ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at two important cases of Islamic influence: India and sub-Saharan Africa. The Qur'an and other central Islamic writings emphasized two vital principles: women had souls, and in principle were spiritually equal to men; they could go to heaven and defined rights, in a religion that was quite legalistic. Islam emphasized spiritual equality more strongly, and rejected the caste system. Most Hindus preferred to ignore Islam, though there was some tolerance, but Islam did penetrate, through trading contacts and Arab raids on Indian territory. Sub-Saharan Africa has a rich pattern of gender relations before the arrival of Islam. Islam presented a complex model of relationships between men and women. The implications of Islam for masculinity could also vary with contact, beyond the basic assertion of male superiority in rights and in religious scholarship. Islam could emphasize military virtues as part of masculinity, and certainly it could encourage jealous defense of family honor.
