Briefly de-lurking to say that Ferret, posts like yours are one of the reasons it's pointless for me to continue posting on here. You are so narrow-minded that you can't accept there is any way to deal with abuse of women other than the solutions that YOU see as acceptable, regardless of whether they actually work within the community under discussion.
Unless I declare that all men in Arab countries hate women (as stated in the book that was linked to) and that we have to change our religion to solve problems, I will be seen as an enabler of abuse by posters like you.
I have clearly stated that any abuse of women taking place has to be tackled, but it has to be dealt with in a way that reflects the religious and cultural background of the people involved. Imposing a Western-style solution onto the community will not work and the majority of women will not accept that.
I have never enabled abuse, and I personally know people who have intervened to prevent women from being harassed, parents who have ordered their sons to treat their wives better. I also have seen situations where women have found good solutions by going to court, but it would be a court dealing with family issues, not a criminal court. We have plenty of ways of dealing with abuse within our community. Extended families are very involved in each others' lives and usually committed to working for peace and harmony in family relationships.
Our public spaces are always busy with people keeping an eye out for anyone that might get into a difficult situation and they don't hesitate to intervene. (This can be different in tourist areas, however, as people are often unsure whether their intervention would be welcome).
If I have to spend all my time responding to posts like yours which accuse me of things I have never actually said nor implied, it prevents me from responding to other posters who are actually engaging with the arguments and having a dialogue. This is why I stopped posting on the other thread, as every few posts there was someone telling me to 'stop saying X' when it was obvious that I had actually said nothing of the kind.
Not to mention posts like chicken's which add nothing to the discussion whatsoever and are just accusations with nothing to back them up.
As for the idea that other Muslim women would be hesitant to speak their mind to me for fear of being judged - that's laughable and shows how little you know about the people you're talking about. In Arab countries - or at least in the Maghreb region but I'm pretty sure all Arabs as well - children, both male and female, are brought up to be extremely tough and resilient. Some observers say that every discussion between Arabs looks like an argument because people get so passionate about their views. Even the most sensitive women I know have no problem expressing their views and standing up for themselves.
And the point about what Muslims believe is that this is what Islam teaches. It's not subjective.