ows women the same religious and legal status as men, the same text also allows men to remain in a dominant position over women. Many times women are not allowed to be independent and free, as they are forced to raise a family, be obedient to their husband, and follow certain laws which favor men, and at the same time push women down. The text of the Koran often limits women's actions and decisions, despite granting them the same religious and legal status as men. These variances in the Koran continue to put men on a hierarchy compared to women.
             One of the more amazing aspects of Islamic society is that the oppression of women by men revolves around one central verse of the Koran. Verse 4:34, according to the traditional understanding, has been used as a weapon to subjugate women in the name of Islam. The verse has four parts: 1) Men are guardians of women and hence their rulers; 2) Women must obey their husbands if they are to consider themselves good Muslim women; 3) After due admonition and punitive separation, the husband has a right to beat his wife if he fears willfulness; and 4) If the woman refuses to accept this form of subjugation, the husband can divorce her. The common interpretation of this verse makes women out to be second-class citizens in their own homes. There is no similar verse in the Koran granting women any such powers over their husbands. Even though the Koran grants women equal religious and legal status as men, it also puts men on a hierarchy above women, giving them some control over their wives.
             Marriage also faces sexual discrimination in Islamic societies. Most all women in Islamic society and the world hope to marry in their lifetime. In pre-Islamic society, women were often sold by their fathers to another man, and the woman was given a minimal choice in the decision of whom she was marrying. Upon the rise of Islamic society, women's rights in marriage were expanded. Only if a girl was considered...