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Bre Milne
Ancient World History
Thomson
09 December 2016
Revised 18 December 2016
The status of Women Under Sharia Law
In the U.S., women are considered rather equal to men, for the
most part. They have the same civil rights as men. They have the right
to vote, to work wherever they want, to dress as they please, to marry
whom they desire, to divorce, to own property, to receive an education,
etc. Unfortunately, not all cultures agree with the equality of men and
women. One specific legal system that is not so fair with their
treatment of women is Sharia law. Sharia law is an Islamic legal
system, which provides an Islamic alternative to common models of
governing. Sharia law developed several hundred years after the
death of the Prophet Mohammed. It outlines strict guidelines for the
rights and treatment of women in Muslim countries. Women in Muslim
countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia face varying
limitations on their freedom in driving, interaction with men and dress
codes. Violation of Sharia laws can result in serious punishment or
possibly death. Controversy surrounds Sharia law's treatment of
women.
Sharia law states that a Muslim woman can only marry a Muslim

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man. She cannot marry without the permission of her current guardian.
After the woman is married, her husband becomes her new guardian.
While Muslim men can have several wives, Sharia law limits a woman
to one husband. A woman who wants a divorce must have the consent
of her husband. Once he consents to the divorce, the 1woman has to
pay him back the dowry. These laws are cruel and unfair to women.
In the United States, if an adult woman wants to marry a man or
a woman she can without any persons permission. Divorce seems
similar between the Sharia laws and marriage laws in the U.S. in that
consent is required and money is usually paid. It is different, however,
in the fact that a divorce in the U.S. can be requested by either party
but requires the agreement/signature of both partners and the money
is ideally split evenly between both the man and the woman and
sometimes the woman gets more out of the divorce, there most
definitely is no dowry. Also, polygamy is banned altogether in the
United States so, unlike Sharia Law, there is no inequality between the
men and women because neither of them are allowed to have more
than one husband/wife.
Sharia law dictates the treatment and expectations of Muslim
women in court system. Muslim women accused of adultery face being
whipped or stoned to death. The testimony of women is worthless in
court. Crimes such as homosexuality, adultery, drinking alcohol and
1 To learn more about the unfair treatment Sharia allows for their
women look at http://counterjihad.com/women.

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combat against the Islamic regime can only be proven if a man gave
the testimony. A woman who has witnessed a crime such as rape or
robbery has no right to bear witness in court. If she does testify, she
can face the punishment for accusation.
Under Sharia law, women and men face strict segregation
guidelines. Women are not allowed to speak to men they are not
directly related to, as outlined by an article at faithfreedom.org. The
article, Living Under Sharia: The Plight of Women in Saudi Arabia,
explains an incident in 2007 where a group of Saudi youths found a
woman and a man in a car. The woman was not related to the man,
and 14 youths raped her. The Saudi Court convicted the woman of
violating Sharia segregation laws. She was sentenced to six months in
jail and 200 lashes. The youths who raped her were given one to five
years of jail time. (Louis, source 3).
In Islam, the wife is a slave to her husband. Once married, the
womans complete emotional and intellectual abilities belong to her
husband. Obedience and reverence towards her husband are two of
the wifes duties. Doing both of these forms a type of worship for her.
The article Women under Sharia Law The Dilemma of Wife Beating
Protocol on thequrandilemma.com, shares that the prophet of Islam
once said, If a woman prays her five prayers, fasts the month of
fasting, keeps her chastity, and obeys her husband, she will enter the
paradise of her Lord. In addition, Allah will not accept the prayer of a

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woman if her husband is angry with her.
Comparing the laws and rights of women in the United States to the
women following Sharia Law is stunning and truly eye opening. Living
in a society in which women are supposed to be seen as equals to men
is a blessing that should not seem like a blessing because it should be
the global norm. All people in every country, state, city, culture,
society should be given equal rights as human beings. No person
should be afraid to be whomever or whatever he/she desires. For now,
global equality is a fantasy that will hopefully, one day, be shared and
respected among all people, including followers of Sharia Law.

Bibliography
1. Al-Manteeqi, Immanuel. "A Woman Under Sharia: 8 Reasons
Why Islamic Law Endangers Women - CounterJihad."
CounterJihad. N.p., 07 Sept. 2016. Web. 11 Dec. 2016. This
website gave me an outlook on how women are percieved
specifically in Sharia Law. It gave me great background to base
my opinion on their treatment of women.

2. Arlandson, James. "Articles: Top Ten Rules in the Quran That

Oppress Women." American Thinker. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec.

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2016. This source gave me a helpful introduction to the Quran
and its ideas about women and their rights. I referenced it briefly
in my writing.
3. Palm, Louis. "The Twisted Tale." Faithfreedomorg. N.p., n.d.
Web. 11 Dec. 2016. This source gave me information about a
horrific incident that occurred in 2007 that i directly referenced in
my writing.
i

4. "Women under Sharia Law The Dilemma of Wife Beating

Protocol." Women under Sharia Law The Dilemma of Wife
Beating Protocol. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2016. This source gave
me more information on how the Islam reference the Quran and
base how they treat their women on its teachings. I directly
referenced a part of this article in my essay.