Does Islam oppress Women?
Women in Ancient Civilizations
Throughout history and across successive nations and civilizations, women have been stripped of their identity, deprived of legal capacity, and denied freedom. They held no appreciable value or standing, and - except during eras of divine revelations - they generally endured various forms of injustice, oppression, suffering, and humiliation, shaped by misguided whims or corrupt beliefs.
Undoubtedly, anyone examining the condition of women before Islam will find nothing to console them, as they confront a global consensus on depriving this human being of all fundamental human rights.
Undoubtedly, anyone examining the condition of women before Islam will find nothing to console them, as they confront a global consensus on depriving this human being of all fundamental human rights.
Women in Ancient Greece
In ancient Greece, women were demeaned and degraded—even described as an abomination wrought by Satan. They were treated as chattel, bought and sold in markets, stripped of rights, and deprived of inheritance and the right to manage property. Their condition was profoundly debased in terms of moral status, legal rights, and social conduct alike.
Among the notable statements is that of their philosopher Socrates, who said: “The existence of women is the greatest source of crisis and collapse in the world. A woman is like a poisonous tree: outwardly beautiful, but if birds eat from it, they die instantly.”
Aristotle stated: “Nature has endowed women with no intellectual capacity worthy of consideration. Thus, their education should be limited to domestic management, motherhood, childcare, and the like.” He further asserted: “Three have no control over themselves: the slave has no will, the child has an incomplete will, and the woman has a will but is incapable.”
Aristotle stated: “Nature has endowed women with no intellectual capacity worthy of consideration. Thus, their education should be limited to domestic management, motherhood, childcare, and the like.” He further asserted: “Three have no control over themselves: the slave has no will, the child has an incomplete will, and the woman has a will but is incapable.”
Women in Ancient Rome
Roman poetry concerning women declared: "Her shackles shall not be removed, nor her yoke cast off." A father was not obligated to accept his newborn child—whether male or female—into the family. Instead, the infant would be placed at his feet after birth. If he lifted the child and took it into his arms, it signified acceptance into the family; otherwise, it meant rejection.
Remarkably, and almost beyond belief, some historical sources note that "under the well-known Roman slogan 'Women have no soul,' women endured torture by having boiling oil poured over their bodies and being tied to pillars. Some accounts even mention innocent women being tied to the tails of horses, which were then spurred to maximum speed until the women died."
Remarkably, and almost beyond belief, some historical sources note that "under the well-known Roman slogan 'Women have no soul,' women endured torture by having boiling oil poured over their bodies and being tied to pillars. Some accounts even mention innocent women being tied to the tails of horses, which were then spurred to maximum speed until the women died."
Women among the Ancient Persians
The ancient Persians were a warlike nation, and they favored males over females because men formed the backbone of the military in war, while daughters were raised for others, benefiting those outside the family.
Ancient Persian women were subject to three religious currents: Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Mazdakism. Each of these religions left its distinct imprint on the structure of the family, leaving women to live in humiliation, oppression, and servitude.
Women were under the absolute authority of men, who held the power to sentence them to death or grant them life based solely on their own judgment and personal inclination. Women were thus treated as mere commodities.
Moreover, they were considered ritually impure during natural biological processes such as menstruation and postpartum bleeding. During these times, they were banished from their homes and confined to small tents pitched on the outskirts of the city or town. Contact with them was strictly forbidden; it was even believed that one would become ritually impure by touching them, their tents, or anything surrounding them.
Ancient Persian women were subject to three religious currents: Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Mazdakism. Each of these religions left its distinct imprint on the structure of the family, leaving women to live in humiliation, oppression, and servitude.
Women were under the absolute authority of men, who held the power to sentence them to death or grant them life based solely on their own judgment and personal inclination. Women were thus treated as mere commodities.
Moreover, they were considered ritually impure during natural biological processes such as menstruation and postpartum bleeding. During these times, they were banished from their homes and confined to small tents pitched on the outskirts of the city or town. Contact with them was strictly forbidden; it was even believed that one would become ritually impure by touching them, their tents, or anything surrounding them.
Women in Ancient India
According to Hindu scriptures: "Neither predetermined fate, nor the wind, death, hell, poison, serpents, nor fire are as vile as a woman!"
Dr. Mustafa al-Siba'i (may God have mercy on him) noted: "Under the laws of Manu, women had no right to independence from their father, husband, or son. If all of these passed away, she was obliged to attach herself to a male relative of her husband. She remained under guardianship throughout her life and had no right to live after her husband’s death. Instead, she was required to die on the day her husband died and be burned alive with him on the same funeral pyre. This practice continued until the 17th century, when it was abolished despite strong opposition from Hindu religious leaders. Women were also offered as sacrifices to appease the gods, to pray for rain or sustenance. In some regions of ancient India, there was a tree to which the local community had to offer a young girl to be 'consumed' by it every year."Women in Ancient Jews
She is relegated to the status of a servant, deprived of inheritance, and if she possesses it due to the absence of brothers, she is forbidden from marrying outside her family. She is considered a curse among them because she seduced Adam and caused his expulsion from Paradise. When a woman menstruates, they would not eat with her, drink with her, and would shun her. It is stated in their Torah: "Woman is more bitter than death. He who is pleasing to God will escape her, but the sinner will be ensnared by her. I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all."
Women in Ancient Christians
When Christian religious leaders saw the severe moral decline that had befallen Roman society, they held women responsible for all of it. They decreed that marriage was a defilement to be avoided and declared women to be the "gateway of Satan"—the devil's weapon for temptation and seduction.
As Saint Tertullian said: "She is the devil's gateway into man's soul, the breaker of God's laws, the defiler of God's image—man."
As Saint Tertullian said: "She is the devil's gateway into man's soul, the breaker of God's laws, the defiler of God's image—man."
In 586 AD, a council was held in France to answer the following question: Is a woman to be considered a human being or not? They finally concluded that she was created solely to serve man, and that she is a minor who has no right to manage her own property without the permission of her husband or guardian.
English law, at one time, permitted a man to sell his wife.
English law, at one time, permitted a man to sell his wife.
When the French Revolution arose and proclaimed the liberation of mankind from slavery and humiliation, it did not extend its compassion to women. French law stipulated that an unmarried woman was not legally competent to enter into a contract without the consent of her guardian.