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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Women In Islam Versus Women In The Judaeo-Christian Tradition: The Myth & The Reality Shameful Daughters In fact, the difference between the Biblical and the Qur’anic attitude towards the female sex starts as soon as a female is born.

For example, the Bible states that the period of the mother's ritual impurity is twice as long if a girl is born than if a boy is: “Tell the Israelites: When a woman has conceived and gives birth to a boy, she shall be unclean for seven days, with the same uncleanness as at her menstrual period.

On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy's foreskin shall be circumcised, and then she shall spend thirty-three days more in becoming purified of her blood; she shall not touch anything sacred nor enter the sanctuary till the days of her purification are fulfilled. If she gives birth to a girl, for fourteen days she shall be as unclean as at her menstruation, after which she shall spend sixty-six days in becoming purified of her blood”. (Lev. 12:2-5).

The Catholic Bible states explicitly that: “The birth of a daughter is a loss." (Ecclesiasticus 22:3) In contrast to this shocking statement, boys receive special praise: "A man who educates his son will be the envy of his enemy." (Ecclesiasticus 30:3) Jewish Rabbis made it an obligation on Jewish men to produce offspring in order to propagate the race.

At the same time, they did not hide their clear preference for male children: "It is well for those whose children are male but ill for those whose are female", "At the birth of a boy, all are joyful...at the birth of a girl all are sorrowful", and "When a boy comes into the world, peace comes into the world... When a girl comes, nothing comes." A daughter is considered a painful burden, a potential source of shame to her father: "Your daughter is headstrong?

Keep a sharp look-out that she does not make you the laughing stock of your enemies, the talk of the town, the object of common gossip, and put you to public shame" (Ecclesiasticus 42:11) "Keep a headstrong daughter under firm control, or she will abuse any indulgence she receives.

Keep a strict watch on her shameless eye, do not be surprised if she disgraces you." (Ecclesiasticus 26:10-11) It was this very same idea of treating daughters as sources of shame that led the pagan Arabs, before the advent of Islam, to practice female infanticide.