it is obvious that islam does not force a woman to marry anyone without her consent. a girl came to the prophet (saws) and told him that her father forced her to marry a person against her will. the prophet (saws) gave her the choice to accept or annul the marriage. in another narration, she said: "actually i accept this marriage but i want women to know that parents do not have any right to impose husbands on them." ^[76]

in short, islam gives woman certain rights that are unprecedented. she can end marriage through khul' and can ask for divorce. the muslim woman cannot be restricted by a rebellious husband. these rights urged the jewish women who lived in muslim societies in the seventh century ad to ask for a divorce from their jewish husbands before islamic courts. the rabbis said that such action would be invalid and to end this practice they gave new rights and privileges to jewish women in an attempt to weaken the attraction to islamic courts. the jewish women who lived in christian countries did not receive such privileges because the roman law of divorce was not better off than its jewish counterpart. ^[77]

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 [76]sunan ibn maja, the book of marriage, hadith no.1874

[77] david w. amram, the jewish law of divorce according to bible and talmud ( philadelphia: edward stern & co., inc., 1896) pp. 125-126.