Property

The Koran describes a prejudice attitude toward women. The women are regarded as chattel and reduced to the status of domestic animals. Women are treated like slaves owing servitude to their husbands. They are regarded as property and can be replaced on a whim. A man can choose to dismiss his wife if she does not please him. However, a woman does not have the same option. Once a woman has married, she has been ‘touched’ and will not be desired by another. Women do not have any rights and must conform to the marriage contract.

The punishment women receive for committing crimes are harsher than that of their male counterparts. If a woman commits adultery, she will be confined to the house until she dies. If a man commits the same act, he must repent and will be forgiven by God. In Christianity, God teaches that adultery is an equal sin for both men and women. It does not matter whether a man or women commits adultery since they both can repent and will be forgiven.

A man is also allowed to take several wives. The bible plainly states that practice constitutes adultery! Does this mean that he commits adultery with his other wives, yet he only has to repent to be forgiven? Having more than one

wife is a sin in itself. The Koran says the ultimate goal of a man is to live with one wife. But, it is optional for him to take as many as four. He must be able to keep and maintain equality among them. The Koran instructs the man to find a woman who is a believer when he chooses a wife. A man can take a slave-girl who is a believer if he cannot afford to marry a woman who is not a believer. A slave-girl’s punishment is only half the penalty inflicted on a free adulteress if she commits adultery.

The woman being regarded as property makes her part of her husband’s estate. The husband can will her to his brother upon his death. This occurs so that his wife and children will have a support system. This is the only way the woman will be able survive. Since she is part of the estate, she has no authority regarding the dividing of the moneys. She will only receive one-fourth of his estate regardless of whether or not they have children.