Try the truth.. that Islam includes the belief that women are inferior to men. It's always been that way.

Explain to her the difference between culture and religion. Then point out that, accourding to Christian belief, men are better than women.

Siyanor....There is no "belief" that men are inferior to women in Islam however there is an acknowledgement that mean and women are different by way of capabilities and responsibilities. The QUran says, "One of you were made to excel the other" but doesnt specify how one will excel the other or who will excel the other. Tell your sister that because these people are Muslims doesnt mean that they completely embody the practice of Islam. Also many of the "sexist" crimes are cultural not Islamic. FOr instance cultural folklore in Saudi Arabia states that a women can lose her virginity riding a bicycle. lol. Thats highly absurd but its the "urban legend" in their country, not an Islamic prohibition or commandment.

Tell her to bring forth her supported proofs about her 'false' calim that in the middle east, there are many sexist crimes which have been committed and supported by religious Muslim leaders. . Anyone out of either ignorance or blind hate can easily believe/fabricate lies about others but they remains LIES no matter how many times these lies are repeated! . Allah says in the Noble Quran to those disbelievers: "..Produce your proof if you are truthful." [Noble Quran 2:111]

First of all Islam is not one monolithic religion, just as Christianity is not one monolithic religion. Both religions have their radicals, their moderates, and their occasional churchgoers. It's important to distinguish between what the religion actually says, and what the followers generally believe the religion says or what it means. The best thing to do is to let your sister actually see and read it for herself. The Koran is full of sexist verses, just like old Bibles or Bibles from fundamentalist sects contain sexist verses. See some translated lines about women from the Koran here: http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/women/long.html A huge difference is that women are property of men. "A woman is worth one-half a man." 2:282 A man can divorce his wife simply by saying out loud "I divorce thee" after great forethought. If he says it three times it is irrevocable. A man can have as many wives as he wants. But start at the worst horror. Have your sister look up FGM and infibulation, the most unspeakable of all sexist crimes. These are traditional but not necessarily religious practices. It is difficult to separate the tradition from the religion. In 2005 Islam officially classified FGM as punishable aggression and a crime against humanity but the tradition lives on.

I'm not certain just which sexist 'crimes' she means, but if Muslim religious leaders supported them, then those were not 'crimes' in Islam, they were examples of how women are *supposed* to be treated according to Islam. . Who should she believe? The Muslim talking to her or her own lying eyes? .

Why, them terrorists for the Middle East. They suck. Why don't they repress women like we all do here in god's christian US? Why, we ort to bomb any clinic that women goes to fer abortions, and shoot them doctors, too. Why, we ought to nuke the Middle East, just so's there'd be better christian people pumping the oil there. I can't stand no terrorist!

Many of the teachings in the Koran and the Hadith impose rigorous restriction on a woman's freedom. She is basically the property of her father or husband, either of which may beat her for a long list of reasons.

I-I-M If you read the verses you've quoted without any outside influence, the they condone killing in the name of Allah. You add the point that the early Arabs were warlike and constantly drawn into war and these verses do not apply in the same way, today. Like the Old testament for Christians, fundamentalist Muslims still apply them literally. So the main question is, how do you stamp out fundamentalism in all religions?

You could go a bit deeper and tell her that all religions are invented -- and rules enforced -- by some men to subjugate other men. If she's intelligent enough to think for herself, she'll realize that sooner or later, anyway. And if she's one of the sheep for whom religion was invented, then she'll hide behind hers and ignore you anyway.