Women Status in Christianity & Hinduism as Compared to Islam

Women in HINDUISM:

According to Manu, A woman could never become self-dependent and she has to be dependent on father, husband and son in life. She is made to suffer and her place in heaven is assured if she died with her husband on the funeral pyre. Even if she doesn't die with husband, she could never utter any other mans name. Remarrying was out of question. She had no right in inheriting. The code of Hammurabi said that women were nothing more than a pet. If a man kills someone's daughter, other person had an automatic right over the daughter of the former and could enslave her or kill according to his wish.

 

Women in CHRISTANITY:

Romans were barbaric with women. They believed that a woman can never achieve salvation, the exception being, Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ. It was debated if a woman could ever be chaste or not, could have soul or not. Woman was the inducement of devil. The father of the Church condemned women as the most potent source of sin and temptation. They did not allow women to take part in religious activities. Even today in Greek Orthodox monasteries women and even female animals are prohibited to enter. Till, twentieth century in the West they were denied rights to inheritances, remarry, divorce, succession and acquiring property.

In Buddhism, the women were not deemed moral. Inscrutable as a fish in water is the nature of women, with whom truth is hard to find.

 

Comparative Position in Islamic Society

Islam firstly, gave women all those rights which even the modern society dares to act.

Islam gave her a status in society and assigned her a place of equality.

Islam encourages women to gain knowledge.

In the Surahs of Quran, men and women are addressed equally.

"Lo! Men who surrender unto Allah, and women who surrender, and men who believe and women who believe, and men who obey and women who obey."

Annie Bessant says:

"Dealing with property, divorce, rights of succession and so on, Islam gave such tremendous freedom to women which was far beyond the law of the west. That is why I favour Islam's position with regard to polygamy. I feel when only after consent of wife, the husband marries due to the illness of wife or other physical deformities, it is certainly better than the unfaithfulness of men in non-Muslims. The Muslims hardly go to prostitutes.

In fact, people are hypnotised by the words monogamy and polygamy. The reality lies behind as women in the west are degraded as prostitutes on the streets while this is not in the Islamic world.

Prophet raised the status of women and with the advent of Islam, woman became equal to man.. Islam endowed her with legal competence, right to property and the monetary compensation in case of divorce a revolutionary step.

With the spreading of the Islamic message woman was accorded a rightful place in the society.
The concept of women's equality was so revolutionary that it was almost a re-birth of the society.

Quran, the word of God was revealed to Prophet Mohammad some fourteen hundred years ago. Quran is the source of every Muslim's faith. Quran deals with all spheres of a mans life and provides guidelines for a model society with equality, proper human conduct and equitable economic position for all.

Quran doesn't distinguish between men on the basis of their birth in caste or creed. All men and women are equal before God. Responsibilities and rights of both men and women are equal.

The holy Quran says that there is no compulsion in religion. In the eye of law no Muslim is superior to a Jew or Christian or any other individual practicing any other faith. Islam lays strict rules for justice and the life, property, honour of non-Muslims and a non-Muslims faith , are to be protected and the responsibility of a non-Muslim lies on the society.