The role of women in Islam is defined by Allah. The most essential role of a woman is that of mother, wife, sister, grandmother, etc. Women are encouraged to marry from the time they become mature. To fulfil the marriage relationship, a woman must be unmarried. A Muslim woman must marry only a follower of Islam. Muslim women have many prohibitions and injunctions including:

• they are not allowed to be alone in a room with an unrelated man;
• they are obliged to behave modestly, dropping their gaze when talking;
• a woman must not go further than 24 hours away from home alone;
• they must dress appropriately and cover their head, legs and arms, the so-called chichaf, under pain of flogging.

A woman's life in Islam is filled with signs of discrimination. The birth of a girl does not inspire as much joy as the birth of a boy. Inappropriate, indecent behaviour by a woman can be met with severe punishment from her family. Today, the situation of Muslim women is one of the most controversial.

photo ojoimages

From an early age, girls are taught that the most important things are virtue, obedience and work. They are prepared to be subservient to men. Another abuse of women is circumcision, which is the painful ritual of female genital mutilation. Circumcision is not related to religion but to tradition.

In ancient India, women did not have a high position. Their freedom was limited. The main role is that of a housewife. The status of a widow is even lower. A widow cannot remarry. In Hinduism, the birth of a girl is considered a misfortune. The family prays for the birth of a son. From Hindu culture comes the kamasutra or book on love. It is one of the most comprehensive collections of sexual positions. The kamasutra dates back to the 2nd century BC.