Many people feel that the religion of Islam is oppressive to women.  I submit that, just as in Christianity, the sacred texts do not support such a belief, but that men throughout the ages have, in all religions, sought to control women through force and have used misinterpretations of scripture to do so.   In fact, this is the purpose of the institutionalization of spirituality, to control those subject to whatever religious institutiton they belong to.  Religion is not about freedom, it is about control.  True spirituality seeks to free people from the hindrances of institutional myths, and re-unite them with the sacred truths evident through nature, to all.

The Koran states:  “And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women” (2:226).

With the advent of Islam, women were integrated into all spheres of the once male-dominated Pagan-Arab society more than 1,400 years ago.

Women were given the right to own property and dispense of it as they pleased, the right to choose their own husbands, and the right to be treated kindly.

They were allowed to enter into all aspects of the political world. It is a fact that the Prophet often consulted his wives on matters that affected the Muslim community.

The wives of The Prophet were also free to give out religious rulings, which served as ethical guidelines for the Muslim community of the time. Also, some of the female companions of the Prophet engaged in combat in key Muslim battles against their oppressors.

Women were given the right to an education, as evidenced by the saying of the Prophet, “Seeking knowledge is incumbent upon every Muslim (male and female).”

In Islam, women have the right to enjoy protection and maintenance from men, while also being able to work if they so please.

Although the domestic domain is traditionally looked upon as mainly a woman’s enterprise, the Prophet himself helped his wives in these areas.

He cooked and cleaned, sewed his own clothes and helped his wives in raising their children. Finally two famous sayings of the Prophet are: “Women are the twin halves of men” and “The best of you are the kindest to their wives and I am the best amongst you in treatment of his wives.”
 

This is only a cursory study of all the Koran has to say about the role of women, however, I believe we can see that a foundation of respect between the sexes was laid by the Prophet Muhammad.