al status most sacred texts assign to women. While the resulting
benefits enjoyed by men were no doubt a major factor in consolidating such
a conception, moral justification was unquestionably supplied by people's
understanding of the intent of the scriptures themselves. With few
exceptions, these texts address themselves to men, assigning to women a
supportive and subordinate role in the life of both religion and society.
Sadly, such understanding made it deplorably easy to attach primary blame
to women for failure in the disciplining of the sexual impulse, a vital
feature of moral advancement. In a modern frame of reference, attitudes of
this kind are readily recognized as prejudiced and unjust. At the stages
of social development at which all of the major faiths came into
existence, scriptural guidance sought primarily to civilize, to the extent
possible, relationships resulting from intractable historical
circumstances. It needs little insight to appreciate that clinging to
primitive norms in the present day would defeat the very purpose of
religion's patient cultivation of moral sense.

Comparable considerations have pertained in relations between societies.
The long and arduous preparation of the Hebrew people for the mission
required of them is an illustration of the complexity and stubborn
character of the moral challenges involved. In order that the spiritual
capacities appealed to by the prophets might awaken and flourish, the
inducements offered by neighbouring idolatrous cultures had, at all costs,
to be resisted. Scriptural accounts of the condign punishments that befell
both rulers and subjects who violated the principle illustrated the
importance attached to it by the Divine purpose. A somewhat comparable
issue arose in the struggle of the newborn community founded by Muhammad
to survive attempts by pagan Arab tribes to extinguish it--and in the
barbaric cruelty and relentless spirit of vendetta animating the
attackers. No one familiar with the historical details will have
difficulty in understanding the severity of the Qur'an's injunctions on
the subject. While the monotheistic beliefs of Jews and Christians were to
be accorded respect, no compromise with idolatry was permitted. In a
relatively brief space of time, this draconian rule had succeeded in
unifying the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula and launching the newly
forged community on well over five centuries of moral, intellectual,
cultural and econo