The problem in Islam begins and ends with the teachings of the Koran. If the Koran effectively taught forgiveness, grace, mercy, and charity, if there was the power of Divine redemption reflected there, it would all be reflected in the religious practices of Muslims and in their ideas relating to how they govern themselves, but--those ideals are not taught.
If the Koran taught that all human beings are infinitely valued by God (even the half of the human race that is female), then--girls and women would be treated well and with respect, and there would have been no Arab slave traders running huge operations out of Africa long before the Portuguese ever were sold a single African. But...I think you can see where this is going, because women are permanently second-class citizens (or worse!) in every single Muslim country, unless they're third or fourth class citizens, or denied all rights and treated as children or chattel or slaves to be preyed on when their keepers' backs are turned and abused, and then, even in some countries, locked up or executed for the crime of having been preyed on and abused.
American women need to understand that this is the legal reality in these countries. If you go to Iran or Saudi Arabia, or to Dubai, do not expect that your rights as a woman will have the same meaning, or indeed, any meaning at all (especially if you yourself are not Muslim). If you insist on going to the Gaza strip or even to Egypt or Somalia, you need to understand this. Not even in Malaysia or Indonesia (and Indonesia is one of the better Muslim countries for women's rights) will you be accorded the same legal rights in fact as a man. Indonesian law gives lip service that you have those rights, but in practice you need to think very, very carefully about where you go, what you do, and who you do it with, because the presumption even there is that if something happens to you against your will, that somehow you invited that act, that you are the guilty party and not the man who committed the act.
There is a reason why girls as young as six or seven are sold as brides in certain Muslim societies, and why female genital mutilation is practiced in others. There is a reason why, if you are raped in Dubai and make the mistake of reporting it to the police, YOU will end up behind bars and NOT your rapist. That reason begins and ends with the Koran.
The problem in Islam begins and ends with the teachings of the Koran. If the Koran effectively taught forgiveness, grace, mercy, and charity, if there was the power of Divine redemption reflected there, it would all be reflected in the religious practices of Muslims and in their ideas relating to how they govern themselves, but--those ideals are not taught.
If the Koran taught that all human beings are infinitely valued by God (even the half of the human race that is female), then--girls and women would be treated well and with respect, and there would have been no Arab slave traders running huge operations out of Africa long before the Portuguese ever were sold a single African. But...I think you can see where this is going, because women are permanently second-class citizens (or worse!) in every single Muslim country, unless they're third or fourth class citizens, or denied all rights and treated as children or chattel or slaves to be preyed on when their keepers' backs are turned and abused, and then, even in some countries, locked up or executed for the crime of having been preyed on and abused.
American women need to understand that this is the legal reality in these countries. If you go to Iran or Saudi Arabia, or to Dubai, do not expect that your rights as a woman will have the same meaning, or indeed, any meaning at all (especially if you yourself are not Muslim). If you insist on going to the Gaza strip or even to Egypt or Somalia, you need to understand this. Not even in Malaysia or Indonesia (and Indonesia is one of the better Muslim countries for women's rights) will you be accorded the same legal rights in fact as a man. Indonesian law gives lip service that you have those rights, but in practice you need to think very, very carefully about where you go, what you do, and who you do it with, because the presumption even there is that if something happens to you against your will, that somehow you invited that act, that you are the guilty party and not the man who committed the act.
There is a reason why girls as young as six or seven are sold as brides in certain Muslim societies, and why female genital mutilation is practiced in others. There is a reason why, if you are raped in Dubai and make the mistake of reporting it to the police, YOU will end up behind bars and NOT your rapist. That reason begins and ends with the Koran.
Not all holy books are created equal.