Qur'an: Sexist Bullshit

Here are some of the things the Qur'an says about women:

'O Prophet, tell your wives, your daughters and women believers to wrap their outer garments closely around them, for this makes it more likely that they will be recognised and not be harassed.'

'Your women are your sowing field; approach your field whenever you please.'

'God commands you regarding your children: to the male what equals the share of two females.'

'Men are legally responsible for women. Thus, virtuous women are obedient and preserve their trusts, such as God wishes them to be preserved. And those you fear may rebel, admonish, and abandon them in their beds, and smack them. If they obey you, seek no other way against them.'

'Women have the selfsame rights and obligations in conformity with fairness, but men are a grade more responsible than them.'

To our modern standards, this is sexist bullshit. For this reason (and many others) we can reject the hypothesis that the Qur'an is a magic book dictated to Muhammad by the Supreme Leader of the Universe.

Putting these verses into their historical context, we can look on them in a more favourable light. Muhammad gave women rights to divorce and inheritance centuries before Western women got them. In the shithole of 7th century Arabia, he was startlingly progressive. Females being worth half a male was a massive improvement. Some of Muhammad's male followers were shocked at how he let his wives voice their opinions and didn't beat them up.

The veiling was introduced to protect Muslim women from harassment; it marked them out so people knew not to attack them, because Muhammad and his gang would get revenge. Originally, this commandment was believed only to apply to the early Muslim women living in Medina. Centuries after Muhammad's death, Muslims were influenced by Byzantine Christians who had a long tradition of veiling women, and it was eventually decided, amongst some Muslim sects, that God wanted all women veiled.

As sacred texts go, the Qur'an is fairly benign.

[For comparison, here is some sexist bullshit from the New Testament:

'If a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head' (1 Corinthians)

'As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.' (1 Corinthians)

'Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.' (Ephesians)

'Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.' (1 Timothy)

'Train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands.' (Titus)

I won't even start on the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.]