At the cost of entering uncharted territory, my 1st thoughts on reading this post are what equality are we talking of for women if :
a man can marry four of them ?
He can shed her at will .
Hello there buddy
First of all, marriage itself is a "Sunnah" or "recommendation" for both men and women in Islamic law. It's not an obligation.
Marrying four women is not a 'right' granted to men. It's a rather permission granted to noble, pious and 'just' men with many conditions attached:
-they must treat their wives equally in terms of time, money, etc.
-women *must* consent to such marriages
-must provide them with basic necessities of life on equitable terms
Islamic law allows this practice because its based on a Quranic verse, however at the same time the verse greatly discourages men from practicing polygamy if they're not able to uphold those conditions.
In the Islamic world such marriages account for less than one percent of all marriages should tell you muslim men are not so polygmous and in demand for more wives - mind me one woman is more than a headache
The ruling in essence gives widows, pow's, disabled, etc. an opportunity to have a family and establish life.
Domestic slavery remains if she is not permitted to exit the house / home to pursue her own interests / profession in the manner she feels fit.
..and so many more.
No. That's not correct. Islamic law allows women to leave the hosue, go to university/college/madrassah, or to work, if necessary. These are fundamental freedoms that Islam grants to both men and women. However women or children may not leave the house if its unsafe or unsecure, i.e. war going on or high crime rates in the area n high chances of getting robbed/kidnapped. these are a no-brain er.
In fact the Prophet SAW has reported said in a hadith more or less that once Islam is established across Arabia (ensuring peace and security for people in the whole region), a time would come when a woman would be able to travel *alone* and freely from Saudia to yemen. And that time actually within the first 100 years during the Caliphate of Omer RA in the 13th century.
No one ( including me) I feel has the right to comment on another religion as these are very personal decisions which have been arrived at after centuries of trial & error or thought.
You may disagree for your own reasons given that differences are respected, not despised.
And I totally agree with you on your last part. Fundamentals haven't changed but application of Islamic law has developed and continous to develop over time in accordance to our time and changes society.
Hence, even though I feel differently on a No of issues raised in the previous posts - I'll reserve my comments except for the one I read that said that the ladies should be killed for praying in a manner considered incorrect.This I feel is not in order by any standards.
Thanks man much appreciated. Couldn't have said it better myself.