5:21; emphasis added). Thus, in Christian theology, there is
a mutual submission of husbands and wives to each another
in love, a submission reflecting the Church’s submission to
Christ (see Eph 5:24). In fact, rather than exalting the
authority of men over women, St. Paul goes on to place an
even greater burden on men when he says ‘‘Husbands, love
your wives, even as Christ loved the Church and handed
himself over for her...’’ (Eph 5:25; emphasis added). In
other words, husbands must give their very lives to their
spouses — they must sacrifice themselves and their own
wills for the good of their wives and families.
The Koran, on the other hand, has a very different view
of the relationship that exists between spouses. Husbands,
by divine right, have total authority over their wives. In
sharp contrast to St. Paul’s teachings, the idea that a
husband should sacrifice himself or live ‘‘in mutual
submission’’ with his wife is entirely foreign to Islam. In
fact, the same verse in the Koran that begins by stating that
‘‘men have authority over women’’ goes on to give divine
sanction to wife beating: ‘‘Good women are obedient. They
guard their unseen parts because God has guarded them. As
for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them
and send them to beds apart and beat them’’ (Sura 4:34).
In Islam, the idea that ‘‘men have a status above women’’
is deeply rooted in Muslim tradition. Aisha, the most
beloved of Muhammad’s many wives, admonished women
in no uncertain terms: ‘‘O women folk, if you knew the
rights that your husbands have over you, every one of you
would wipe the dust from her husband’s feet with her