Women and the Koran: The Status of Women in Islam [Hardcover]

Anwar Hekmat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1997

From arranged marriages of female children to religious laws that dictate what women can learn, how they must dress, where they may be seen in public, and with whom they may associate, virtually every aspect of their lives being controlled by an entrenched patriarchy, Hekmat insists that the Koran and those who live under its rule must re-examine this dangerous religious text and place it under the microscope of critical intelligence. In powerful chapters devoted to pre-Islamic deities; Muhammad's lust for women; polygamy, concubinage, and slavery; severe punishment laws; female seclusion; wife beating; and divorce, Hekmat explains how Arab tribal society degenerated from a polytheistic, pre-Islamic culture in which women enjoyed positions of relative prestige, honour, and equality to one in which men dominate and women are little more than chattel.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Koran tells us that "Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other." In Women and the Koran: The Status of Women in Islam, Anwar Hekmat tells us of the brutality inflicted on women in the Islam religion in the name of God. Hekmat clearly outlines all the basic rights given to men through Mohammed and The Koran, which include: the right to multiple wives and concubines; the right to beat and rape one's wife if she refuses to submit to sex; the right to terminate a marriage at any time without legal process; the right to all children and property from the marriage if divorced; the right to bring one's wife to court for suspected adultery; and, if she is found guilty, the right to bury her in the ground up to her waist and stone here to death (as was done in at least four cases in Iran in the last seven years). These same rights do not extend to women in regards to their husbands. Hekmat argues that the Muslim religion created by Mohammed is a barbaric tradition, created more to bring glory to God. His argument is compelling. Hekmat paints a picture of Mohammed as a cruel dictator who orchestrated horrific purges on his enemies, and captured many of the women to be used as wives (of which he had 15) or concubines for his own pleasure. Mohammed is also depicted with insatiable sexual appetites that knew little boundaries, including that of age. His favorite wife was nine when they married, and he brought her toys to the bed on their wedding night. Much of the Islamic religion, claims Hekmat, is clever propaganda simply created to allow Mohammed to do as he pleased. Indeed, Hekmat argues as strongly against the entire Islamic religion as he does against the disparity against women. The book is well researched and clearly organized, and while the language becomes awkward in spots, it is still a good read. His thesis is that the Muslim religion's treatment of women should be re-thought and quickly. This book helps remind us that equality is a matter of perspective, and lends itself to shaping your perception of women's equality in the eyes of religion in a whole new way. -- From Independent Publisher

Product Details

• Hardcover: 278 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573921629
• ISBN-13: 978-1573921626
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,366,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Women ARE still being sexually repressed in Islam, March 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Women and the Koran: The Status of Women in Islam (Hardcover)

This book really hits the point.

The point of "women in Islam" is not so much whether or not women are allowed to become doctors etc. However there is a big disparity in Islam as soon as human sexuality is concerned: Whereas an unmarried muslim male can have as much premarital sex as he likes, a muslim woman is strictly obliged to preserve her virginity to "keep the honor of the family". If she does not do so, she must expect to be killed by her own family (in order to re-install the "honor of the family"). And those are facts proven by evidence.

So as long is there is no sexual equality between the sexes, there is no equality between the sexes at all.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women are objects of pleasure in Islam, September 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Women and the Koran: The Status of Women in Islam (Hardcover)

I totally agree with the author point of view. I myself was muslim women living under lies of islam. All the time I over heard pious muslim men talking about great the pleasure of having sex with underage virgin girls and condemning about how sexually tasteless a non virgin girls to have sex with. Islam has the double stand of giving men all the sexual freedom and supressing women's rights.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, August 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Women and the Koran: The Status of Women in Islam (Hardcover)

This is truly a wonderful book.As a woman,I am a beliver in woman's rights.Islam simply portrays woman to be subordinate to men.This is why I left Islam.Look whats happening in the Middle East,woman are tortured on everyday basis.Islam supports brutality towards woman.The so-called prophet Mohammad was nothing but a sexist.