EQUALITY
Justice and equality are words often used by Muslims. They claim
that Islam is the religion of justice and equality. Is that so?
One of the Quranic verses is commonly called the "law of equality":
O ye who believe! the law of equality is prescribed to you in cases of murder:
the free for the free, the slave for the slave, the woman for the woman. But if
any remission is made by the brother of the slain, then grant any reasonable
demand, and compensate him with handsome gratitude, this is a concession
and a Mercy from your Lord. After this whoever exceeds the limits shall be
in grave penalty. S. 2:178 Yusuf Ali
However, on a second look, this name drips with irony since it is actually a law of inequality.
It states that the life of a woman and the life of a slave does not have the same value
of the life of a free man. For a detailed discussion of this law is found in
Islam's Unjust Punishments:
Examining the Quran's Ruling on the Consequence of Premeditated Murder.
The worst inequality is the difference in treatment of Muslims and non-Muslims, see
for example the articles in the section Being
a non-Muslim under Islamic rule, and the entry on
UNBELIEVERS.
Also within the Muslim community, there is considerable inequality, most notably
the inequality between men and women, cf. the section on
Women in Islam.
One of the proverbial principles of equality is the formulation of
the GOLDEN RULE. Interestingly, Islam is only
major religion that does not teach the Golden Rule. In fact, Islam opposes it in
many ways.
Articles specifically on the issue of inequality:
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