nt is incorrect. However, her place and
station in heaven seem to depend entirely upon the will of her husband.
Many husbands are like the old Moslem sheikh who said, "I don't want my
wives in heaven. I prefer the Harem of beautiful, pure, clean angels
which God has provided for every good Moslem." The privilege of prayer
is practically denied a young woman with children because of the strict
regulations of washing before prayer. Unless these ablutions are done
carefully according to rule, prayer is void. A few old women do pray.

The nominal Christians dwelling in the midst of Islam, though they hate
Islam with all their hearts, have yet imbibed much of their spirit in
regard to the treatment of women. A Coptic priest was heard to say, "It
is better for the women not to go to church, for they can't keep quiet.
They will eat and chatter during the service." Poor things! What else
could they do, shut off from the main audience room as they always are
behind a high lattice screen, where they can neither see nor hear what
is going on!

Much can be said about the down-trodden condition of Egyptian women. "As
a babe she is unwelcome; as a child untaught; as a wife unloved; as a
mother, unhonored; in old age, uncared for; and when her miserable,
dark, and dreary life is ended, she is unmourned by those she has
served." Heaven is a forlorn hope, not because she is denied any of its
privileges, but because of the incapability of providing her with
enjoyments similar to those promised to the other sex.

It has often been asserted that the institutions of Islam elevated and
improved the state of women, but history and true incidents from life go
to show that her position was rendered by Islam more dependent and
degraded than before.

She is degraded and made servilely dependent by seclusion. The veil and
lattice of the Harem are both Islamic institutions established by the
Prophet of Islam and founded upon incidents which occurred in his own
family; and they are certainly a faithful commentary upon the sensuality
and lewdness of the times, with an unconscious recognition of the fact
that the religion of Islam was not of sufficient moral force to improve
the times. History has verified this testimony and we only need to look
around in these countries to see for ourselves that Mohammedanism, as
its founder anticipated, has not improved the morality of those who have
embraced its principles, but has rather excused and given licen