John Paul II wrote of the beauty of the feminine vocation, which is rooted in Christian anthropology:
Let us enter into the setting of the biblical "beginning." In it the revealed truth concerning man as "the image and likeness" of God constitutes the immutable basis of all Christian anthropology."God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Gen 1:27). This concise passage contains the fundamental anthropological truths: man is the highpoint of the whole order of creation in the visible world; the human race, which takes its origin from the calling into existence of man and woman, crowns the whole work of creation; both man and woman are human beings to an equal degree, both are created in God's image. This image and likeness of God, which is essential for the human being, is passed on by the man and woman, as spouses and parents, to their descendants: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen 1: 28). The Creator entrusts dominion over the earth to the human race, to all persons, to all men and women, who derive their dignity and vocation from the common "beginning" (Mulieris Dignitatem, 6).
Islam, however, has a different view, which begins with the denial of the fatherhood of God, and is followed by the belief that men and women are not equal:
A recent talk show on the Egyptian station Al Hafiz partially explains why it is that Islam’s clerics are staunchly against discussing Christian or biblical teachings in Egyptian schoolrooms—even as the teaching of the Quran is mandatory, for both Muslim and Christian students.
Discussing Christianity’s teachings concerning women, one of the guests, a sheikh dressed in traditional cleric garb, said they “truly stab the rulings of Islam.” To exemplify, he read from a text that said “the Christian religion does not differentiate between women and men, but it confirms their perfect equality: it gives them an equal share in inheritance, it bans divorce, and it bans polygamy.”
“Now,” said the sheikh, “if my son hears such things while he’s in school, he’ll come home and say to me, ‘Father why do you have many wives? You are unjust—unlike Christianity which is full of justice’!”He went on to say that such teachings completely contradict “the religion of the prophet,” who of course had many wives—more than the Quran’s prescribed four—made divorce a simple matter for men, and decreed that females only inherit half of what males inherit.
The cleric complained that, based on such Christian teachings, Muslim men who try to exercise their Islamic rights—including polygamy, double-inheritance, and easy divorce (recent examples include via text-messaging)—become “criminals, and the religion [Islam] that taught them such things taught them crimes.”The cleric concluded by saying it is impermissible “to produce texts that contradict the teachings of the Quran, or the practices we’ve been raising our children on for a million years.”
[While "a million years" may sound like an exaggeration, it is not to Muslims, who believe that everyone from Adam and Eve and afterwards were faithful Muslims. I don't know how long ago they believe man was first created, but although Muhammed was the most perfect Muslim and their revered prophet, he was not the first to live according to Qur'anic principles. According to Muslims, all Old Testament prophets were pious Muslims, as well as John the Baptist and Jesus.]
But back to the initial point, all Muslims are slaves of Allah (not sons and daughters) and the strict hierarchy among persons includes the precedence of men over women, not to mention Muslims over non-believers. Equality doesn't enter into it--only obedience and fidelity to the example of Muhammed.
No other comparative teachings could have a greater impact on the lives of women. Polygamy and the laws related to divorce--which the cleric reminds is are non-negotiable--reveal the lack of dignity enjoyed by Muslim women, for if they cannot find refuge in lasting, exclusive marriages, how can they ever find security?