating this topic with (I assume, based on her profile) a Muslim woman. I believe my opponent to have a unique perspective on this topic, although I believe (again, based on her profile) that her status as a Canadian, as opposed to an Afghan, somewhat warps her personal view on this matter. Let's begin with some clarifications of terms, just so we are clear on what the resolution means... Respect - to hold in esteem or honor; to show regard or consideration for; to refrain from intruding upon or interfering with; to relate or have reference to. (http://dictionary.reference.com...) Honor - high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank (http://dictionary.reference.com...). ----- I note there are many definitions for honor at the provided link, but I assume this instance refers to the verb form, which in turn implies this specific definition of the noun form. ************************************************************************************* A few of my opponent's phrases: >> "The first convert to Islam was a woman" Immaterial. >> "the first scholar in Islam was a woman" Immaterial. >> "the first martyr in Islam was a woman" Especially immaterial in light of the numerous ways for people to meet their doom under Islamic law... >> "Women in Islam are given rights to work, inheritance, choose who they marry, divorce. Also husbands are told to make sure women are protected and kept happy. Now let's analyze the scriptures:" Yes, let's analyze them indeed. My opponent has also provided a variety of scriptures that she intends show, inter alia, that women are: ----- To be obeyed by men. ----- Not married if they are "going to be harmed or hurt in any way or else they'll be sinful." ----- Equal to men. ----- Not to insult themselves by wearing revealing clothes. Let us move through each of these points, and I shall show how Islamic scriptures demean, demerit, and derank women in comparison to men... ************************************************************************************* 1) Obedience. 4:34 - "Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other" 4:34 - "As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them" In short - Men are in charge. If your wife gets uppity, don't sleep with her and beat her a little. 2) Inheritance. The Qur'an is very clear on this matter. Women only inherit half of what men do. 4:11 - "to the male the equivalent of the portion of two females, and if there be women more than two, then theirs is two-thirds of the inheritance, and if there be one (only) then the half" 4:176 - "If a man die childless and he have a sister, hers is half the heritage, and he would have inherited from her had she died childless. And if there be two sisters, then theirs are two-thirds of the heritage, and if they be brethren, men and women, unto the male is the equivalent of the share of two females." In an interesting note, the Qur'an does say that women themselves can be inherited, devolving womanhood to a terminology more suited for property than personhood. There is one catch... they have to be pretty dirty girls. 4:19 - "It is not lawful for you forcibly to inherit the women (of your deceased kinsmen)... unless they be guilty of flagrant lewdness." 3) Whom They Choose to Marry/Divorce. 33:36 - "And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest" It's "unbecoming" that if Allah and Muhammad decide you should be married that you do not do so. Watch out for a painful doom. Further, under Sharia law, the divorce procedures for men and women are very different. The easiest way for a man to get a divorce is to take his wife out in public and deliver the Talaq (http://en.wikipedia.org...) thee times. He may do this for any reason. For a woman, however, the only way out of her marriage is through Kuhl' (http://en.wikipedia.org...). The easiest way to understand this concept in English is that the woman must renounce any claim to maintenance (alimony) or palimony. And on top of that, her request for release from marriage is only granted if there is suspected impropriety. We seem to also have a problem with equality in the number of spouses one is allowed: 4:3 - "Marry women of your choice, Two or three or four" 4) Equality. It has been said that the only question of whether a woman is equal to a man under Islamic law is a question of what degree she is inferior by. Let's look at some great quotes. 2:282 - "And call two witness from among your men, two witnesses. And if two men be not at hand, then a man and two women" A woman's testimony in Islamic jurisprudence is worth exactly half that of a man's. 5:6 - "And if ye are unclean, purify yourselves... [if] ye have had contact with women, and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it" 2:223 - "Your women are a tilth for you (to cultivate) so go to your tilth as ye will," And from the Hadiths: Bukhari (6:301) - "[Muhammad] said, 'Is not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?' They replied in the affirmative. He said, 'This is the deficiency in her intelligence.'" Bukhari (62:81) - "The Prophet said: "'The stipulations most entitled to be abided by are those with which you are given the right to enjoy the (women's) private parts (i.e. the stipulations of the marriage contract).'" 5) Protection in Marriage. My opponent has argued that men are to protect women in marriage... this is true, but as the Hadith reveals, only to the extent that they are another piece of property: Tabari Vol 9, Number 1754 - "Treat women well, for they are [like] domestic animals with you and do not possess anything for themselves." Muhammad himself, above, commented that the most important thing a woman brings to a marriage is her vagina. 6) Clothing. This topic needs to be examined with logic rather than looking to religious texts. There is actually good reason to cover one's face and body in the Middle East - sand. The traditional clothing of even Muslim men (http://2.bp.blogspot.com...) does not appear that much different from a burqa. The problem with Muslim women's clothing only arises when they are forced to wear a hijab and niqab against their will... and in most countries where they are required, casual public contact with a male can get a woman in serious trouble - thus, the hijab and niqab are more of a protective measure than anything else. As such, they neither support nor attack my opponent's position. ************************************************************************************* Readers, my opponent's position is based on several principles that have been soundly defeated. Particularly in the area of equality, Islam is very clear that women are subservient to men and viewed even by some legal procedures, as little more than property. It can hardly be said that the rules of Sharia law, the Hadiths, or the Qur'an itself treat women with honor and respect. On the contrary - women are continuously passed around as though they are little more than party favors and slaves. While some passages in the Quran may indeed say that you should not beat your wives "so that you transgress limits" (2:231)... there is no mention of what these limits are and countless instances of behavior far from "honor" or "respect." The resolution is thus: NEGATED.