n makes his enemy envious”(Ecclesiasticus 30:3).The Koran greatly disagrees with the shame of having a girl for child. In earlier times, Arabs were so shamed to have daughters that at birth they practiced infanticide, the killing of infants. The Koran specifically addresses this on three occasions and as a result the practice stopped. The Koran says:They foist daughters upon God(glory be to Him!), but for themselves they choose what they desire. When the birth of a girl is announced to any of them, his countenance darkens and he is filled with gloom. On account of the bad news he hides himself from men: should he put up with the shame or bury her in the earth? How ill they judge!(16:57)There is never a distinction made between a good birth or bad birth, for boys and girls are equal in Islam. The birth of a female is even considered a gift and a blessing from God, the same as the birth of males and it goes on to mention the gift of the female birth before that of the male, “God has sovereignty over the heavens and the earth. He creates what he will. He gives daughters to whom he will and sons to whom he pleases. To some he gives both sons and daughters...”(42:49). The difference between the Biblical and Koranic conception of women is also seen in the attitudes towards the education of women. In first Corinthians, St. Paul states:As in all congregations of God’s people, women should keep silent at the meeting. They have no permission to talk, but should keep their place as the law directs. If there is something they want to know, they can ask their husbands at home. It is a shocking thing for a woman to talk at the meeting.(Cor.14:34,35) How can a woman learn if she is not to speak? How can she grow intellectually if she is obligated to be in a state of full submission? And how can she learn if her only source of information is her husband?The Koran contrast greatly with the aforementioned passage, fo...
