Prior to advent of Islam, it was the norm for families to bury their daughters as they saw them as a liability. Islam abhorred this practice and banned pagan Arabs from doing such an odious sin. Islam speaks of the blessings of raising daughters:
Myth. There are only within the Islamic narrative. There is no source outside Islam which substantiates this claim.
If you look at Islam you will see that Khadijah RA was a renowned business woman and Aisha RA is accountable for more hadiths on Islam than anyone else, a leading scholar for Muslims. She was more learned than most renowned scholars of today. These strong role models only affirm what the Quran says that education is compulsory on all mankind, yes that includes female. I’m sorry culture has dictated to you otherwise. I am educated and in a profession where I am blessed to continuously be learning. My academic pursuits have been encouraged by all the Muslims around me.
Money – Islam gives me the right to keep my own money. Anything I earn is mine. I am not expected to give my money to my husband. He is not accountable for what I do with it. I can choose to spend on the house, others, myself, zakaat, bills, holidays etc it’s my prerogative as it was Khadija’s. Islam is prescriptive and has made expectations clear. I embrace it. I have the ‘choice’ to do what I want with my money.
Khadijah was before Islam even started so non-sequitur. Also there are examples of women scholars in other cultures centuries before Islam. Hypatia for example. Roman law had already established rights for Women. The same system of laws you see in Islam. Property, money, etc. Sumerian law put men and women as equals with no "roles" or "duty" assigned to them as in Islam. Greek religion was once matriarchy with good virtues associated with women and vices associated with men. The Hesiod’s Theogony covers the transformation from a matriarchy concept to a patriarchal concept. Homer's epics also cover the role of women in Greek society. Did you know one of the reasons for the war with Troy was due to Helen's marriage to Paris which would grant him the right to the throne of Sparta. Menelaus' claim to the throne was through Helen not his own line or power-base. Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's wife, ruled his kingdom during the campaign in Troy. She married another man during his absences but never lost the throne. In fact the new couple murdered Agamemnon upon his return from the war yet continued to rule the kingdom. Again an example of the keys to power are firmly in the hands of women. During Odysseus’ absence, Penelope ruled his kingdom. Various suitors tried to her hand in marriage as he would gain the kingdom. There are women of Sparta covered by Plutarch. The law code of Gortyna on Crete granted the same rights which Islam has. I could go on if you wish, I have yet to cover classical Greece yet nor expanded upon Rome, Judaism, early Christianity, etc.
I have to note that many of the modern views of women's rights within history are based on more recent trends, that of 7th century Christianity and on, rather than factual history. You seem to take this view as fact, it is not.
It is when a baby arrives that even atheists whether you like it or not revert to traditional gender norms. Man being the provider and protector whereas a woman prepares for delivery, has a child, primarily nurtures and breast feeds the child. Yes, even Kim Kardashian took extended leave from the spotlight to be a mum o_O. I am a professional and it is only through work where I appreciated the freedom Islam had given me with regard to money. I work because I want to not because I have to. My money is mine to do what I want with it. I am surrounded by women who avoid getting pregnant or have aborted the child primarily due to finances. As a colleague said to me, ‘I can’t afford to get pregnant as how will my partner manage the mortgage repayments without my salary...and even child care after that.’ My response was simple, ‘you should have lived within his means from the get go’. I love knowing that if I get pregnant I will be looked after inshAllah.
Strawman, you are generalizing your belief as a fact for others without any idea of relationships of these people. My best friend and his wife switch this "role" every year and have for 5 years straight. He works a seasonal job so during later spring, summer and early fall he works. During late fall, winter and early spring she works and he stays home. My parent's both worked and my mother was by far the one with a better education and job than my father.
Since time immemorial, slavery was an accepted practice; thus it was not Islam that started this practice, but rather Islam was the first system to inculcate the freedom of slaves and take steps to make them equal citizens of society. Slavery was abolished in modern society only a couple of centuries ago, and was openly practiced in almost all parts of the civilized world even until the early 1900s. But Islam made it a virtue to free slaves, and inculcate them into society as equal citizens, almost 1500 years ago.
Slaves in Rome could own property. They could earn their own money even buy their own freedom. Slaves filled the roles of teachers, accountants, nurses, etc. Nothing different than Islam. A slave freed by a Roman citizen was granted the rights of the master. A roman citizen being the pinnacle social statue in Rome. This is above that of Italian city-state allies, of client kingdoms and of foreigners. As mentioned above you are taking a modern misconception of slavery propagated by TV, film and the American civil war. You confuse it with factual history.
Concubines:
Genghis Khan is a prime example of a man who had no regard for prisoners of war where he promoted the massacre and rampant raping of millions.
Actually he had women advisers, councilors and promoted women's rights in his code of laws. Mongolian women rejected the practice of food binding in China as well as it's system of rights and law regarding women. Women ran the business end of the family as trade was not seen as a male role.
Regarding females being deficient in intelligence
NHS site is my source, a research conducted by University of Oxford and Cambridge researchers = all non Muslims.
Here is the part of your sourced article which refuted your position. It helps reading your own sources in order to assess if it supports your argument, which it does not.
The study was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews and has been published on an open access basis so it is free to read online or download. The UK media’s reporting is arguably over-speculative. The research was looking at structural differences only – it didn’t explore how these differences impacted disease, behaviour or intelligence, although it put forward plausible theories. And the Daily Star’s claim that “It has been revealed that male and female brains are completely different” is simply incorrect. It is also probably simplistic to assume that there is a direct link between brain size and intelligence. It is thought that it is the complexity of the connections between individual brain cells that underpin cognitive ability and not the total amount of brain tissue
I would also consider your arguments more than I have if most of it wasn't copy/pasted from Islamic websites. It really shows you didn't do much research, you found an opinion which supports your views and used it to confirm said views. This is called confirmation bias.
Topic: Islam empowered me! women/ slavery/ concubines