Women and Islam

I have to say that I was very surprised by what our guest speakers had to say about how women should be treated according to the Quran. I would have never expected that the Quran would essentially put woman at the "top of the food chain" so to speak. I guess a common misconception when it comes to woman in Islamic cultures is that they do not necessarily need to be treated nicely. This just goes to show, that once again I am surprised to learn that what I "know" about Islam and/or Muslims is very wrong. Unfortunately, I feel it is safe to say that most Americans (as well as many other more Westernized) have formulated stereotypes that are very wrong when it comes to cultures that seem to be much different than their own; in many cases, these stereotypes are so far from the truth that the truth seems unbelievable. Going into Tuesday's class, I was expecting to hear the speakers talk about how women are trying to overcome many obstacles set before them due to the teachings and writings of the Quran. As I said before, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that women SHOULD in fact be treated with much respect.