Response: Realism

In response to Lauren Feeney's post "Protected Love" (April 28, 2012):

The question of whether it is better for women in Islamic countries (both historically and today) to marry for protection or to live without that protection requires something of a two-sided answer.  While in an ideal situation, or even a situation close to ideal, of course women should choose for themselves who and when (if ever) to marry, the dangerous and sexist societal circumstances in Muhammad's time meant that women were frequently better off marrying for protection.  Most people, and therefore most women, prefer living in less-than-ideal circumstances to dying or living in totally miserable circumstances, so marrying for protection would have been a preferable alternative one's enemies, or simply unscrupulous people, killing or taking advantage of one.  The societal circumstances of today's world, however, are in many cases less harsh than those of Muhammad's time.  This opens up the possibility of reforming the remaining sexist aspects of society, and therefore making it possible for women not to marry for protection out of necessity.