--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Women are inherently crooked? Certainly…" description: "\"“Women are inherently crooked? Certainly some Muslim clerics think so—or at least, they do not believe in legal equality for women. Bangladeshi Islamic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/robert-spencer-14900_good-wife_women-are-inherently-crooked-certainly-s_73806.jpg" --- # Women are inherently crooked? Certainly some Muslim… ![“Women are inherently crooked? Certainly some Muslim clerics think so—or at least, they do not believe in legal equality for women. Bangladeshi Islamic cleric Mufti Fazlul Haq Amini read the same Koran that Tony Blair found so progressive and yet complained about attempts in his native country to…” quote by Robert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/robert-spencer-14900_good-wife_women-are-inherently-crooked-certainly-s_73806.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/robert-spencer-14900_good-wife_women-are-inherently-crooked-certainly-s_73806.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/robert-spencer-14900_good-wife_women-are-inherently-crooked-certainly-s_73806.jpg) > ““Women are inherently crooked? Certainly some Muslim clerics think so—or at least, they do not believe in legal equality for women. Bangladeshi Islamic cleric Mufti Fazlul Haq Amini read the same Koran that Tony Blair found so progressive and yet complained about attempts in his native country to establish equal property rights for women. The problem? That would be “directly against Islam and the holy Koran.”7 And where do Muslims get such ideas? They stem from the overall inferior status of women promulgated in the Koran, which specifically refutes the notion that women have as much basic human dignity as men. To the contrary, Allah says men are superior. When giving regulations for divorce, Allah stipulates that women “have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness.” Similar, but not identical, for “men are a degree above them” (2:228). Far from mandating equality, the Koran portrays women as essentially possessions of men. The Koran likens a woman to a field (tilth), to be used by a man as he wills: “Your women are a tilth for you (to cultivate) so go to your tilth as ye will” (2:223). And in a tradition Muhammad details the qualities of a good wife, including that “she obeys when instructed” and “the husband is pleased to look at her.”8 The Koran decrees women’s subordination to men in numerous other verses:            •    It declares that a woman’s legal testimony is worth half that of a man: “Get two witnesses, out of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and two women, such as ye choose, for witnesses, so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her” (2:282).            •    It allows men to marry up to four wives, and also to have sex with slave girls: “If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice” (4:3).            •    It rules that a son’s inheritance should be twice the size of that of a daughter: “Allah (thus) directs you as regards your children’s (inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females” (4:11).            •    It allows for marriage to pre-pubescent girls, stipulating that Islamic divorce procedures “shall apply to those who have not yet menstruated” (65:4).”” [Robert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-spencer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage argues that Islamic scripture inherently places women in a subordinate, property‑like status, denying them equal legal and human dignity. **In simple terms:** Islamic texts portray women as inferior and owned. Key Takeaway Islamic doctrine is used to justify gender inequality. Themes gender inequality religious interpretation legal rights patriarchal structures Islamic law Mood critical analytical skeptical Type expository argumentative When to use this quote - debates on women's legal rights - interfaith discussions on gender - policy making in Muslim‑majority countries - academic critiques of religious texts - activist campaigns for equality Key Concepts Qur'an verses testimony value marriage limits women as property Practical Applications - legal reform advocacy - educational curricula on religious gender perspectives Questions to Reflect On - How do religious interpretations shape gender norms? - What evidence challenges the claim of inherent inferiority? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-wife/) [Human dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-dignity/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Property rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property-rights/) ## Related quotes > [The early feminist argument that violence against women is not inherently a private matter, but has been privatized by the sexist structures of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/the-early-feminist-argument-that-violence-against-women-is-not/) [Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/) > [Cinematography speaks to everything that women do inherently well: It's multitasking, it's empathy, and it's channeling visuals into human emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morrison/cinematography-speaks-to-everything-that-women-do-inherently-well-it/) [Rachel Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morrison/) > [“These Nigerians have been raised to think of women as inherently guilty. 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They stem from the overall inferior status of women promulgated in the Koran, which specifically refutes the notion that women have as much basic human dignity as men. To the contrary, Allah says men are superior. When giving regulations for divorce, Allah stipulates that women “have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness.” Similar, but not identical, for “men are a degree above them” (2:228). Far from mandating equality, the Koran portrays women as essentially possessions of men. The Koran likens a woman to a field (tilth), to be used by a man as he wills: “Your women are a tilth for you (to cultivate) so go to your tilth as ye will” (2:223). And in a tradition Muhammad details the qualities of a good wife, including that “she obeys when instructed” and “the husband is pleased to look at her.”8 The Koran decrees women’s subordination to men in numerous other verses:            •    It declares that a woman’s legal testimony is worth half that of a man: “Get two witnesses, out of your own men, and if there are not two men, then a man and two women, such as ye choose, for witnesses, so that if one of them errs, the other can remind her” (2:282).            •    It allows men to marry up to four wives, and also to have sex with slave girls: “If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your choice, two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice” (4:3).            •    It rules that a son’s inheritance should be twice the size of that of a daughter: “Allah (thus) directs you as regards your children’s (inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females” (4:11).            •    It allows for marriage to pre-pubescent girls, stipulating that Islamic divorce procedures “shall apply to those who have not yet menstruated” (65:4).”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Spencer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-spencer/women-are-inherently-crooked-certainly-some-muslim-clerics-think-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good wife" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-spencer/women-are-inherently-crooked-certainly-some-muslim-clerics-think-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/robert-spencer-14900_good-wife_women-are-inherently-crooked-certainly-s_73806.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/robert-spencer-14900_good-wife_women-are-inherently-crooked-certainly-s_73806.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e35/robert-spencer-14900_good-wife_women-are-inherently-crooked-certainly-s_73806.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Women are inherently crooked? 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