Islam does not oppress women

Islam on WivesIslam highly encourages treating the wives well. They should be shown love, respect and care. Obviously, I dispute this. See my arguments in Round 2. Also, wives should be given the dowry, a gift from the husband, which is a part of the marriage contract.The dowry (what a woman brings to a marriage) does not exist in Islam [1]. Therefore, I assume Pro meant the dower. As Pro said, the dower is a required part of the marriage contract. In a non-legal sense, the dower is essentially a non-refundable (under certain circumstances only) deposit on the bride, paid by the groom, to secure her. The dower is a way for the groom to show the bride that he intends for the marriage to be a long-term one. It is a way for the groom to put his money where his mouth is. Note that I am not saying the dower constitutes bad treatment; I am saying that it is nothing more than neutral treatment (wife gets dower, husband gets wife). Indeed, the dower is given according to the social status of the bride [1]. Also, the wife's money is hers only and the husband are not allowed to touch it.That a husband is not allowed to steal his wife's money is a good thing, obviously. However, this does not absolve Islam from the oppression of women in other ways (domestic violence etc.). In Islam, its the husband who is obligated to provide her with food, shelter and clothing.I have already addressed this. See Round 2: "Paying the Cost to be the Boss." He (Muhammad) said, “That you feed her when you eat and clothe her when you clothe yourself and do not strike her face."How interesting that Muhammad said "...and do not strike her face" instead of the much simpler "...and do not strike her." I will be elaborating on this fact in the final round. "The best among you are those who are the best to their wives" (Muhammad)In this case, "best" is defined according to the teachings of Islam. Unfortunately, Islam teaches that it is OK for a husband to beat his wife if she does not obey him. Thus, Muhammad's saying can be rephrased as "The best among you are those who beat their disobedient wives."Islam on MothersEssentially all Muslim mothers are (or were) wives. Thus, both of my examples of oppression (restricted sexual expression and domestic violence) apply to mothers, at least at some point in their lives. The Economic Aspect of Women in IslamThe Islamic Law recognizes the full property rights of women before and after marriage. She can do whatsoever she wants to do with her property, and her husband has no rights on them. It is good that women have property rights and that a husband is not allowed to steal his wife's property, obviously. But again, this does not absolve Islam from the oppression of women in other ways (domestic violence etc.). Muslim women are required to receive marital gifts without limit...Obviously, this does not mean that women are required to receive unlimited gifts. Although there is no legal limit imposed on the value of the dower, both the husband and the wife must agree as to what the dower will be. Thus, there are practical limits on the value of the dower, and as mentioned above, the dower depends on the social status of the bride. ...another right of Muslim women, which both Judaism and Christianity doesn't give...Whether Islam oppresses women less than Judaism and Christianity is irrelevant. We are debating whether Islam oppresses women, full stop. Other ExamplesPro quotes several verses in the Quran that simply say women are equal to men and are to be treated well. Unfortunately, Islam is not consistent in these teachings. As I have already shown, Islam allows husbands to beat their wives (I shall finalise and prove my argument on this point in the final round). Words count for nothing if actions do not follow. If I say "I love you", and then I proceed to beat you black and blue, then clearly my words are meaningless in terms of the outcome for you. Therefore, any verse in the Quran that does not command a specific action should be ignored because it is meaningless. For example, a verse that says "Be good to women" does not command a specific action, so it is meaningless and should not be given any consideration. On the other hand, a verse that says "Do not strike a woman ever" (and I can tell you right now that this verse cannot be found anywhere in the Quran!) commands a specific action, and should be given consideration. Thus, Pro's examples are meaningless and should not be given consideration, because the verses do not command specific actions (and where they do I have already addressed them). They do not absolve Islam from the oppression of women in other ways. For Pro to win this argument, he must show that Islam does not command any action that oppresses women. With only one round left, Pro has a long way to go. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org...