Ibn Warraq

About the author: Ibn Warraq, who was raised a Muslim, now devotes himself to the scholarly examination of the beliefs and practices of Islam. He is the author of The Origins of the Koran, The Quest for Historical Muhammad, What the Koran Really Says: Language, Text, and Commentary, and Why I Am Not a Muslim.

Women in many Islamic societies lack basic human rights, independent legal status, and the right to support themselves. Many Muslim women also suffer physical abuse such as public beatings and rape from their husbands, families, and authorities. Muslims who practice these and other abuses justify their actions by pointing to passages in the Koran that deem men superior to women. The Koran also sanctifies beating disobedient wives and "honor killings"—murdering female family members for suspected...