Some questions about feminism from a Muslim.

"Silly women expecting to be treated like shit"

Mercury that's not what I meant at all, but I think you know that. I meant that it's hard for certain groups of men to make you feel shamed as a slut or as a second-class citizen if you don't actually believe in that as a concept in the first place.

I don't know any feminist religions but I know religious feminists. Feminists aren't perfect and they make unfeminist choices, they're still feminists.

nothing wrong with choosing to wear the hijab. Many Muslim women choose to do so. Many women women choose not to. Both choices should be respected so anyone who insults your agency by saying you haven't made a free choice is being rather insulting in my opinion.

I don't think any women makes a completely free choice regarding clothing. And if they did why is it only women in certain cultures that wear certain dress?

High heels and makeup are uniform for some western women. They have no choice. Hijab for some Muslim women. Neither can make the choice man without cultural baggage.

On the verse of the Quran that permits wife beating... I have read the original and as far as I am concerned it says beat, and most people agree that it says beat.

But let's imagine it doesn't say beat. Why is a holy book giving detailed instructions on what a man should do when he is angered by his wife but says nothing about what women should do when men anger them?

Also muslim men being allowed to have four wives is pretty anti feminist.

Men being protectors of women is just tip of the iceberg of Islam being anti feminist.

In Islam, women automatically loose custody of children above 7 (boys) and 9 (girls) to her husband. If the said husband dies the children are given to their paternal grandfather and uncles. Don't you think it's unjust? This creates a situation where women don't get divorce because they know they'd loose their kids.

Women are not allowed to issue divorce. She can ask for divorce (khula) but if she is granted that she looses the mehr. Whereas men have right to issue verbal divorce.

Women are entitled to half as much inheritance as their brothers.

In evidence two women's evidence is equal to one man's.

There are provisions for men being entitled to the sexual use of female slaves and those captured in war.

And on your point about men being protectors, you have misunderstood feminism. Feminism isn't asking men to protect women on street and at home (which is what Islam does) feminism asks men to stop raping and attacking women, and feminism doesn't victim blame, feminism sorts the problem by targeting those that are responsible which are men instead of policing or subjugating women.

The patriarchal ownership and control of women are so implicit at the very core of all religions that it's impossible to sidestep this issue with any interpretation you apply to it.

^^
This.

I think largely, as with many things, you are treated the way you expect to be treated

Gosh if I l'y we could get women to have higher expectations, men would treat them better. Silly women expecting to be treated like shit.

Adalind - I completely agree. My husband is British Iranian (though nominally Christian) and I have never been disrespected by a Muslim man any more than other men in the general population, whether I'm wearing make-up, heels or whatever.
I think largely, as with many things, you are treated the way you expect to be treated.

The other "law" that a man can divorce his wife by saying "I divorce you" three times -is that also a mistranslation?
I hope you don't mind these questions, but I have always wondered about this.

But we are ALL brainwashed! We are all groomed into the prevalent social norms.

We are, but we can be aware of it and struggle against and try to make choices with it in mind, which is how change comes about. Or we can submit to it or never really think about it and this is how conventions persist.

It's commonly held view that Muslim men and women view western women who don't wear the hijab as sluts

That's not my experience and I have met lots of Muslim men. Having been married to one for years I spent a lot of time with him and his friends and was rarely treated with anything other than total respect. I would have long and involved conversations with Muslim men about all sorts and they certainly didn't disdain me or consider me a slut. Nor did my husband!
No doubt there are schools of thought that women who dress less than modestly are immoral but it's not a widespread belief as you seem to think.

Again forgive me as it's been a while since I read the Koran and I don't have one to hand. Does it not say that men should deny their wives affection/ intercourse as a first measure? Is this what the "separation" is? They should only beat them lightly in a way that does not leave a mark if this fails?
How was anyone allowed to distort the word if Allah into this?

I don't understand in this context what separate means? Is it that a man can separate from his wife if she does something he doesn't like?

I have no problem at all with people disagreeing with me I just don't want to be told I'm brainwashed

But we are ALL brainwashed! We are all groomed into the prevalent social norms.

We can only choose between the things that are actually on offer to us.

There is no real free choice.

I would support any woman's right to wear the hijab or anything else - suppressing a woman's right to choose is not a feminist act. But at the same time, I believe that a social trend (usually coming from a religious society) that requires women to cover their hair and dress in a modest way when men are not is a deeply unfeminist society and that this happens because men want to control women's sexuality - they don't their 'own' women (wives, daughters, sisters) to be seen as sexual objects by other men. It is about a sense of entitlement to women's sexuality where it is seen as belonging to men and not to the woman herself. Women do not choose to cover their hair any more than men do in societies where this is not socially mandated.

So I would say that I support your right to choose and would hate to see that restricted, but I also believe that in making the choice you are, you are supporting an unfeminist social convention. You may decide that following the social convention or obeying your scripture or whatever is more important to you and that is completely legitimate, but it still remains an un feminist choice. Not that I believe that means you can't be a feminist - I make unfeminist choices as well (shaving my legs, etc) because of the pressure I feel to conform and still consider myself a feminist.

Stateless - if it is a mistranslation, why has it been allowed to persist over all these years and in billions of copies of the Koran in so many languages?
I really struggle to understand this.

Op your prophet actually massively furthered women's rights during his lifetime didn't he?

What does the "man beating his wife" section actually say?

It's commonly held view that Muslim men and women view western women who don't wear the hijab as sluts.
How dare they impose their brainwashed religious nonsense onto our western society?

I , for one, will never understand this opinion and I never understand if they despise the west so much, why they insist on living here?

OP, I do hope I haven't offended you.

The problem for me, personally, is that I totally understand. We all work within the confines of a patriarchal society. We all make concessions. We all make compromises.

We have to.

I would just like a world where the decisions we make are not based on what men think are best. Because it's not a level playing field.

My neighbour tells me that while a man is in the eyes of god, a woman is in the eyes of her husband and this is why she chooses to wear hijab. I don't know if you would agree with that interpretation?