Muslim women pay a high price for their (and their male family members') honor. This book details the trials and tribulations of women in the Muslim world.

The prejudice, discrimination and crimes it describes can all be found here in the west. I suggest that the problem is patriarchy, not Islam. Focusing on a particular religion lets all the rest of us off the hook.

This book is helpful if it makes me think about how often I have discriminated against women and how I justify my actions; and less helpful if I continue to see the problem as being somebody else's problem somewhere else.

Muslim women pay a high price for their (and their male family members') honor. This book details the trials and tribulations of women in the Muslim world.

The prejudice, discrimination and crimes it describes can all be found here in the west. I suggest that the problem is patriarchy, not Islam. Focusing on a particular religion lets all the rest of us off the hook.

This book is helpful if it makes me think about how often I have discriminated against women and how I justify my actions; and less helpful if I continue to see the problem as being somebody else's problem somewhere else.

I highly recommend this book. Jan Goodwin
provides in an engaging, superbly reported look
at the present-day treatment of women in
countries still bound by the strictures of
medieval Islamic law. Though the book was written
in 1995, and updated after 9/11, its relevance
has never been greater than it is today as we
struggle to understand the increasingly dangerous
world we live in. Above all, "Price of Honor"
gave me renewed appreciation for the Western
world I live in and the freedoms that we - men
and women alike - so easily take for granted.
This book is a must read!

In 1989 I lived in Cairo, Egypt for several months. Being female I experienced (and witnessed) a good deal of the typical misogynistic behavior one would expect from a Muslim male. I could never understand how the Islamic communities I visited could be so mistrustful and even outwardly angry with women just for the sake of being women. I have been fascinated with learning more every since.

Goodwin writes very interesting and detailed accounts of various Muslim women in ten different locations throughout the Middle East. One thing in common with all women is the cruel,oppressive and immoral treatment by men in general but more specifically her own family be it father, brother or husband. Women in these countries have no rights and assume a subserviant, second class role upon birth. Lack of knowledge, lack of support and fear of punishment keep these women from seeking help or challenging authority. Goodwin also discusses the shocking phenomenon of honor killing that while not versed in the Holy Koran it is exclusively Islamic and is both endorsed and encouraged by Imams, clerics etc..as the only way to restore honor to a family.

I didn't give Goodwin a 4 or 5 star review because I believe that Goodwin (like most journalists/media) has whitewashed, for the sake of political correctness, the true history of Islam and the role women play. So much of what we hear or read on the news has been manipulated because the western world has allowed itself to become handicapped by political correctness.
While it is true that the Prophet Mohammed was loving and monogamous to his first wife Khadija (an independant and wealthy woman in her own right) we know that changed after her death. Through Mohammed, Allah advised Muslims to marry no more than 4 women and to care for each equally. However Mohammed said Allah's rule didn't apply to him and with at least 11 wives and numerous concubines(sex slaves) Mohammed doesn't really win any sensitivity votes! The most famous wife was Aisha who was 6 yrs old when the marriage contract was made (she was 9 yrs old when consummated)She was also known as the favorite wife. She herself said Mohammed struck her and once proclaimed "I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing woman." This should say volumes about the treatment of woman during Mohammeds life. Islamic history shows that the more adherents to Islam Mohammed acquired and the more powerful and feared he became as a political leader the more the revelations began to change. Allah began advising Mohammed to be more restrictive with his people and less tolerant to unbelievers. These new revelations were to cancel out the existing peaceful ones through the process of abrogation.

In the begining, Mohammed did have some compassion, for example he banned the killing of female infants. Yet there were also many precedents Mohammed set regarding women such as: Men are protectors and maintainers of women; women must be devoutly obedient, if not then beat them...4:34; Women witness is half of men...2:282; Majority of women are in hell...( Shahih Bukhari 1.6.301); Menstruation is a disease...2:222; Women, house and horses are evil omens..( Shahih Bukhari;7.62.30); Sex with captive women and slave women is permitted-23:1-6; Allah gets displeased with the woman who does not respond when her husband demands sex from her-(Shahih Muslim 8.3367) These are just a few.

We must remember the Prophet is believed to have been a perfect man who led a perfect life and therefore an example that all Muslims must follow.

A good portion of this book was written in the mid nineties and updated after the events of 9/11. Since that time NO progress has been made in the advancement of equal rights for women despite all the apologists assertions that Islam is peaceful and equal regarding women. This makes any talks of reform by so called "moderate" Muslims disingenuous as well.

In 1989 I lived in Cairo, Egypt for several months. Being female I experienced (and witnessed) a good deal of the typical misogynistic behavior one would expect from a Muslim male. I could never understand how the Islamic communities I visited could be so mistrustful and even outwardly angry with women just for the sake of being women. I have been fascinated with learning more every since.

Goodwin writes very intresting and detailed accounts of various Muslim women in ten different locations throughout the Middle East. One thing in common with all women is the cruel,oppressive and immoral treatment by men in general but more specifically her own family be it father, brother or husband. Women in these countries have no rights and assume a subserviant, second class role upon birth. Lack of knowledge, lack of support and fear of punishment keep these women from seeking help or challenging authority. Goodwin also discusses the shocking phenomenon of honor killing that while not versed in the Holy Koran it is exclusively Islamic and is both endorsed and encouraged by Imams, clerics etc..as the only way to restore honor to a family.

I didn't give Goodwin a 4 or 5 star review because I believe that Goodwin (like most journalists/media) has whitewashed, for the sake of political correctness, the true history of Islam and the role women play. So much of what we hear or read on the news has been manipulated because the western world has allowed itself to become handicapped by political correctness.
While it is true that the Prophet Mohammed was loving and monogamous to his first wife Khadija (an independant and wealthy woman in her own right) we know that changed after her death. Through Mohammed, Allah advised Muslims to marry no more than 4 women and to care for each equally. However Mohammed said Allah's rule didn't apply to him and with at least 11 wives and numerous concubines(sex slaves) Mohammed doesn't really win any sensitivity votes! The most famous wife was Aisha who was 6 yrs old when the marriage contract was made (she was 9 yrs old when consummated)She was also known as the favorite wife. She herself said Mohammed struck her and once proclaimed "I have not seen any woman suffering as much as the believing woman." This should say volumes about the treatment of woman during Mohammeds life. Islamic history shows that the more adherents to Islam Mohammed acquired and the more powerful and feared he became as a political leader the more the revelations began to change. Allah began advising Mohammed to be more restrictive with his people and less tolerant to unbelievers. These new revelations were to cancel out the existing peaceful ones through the process of abrogation.

In the begining, Mohammed did have some compassion, for example he banned the killing of female infants. Yet there were also many precedents Mohammed set regarding women ie.concubines (sex slaves) as reward for his Muslim soldiers after battle to be rightfully taken and how he advocated husbands striking wives if they had been warned/admonished first. This doesn't even touch the years of conquest, murder, rape, and pillage as Mohammed set out to dominate the world. We must remember the Prophet is believed to have been a perfect man who led a perfect life and therefore an example that all Muslims must follow.

A good portion of this book was written in the mid nineties and updated after the events of 9/11. Since that time no progress has been made in the advancement of equal rights for women despite all the apologists assertions that Islam is peaceful and equal regarding women. This makes any talks of reform by so called "moderate" Muslims disingenuous as well.

Difficult reading, but definitely worth the effort. A great deal of info about the subject on virtually every Middle Eastern country. Every woman in this country should know what is happening to women elsewhere.

I have 'nt read this book but I read all the reviews I must say something here. I am Muslim Woman physician from India ,married to an Amercican born Indian Muslim ,living in one of the poorest parts of the Unied States - a rural town in Mississippi. I have seen both parts of the world, in India where where women are still burnt for dowry ( Nonmuslim and muslim ) The reviews make it sound that what happens in Pakistan and the muslim world is due to Islamic fundamentalism. I agree to some of that, I know what Taliban did clsing down schools and stopping women from leaving their homes is terrible. And all the terrorism and killing of innocent breaks my heart.. .but you must consider that a lot of the abuse of women in these parts of the world happens from ineducation, male predominance in society in general and not bacause of Islam.

Here is what Islam states about women:
Heaven lies at the feet of a mother.
Among all precious jewels, a true virtous wife is the most precious.
Mary was given the highest regard in the Quran, it says God knows that a man is not better than a woman.
A man has a equal to both his wifes ( although it is better for him to have just one ) or else he will be paralysed in the after life.

Again for emphasis a lot of what goes in the third world muslim countries is a result of backwardness and ineducation. I see some of it in rural Mississippi. Here too there is wife battering , women have to work to suport their drunk and drug abusing husbands and children and many more. I think the americans should stop being obsessed about islamic fundamentalism .I agree it is a problem too but not the only cause of womens problems One has to take heed of ones one problems firstr right in the heart of USA.

I appreciate Ms. Goodwin's meticulous research, risking her own safety in order to present a picture of what is really going on in these countries, and it does help explain the alarming growth of Islamic extremism.
This book opens a window onto lives that people in the United States have always wondered about. Ms. Goodwin did an excellent job of interviewing men and women from all facets of society; poor, middle-class, and wealthy. It was a fascinating and informative read, and an essential book if one wishes to understand the daily life of women surviving under the iron fist of Islamic extremism.

Islam - like all religions - is cancer. It brings nothing to the world but bestiality, ignorance and cruelty. It feeds on Western values and economics while at the same time destroying it. And that is exactly what cancer does - killing what makes it live. God, if you are almighty, why don't you destroy yourself and leave people alone.

After reading this book, I am hopeful that the degradation and oppression and forced marriages of young muslim women in the middle east and over the world will be removed. Honor killings, stoning and the rise of fundamentalism which somehow translates into even more restiction on the lives of women must be address at the musallah, masjids/mosques all over the world. Until there is an earnest dialogue regarding the issue of women's rights, and the issues of all of the above, Islam will be still considered in the wake of what is happening in Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Nigeria and all over the world as not a religion of peace .. but a religion of suffering, oppression and death. And I am a Muslimah.

I am reading this book now,and was amazed how informative it is. Very scary stuff about how our government is selling America to the arabs!I was not surprised about the way these countries treat their females,as I have read several other books on the subject. Females,from pre-teen on up,are imprisoned and treated as "BREEDERS",slaves and sex objects for the male's gratification. What really surprised me was all the info about what Muhammed really taught and how these hypocrites even corrupt their own prophet's and holy book's teachings,so these over-sex-crazed,perverts can have their way! Too bad God hasn't seen fit to strike them all with impotency! Maybe with time,AIDS will do the job. I am surprised that true belivers and followers of Muhammed and the Quran haven't declared a "Jihad" against all these infidel's! Now that WOULD be a "Holy" war.

We Americans should be doing everything in our power to make sure our governement stops allowing Islamic Cults in our colleges! PLEASE start writing all our government officials today! Unless you want to see these fanatics take over America!

This book is written well but what is descibed is sometimes very distressing and hard to take in. The focus today is very much on Islam and certainly, as far as Islamic fundamentalism is concerned, rightly so (not forgetting how the US helped the Taliban to power nor the dangers of Christian or other fundamentalisms).

We should not forget amidst all this that abhorrent attitudes towards and treatment of females extends to many countries throughout the world and was socially acceptable in all countries at some time in the past. What is so disturbing here is that in many of these countries women had been starting to enjoy greater self-determination but then everything went into reverse. It certainly shows how we should not take anything for granted.

No doubt many women in these countries are horrified by stories they will hear about treatment of women in the West - the sex industry, sexual violence, family breakdown etc. - and we should avoid allowing any of our leaders to use the ill treatment of women to gain our support for their own political ends. The lack of human rights for women has never been of real concern in international politics.

But these countries do seem particularly extremely masculine with women up against a very powerful and almost exclusively male presence outside of the home. It is hard not to see many women as subject to a real fear of men and of necessity submitting to whatever 'protection' obedience brings. The fact that sexual violence, exploitation etc is still rampant shows that women cannot win even when they do obey their men.

Of course, the real meaning of 'honor' here is male self-interest. The root of all types of control of females is sex/reproduction and this is what is blatant here. A daughter has only 'temporary guest membership' in her own family for her value is in the work and breeding she will do for her future in-laws. (In China and India this very same fact means death for many tens of millions of female fetuses and infants. In Africa the need for females to be obedient and marriageable has led to genital mutilation for many millions of females. There are countless examples of ways in which different cultures manage the exchange between male kin groups of females whose value lies in their breeding potential for 'others'.)

'Lack of hijab means lack of a man's manhood' states a poster in Iran, blatantly stating how it is all about how the man feels about himself. The weaker the woman the stronger he can appear.

This is a powerful book but once you have recovered from the emotions it throws up it would be prudent to put it in context of womens experiences in many countries and in womens history. At least it should make everyone think more warily about words such as 'honor' and 'protection' which can be so easily and disgracefully misused. We also should not forget that there are women in even the most dire circumstances who are incredibly courageous in making changes.

Most of all it is a reminder of a tribal past/mentality that is still very much alive and well and, as much as we may complain about our own lives, I certainly have experienced an overwhelming thankfulness that I was born in the time and place that I was.

This type of book, that shows abused women escaping from traditional, Eastern households paints a perfect example of the twisted, stereotyped mindset that the World-wide Islamic community needs to try and wipe from the minds of the western world. Easterners treat their women like crap. They always have. Islam came and changed that. But treating women like crap has been a part of their culture for so long that the Prophet wasn't even in the ground good before they started doing certain un-Islamic crap again. The difference now is that since they have the Holy Revelation with them, they act like EVERYTHING they do is Islamic. So every horrible bad habit Arabs have is called by the West "the ways of Islam." I read the Qur'an in its entirety ALL the time. Believe me, nowhere does Allah say it's okay to throw acid in chicks' faces or any of that. In fact the Qur'an swung the pendulum ALL THE WAY to the other side. Abusive Easterners actually have the nerve to get mad when you compare what the Qur'an says to their hideous behavior.

People use a lot of things to try and justify foul behavior, including religion. These abused women associate their horrible experiences with Islam because their attackers happened to be Muslim (such as they were) in much the same way that Malcolm X had a genuine dislike of the Christian faith because of the attacks by White Christian hate groups his family suffered under when he was a child. Please look beyond the surface hate-spreading propaganda, people. This will be best for you, if you but knew.

Excellent read! Real women who live in Muslim societies tell how they live and what they believe. Shows clearly how men disort the Qur'an to exert control over women.