Chapters 11-13 Islam, Mongol Moment, and The 15th century

Chapter 11, regarding men and women in Islam, reminded me of my 2 favorite former co-workers. They are both male American Muslim converts that has served in the U.S. military. Here in the U.S. , their wives work, are not subjected to cover their bodies from head to toe, and are respected enough to be consulted first if they ever agree to share their husband to a second, third, or fourth wife. My friends love their wives enough not to abuse them physically nor verbally, and have chosen not to have more than one wife. Outside the U.S. , where monogamy is not the norm, my friends might be tempted to take wives no. 2 to 4. So, to keep the peace that they currently have within their household, they better keep their feet within the U.S. grounds : >)) .
Other Muslim women in other countries, especially in the Middle East, does not have the same liberty or consideration. Just last week, an Iranian woman was reported to be facing death by stoning for adultery under a duress.Yesterday, it was confirmed that she will no longer be stoned to death, but most likely face execution by hanging. So, is stoning to death an Islamic rule based on the Quran or does their culture play the major role? America has a more embracing culture then. Most of these women must have been wrongly accused and forced to confess adultery. They also normally receive 99 lashes before imprisonment and still gets final death sentence. I do not condone adultery, but I also cannot help but think that stoning and hanging anyone is inhumane.
"Negative views of women, presenting them variously as weak, deficient, and a sexually charged threat to men and social stability, emerged in the hadiths, traditions about the sayings or actions of Muhammad, which became an important source of Islamic law"(Strayer p. 316). For me, it is a matter of getting to know the woman to discover her strength. For anything that she is lacking, the purpose of the existence of the opposite sex is there: to complement each other and not to degrade one another. This quote describes it better:

"Woman was taken out
of man; not out of his head to top him, nor out of his feet to be trampled
underfoot; but out of his side to be equal to him, under his arm to be
protected, and near his heart to be loved." (Just something to think about...)

I prefer not to say much about the Mongol Empire as I would be posting something separate about my trip to the Genghis Khan exhibit. However, I would like to emphasize here what our text has reiterated about Genghis Khan being a charismatic leader and his people being skillful horse-back riders. Together, they passionately conquered and ruled. Loyalty was rewarded while betrayal meant death. Their beginning seemed impossible, and the far-reaching result was remarkable.