It is really painful that we still have to talk about women and religious oppression even on the International Women’s Day on year 2000. Non-the less It is a reality that millions of women in different parts of the world are suffering and are oppressed by religious beliefs and laws. The last twenty years has been some of the darkest in people’s lives especially women’s lives.

With the anti – secularist backlash, the rise of political Islam and the efforts to bring God back to people’s social lives in the last two decades, thousands have been executed, decapitated and stoned to death and medieval laws and customs have been revived especially to suppress women. Words cannot do justice to Islamic movement’ repressive ness and backwardness. For a long time Islam that was relatively kept at arm’s length from political power in Islamic countries, is now the ideology in power in Iran, Afghanistan and Sudan. In others such as Algeria, Palestine and even Egypt we are faced with powerful Islamic movements in opposition. In all of these, society has suffered serious setbacks in civil rights especially women’s rights.

In justifying Islam, some mainly from Academia, mainstream western media and so - called moderate Muslim and nationalist forces try to divert people’s rightful loathing for Islam and Islamic movements. They tell us that this is not real Islam; they divide Islam to good and bad, moderate and fundamentalist, folksy and non-folksy, poisonous and edible.

I try to show that what is happening to women under Islamic rule is according to Islamic orthodoxy which systematically oppresses and humiliates women. I try to some extent talk about other religions as well. But my main focus remains on Islam.

Women belong to men, women are men’s extensions

In all religions women are defined as inferior to men. Women are men’s belongings they do not have any authority over men. The Bible says: "men are superior to women, Jesus is superior to men and God is above all. Women should worship all of them". (14: 34 &35, Corinthian) Quran says: "Men have authority over women, for that God has preferred in bounty one of them over another, and for that they have expended of their property. Righteous women are therefore obedient … and those you fear may be rebellious, admonish them to their couches, and beat them". (Quran, Women, verse 38)

In the Old Testament (Torah) in their daily prayer, men thank God for not having created them women. The Old Testaments states: "Women are for taking care of our children and protecting us against sins"

That women are only half as equal as men in legal and financial matters is specified with great precision: "And call into witness two men; or if two be not men, then one man and two women" (Quran, The Cow. Verse 282) and " God charges you concerning your children: to the male the like of the portion of two female" (Quran, Women, verse 11)

Another aspect of religious oppression is sexual oppression

According to the teachings of Hindu, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, evil exists in women’s souls. Therefore they are dangerous and men should control them.

In Christianity sexual drive is considered as evil. Women earn the grace of God by remaining celibate. St. Thomas Aquinas who had a profound effect on Catholic thought held that sex was always evil. Martin Luther also despised sex even though he abolished celibacy in his reformed church. For women lifelong virginity was the most desirable state so that they might devote themselves totally to God. In Islam women earn God’s grace by obeying their husbands. The message is clear: men dominate, women obey.

According to religious thoughts women are merely for sexual enjoyment of men and the duty of reproduction. In Islam female sexuality is acknowledged side by side with a limitation and confinement of women within their sexual roles. Islam considers women as a potential danger for distracting men from their duties and corrupting the community. Therefore it subjugates women’s sexuality much more effectively than any other ideological system. While men are given the right to marry up to four wives and the right to temporary marriage as many as they wish. Free male – female sexual relation is considered a sin in Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Numerous Quranic verses define in details which sexual relations are permitted under Islam and the punishment for any transgression outside these limits, which is called zena. It is punishable by flogging, imprisonment and stoning to death.

The danger in women

In Islam women is considered dangerous sexually and otherwise. The word "fitna" means chaos. Therefore women should not to be allowed to have any authority in society other than in their capacity of serving and becoming extensions of men as wives or mothers. Islam’s prophet says: "There is no salvation for a man or a nation who allows women to rule over them"

Therefore women should be suppressed and restricted. By veil (hijab), which exists in Christianity as well as Judaism, this control and segregation is made possible. Veil is the legitimate physical border of a women’s existence in society to protect men and community from any possible moral and social danger and destructions they may cause. The reasoning is as follows: "if the physical appearance of a woman can awaken feelings in a man, even though she is not aware of it, this will probably lead him to want her, which may lead to adultery"

For an ardent Muslim man an unveiled woman is no different from a naked woman. According to Islam the appearance of unveiled women in public is an attack on the very pillars of the morality of the Muslim community. The necessity for women to veil themselves from strangers is explicit in Quran (Sura 24, verse 31) Hijab symbolizes women’s inferior position in Islam and their sexual segregation.

Islamic families not only in Islamic societies but also in communities in the heart of Europe put veil on the heads of children and adolescents who have not come of legal age, who have no religion, tradition and prejudices. These girls have not joined any religious sect. The girl is a new human being who by accident and irrespective of her will has been born into a family with specific religion. It is an offence to prevent her from enjoying her social and civil rights such as education, amusement and participation in social activities.

The honor killing is another aspect of women’s sexual oppression

Islamic laws

In the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia family law and penal code is strongly affected by Islam. Despite the changes that emerged by Modernity and Modernization reforms, family law and penal code remained untouched. Polygamy, men’s unconditional right to divorce their wives, the law regarding adultery, men deciding over their wives’ employment, traveling, women’s lack of right to custody their children are amongst them. By the rise of Islamic movements in the last two decades either in opposition or power, these laws have been reinforced and even more misogynist laws have been introduced and reinforced such as ghisas (the law of Retribution), compulsory hijab and so on. According to Islamic Law, the legal age for girl to be wed is nine. And this is obviously sexual abuse and rape.

In the last twenty years Islamic countries have witnessed an unprecedented barbarism and bloodsheds. And all of these are blessings of Islam.

Fortunately in Iran there has been a strong resistance against Islam and Islamic regime right from the beginning and movements have also been rising in Egypt, Pakistan, Sudan, Jordan and Palestine since the second half of 80’s against polygamy, honor killing, divorce law, and the sharia as a basis of family law in these countries.