History 74: Final Paper Brandon Sanchez SID# 766681

Throughout history there are countless examples of religious teachings, practices, and doctrines influencing the course and structure of human existence. From Zoroastrian beliefs, which were among the first to promote the idea of free will amongst its believers and encouraged them to be dutiful citizens by paying their taxes and enlisting their sons in the Persian army; to some Hindu beliefs which condone self-immolation, setting oneself on fire, most commonly in a form of protest. Often times the local religion would dictate the cultural mores and folkways of a society. And most commonly, religions tend to have very stern and discriminating view on social hierarchy. How and where women fall into that hierarchy and their relationships with the early Islamic caliphates they inhabited, are other examples of how dramatically and drastically religious beliefs can shape and mold a society’s perception and treatment of a particular segment of the population. When looking to define the relationship between an ever evolving population of women and the religious and political environment in which they reside, one must first evaluate the different aspects which shape their environment. Under whose rule did they live? What was their interpretation of the Koran? Where did the leadership hail from and what kind of social world view did they assume? All of these factors provided the basis and precedent for determining a woman’s place in society.

In the fourth Sura of the Koran, AL-NISA, many laws and regulations are revealed to Mohammed regarding the treatment of women and what their rightful place is among the populace. This Sura is commonly thought of to have been revealed to Mohammed after he migrated to Medina, fleeing oppression of the Meccan