Getting Rid of the Burden

It's taught in Muslim schools that before Islam came along the condition of women in Arab society was wretched. For example, many Arabs would be disgusted with the birth of a daughter; they would bury the infant rather than take care of her.

Today Arabs with such a mindset don't bury their daughters alive.

They abort them.

Comments

[Cafe Alpha]

It's taught in Muslim schools that before Islam came along the condition of women in Arab society was wretched.

It's an amazing testimony to the brutality of Muslim societies (or to the brain stunting effects of Islam) that they can say that without being drown in laughter.

[Isaac Schrödinger]

It's largely the brain stunting effects.

I know people who've lived in both the Muslim East and the liberal West and they still think that women are "respected" more in Muslim nations.

The issues of control and honor play a large part for Muslim men. If women can choose what to do, then many will engage in sinful activities! For the men (father or brother), this will, of course, lead to a loss of face and reputation among their family / clan / friends.

Therefore, freedom for women is bad. It logically follows that Muslim nations such as Iran and Saudi Arabia are better than the West.

[Bernie]

What I always found somewhat contradictory about Muslim teaching about this dreadful jahillayah, or however you spell it, a) they buried their daughters alive but b) they all had millions of wives

Did they all marry the dead and buried daughters? Something doesn't add up.

(And I would assume this was before the genius stroke of jihad was introduced by Mo. where you could just grab any woman you wanted.)

[Bernie]

In all fairness, there are millions of girls aborted in India also. Unfortunately, it isn't just a Muslim thing..

[SnoopyTheGoon]

That true, about India. Doesn't disprove same about Muslim side, though...

[ibn Abu]

Actually the status of women in ancient (jahili) Arabia was significantly better than it has been portrayed in Islamic literature; while women in pre-Islamic Arabia were never equals (we're talking about the ancient world) they had rights and some became rulers, religious leaders etc. in their own right. See Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam by Robert Hoyland

[Saul Wall]

Someone recently noted to me that before Islam, the Arab people had only small scale local disputes with no history of conquest and imperialism. Then something changed and they start invading other nations and neighboring cultures and languages start to disappear. You think there might be a connection?

Gender selection, honour killings of mainly girls and women at a time of falling fertility rates and extensive patterns of first cousin marriages with, to top it all off, jihad recruitment for an ever expanding series of conflicts. Is this sustainable behavior?

[Isaac Schrödinger]

"Someone recently noted to me that before Islam, the Arab people had only small scale local disputes with no history of conquest and imperialism. Then something changed and they start invading other nations and neighboring cultures and languages start to disappear. You think there might be a connection?"

I think it's certainly easier to recruit more men if the sex ratio is higher for them. These men might have trouble finding a spouse, so they pour their energy into warfare.

Of course the ratio in of itself didn't lead to Arab imperialism. The key ingredient was Muhammad's hodgepodge of a religion which united various cantankerous Arab tribes into an umma.

[Tambi Dude]

"In all fairness, there are millions of girls aborted in India also. "

Include china too.

Yes it isn't about islam, but then both chinese and indians do not
falsely claim that their religion gives more 'respect' to women.