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You know it's stetching it a bit to deny the importance of a father's financial contribution to a family. My mother, who was divorced, would have been happy to tell you about that. Indeed my mother also believed that multiple wives was more humane than divorce.
I do not deny the importance of either a father or a mother's support in a family. Be it financial or otherwise it would be damn hard to raise a child alone. Hell, it's hard to do it as a couple.
My point was that many women are able to go it alone and succeed. Not being tied to a man enables both women and our society as a whole many more opportunities and is a major reason why no Muslim country enjoys the standard of living of any Western Nation. Sorry if I got a little carried away, and I'm no feminist, but the idea of anyone as a lower class citizen by law appalls me on the deepest level (I know this is not what you were arguing in favor of and understand the dichotomy in even the strictest Muslim family is surely more complex ).
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wevus wroteI guess I find it hard to blame Islam when faced with the diversity of circumstance in which it's practiced.
Wevus, that's why I blame Islam. Other than casual threads of Arabic culture (the way Italy and Ireland are both Western), many Islamic countries have little in common BUT Islam. Yet they all seem to share similar problems socially, politically, and in terms of violence.
Frankly, but for Turkey who's Western provinces are rather wild) & Dubai ( all of the nations are rather untamed. One would think SOME Islamic country would develop Western or Eastern values, industrialize, and generally get along. But it remains that consistently Islamic countries have problems with internal and external conflicts hindering development and relations. Bombings, assassinations, tribal wars, and conflicts with neighboring nations are the norm in all of the highlighted regions.
In fact, forces that are in favor of relations with the West or Western ideas are constant targets. NO need to go over all that again...
Basically Wevus, because they are so different and the only common thread is Islam - I correlate Islam with the regions problems. Violence, poverty, and poor relations with anyone not Islamic. In fact, hold that map in your mind and think of the worldwide conflicts going on (Somalia, Darfur, Chechnya, Bulkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Phillipines), the fact that the only common thread is Islam is what has me concerned.
