Blog #6

This week, I read from the Koran in a text translated by Arthur J. Arberry. The Koran is the religious text for Islam and was written after the teaching of the prophet Muhammad. The section of the Koran that I read was written for men; it elucidated the religion's rules about mens interactions with women. The Koran explained to men how many wives they can have, how to treat women in the society, and who they are allowed to wed. The Koran stated, "marry such women as seem good to you, two three, four..." (176). According to this excerpt, men in Islamic societies are allowed to have as many wives as they please. The Koran also said, "Men are the managers of the affairs of women for that God has preferred in bounty one of them over the other" (179). Men are seen as more powerful and more respected in society than women are. Men are told to order the women around because God prefers men over women. Finally, the Koran states, "Forbidden are you to your mothers and daughters, your sisters, your aunts, your brother's daughters, your sister's daughters..." (179). The list of forbidden wives goes on and on. What it says is that men may not wed their family, however distantly related. So, according to the Koran, men in Islamic societies have much more power than women do because men may choose as many wives as they please, God favors the men, and men are allowed to wed anyone they wish as long as the woman isn't in their family.