Nuance
Perhaps Robert should also - for a change - point out that the treatment of women in early Islam meant a considerable improvement for them at that point in time, that Mohammed was, in that regard and many others, quite progressive and forward thinking, and that the custom of women wearing headscarves / veils is something Muslims adopted from Christians living in the Middle East, some 4 or 5 generations after the creation of this third large monotheistic religion. It would also be worth pointing out that a man inherits twice as much as a women in early Islam, and still in some countries, because men were the ones who worked, who had to take care of their families. As such, he arrangement makes complete sense. O, and it would also be honest to point out that at that time, women did not inherit anything in the Christian world.
I think that’s a fair enough point because the same is true in Christianity; Christ was pretty much a radical feminist advocate according to the standards of the historical times that He entered into.
But then you’re still left with how many Muslim countries still use those verses as justification for oppression of women vs. how many Western, predominantly Christian nations do so with Bible verses which might support misogynistic practices. And I think you are right, too, Michael, when you point out the relative ages of the two religions- one is, so to speak, in a more primitive form. But where’s the hope that this will change? Just because Christianity did, I don’t think we can assume that Islam will overall become more moderate and aligned with reason in support of human rights. I hope that happens, but just talking about Islam being younger sort of implies that it will undergo a natural evolution and I’m not sure that’s a safe assumption.
Christine, your second paragraph is correct. But that’s not what Robert does. Yet he accuses Muslim bloggers and journalists from being subjective, dishonest, etc.
Isn’t he doing the same as some of the people he quotes, but then from the other point of view?
Yes, I agree with that (can’t say I read enough of him to know how far he goes with that, but I’ve definitely noticed the bias and preconceptions when I do read him.)