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On the whole it should be noted that it is unjust to judge the position of woman in Islam by our modern standard of what is moral and just. Those who criticize the stipulations in the 'Qur'an' concerning women's rights should remind themselves that the equality of women in Germany (the writer's country) was realized only recently with the German national constitution of 23 May, 1949 and the change of the civil code of laws of 1953. In many parts of the world marriage is still settled in a patriarchal way. (172:1) Comparison with Christianity shows that the latter did not fly the flag of the equality of women's rights. It is with the apostle Paul that fear of sex and scorn for women made their appearance in Christianity. Woman, whom Paul calls man's "vessel", was for him a "second-class person"-- a contrast to Jesus's attitude. Man is the reflection of God and woman only "the glory of man". Man was not created for the sake of woman but woman for the sake of man. This is why she must be silent in church and cover her head to show her lowliness. The Father of the Church, Tertullian, tolerated woman only when she was a virgin and described her as "the open door to the devil". The same attitude was assumed by the radical enemies of sensuality, the Fathers of the Church, Hieronymus and Ambrosius. Augustine, who even considered birth to be a dirty process unreservedly shared this depreciatory view of women. It was through the troubadours and minstrels in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that women were raised to a high rank morally and spiritually. And where does the minstrel's love song come from? It is of Arabic and Islamic origin!
(172:2)
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