Re: Male dominance of religions ...
skhan, even you agree that there is a dominance, right? Now if it is innately justified or not is a totally different question and can be argued in many different ways but that is not essence of this topic. What I am trying to point out is that all religions of the world have readjusted/reshaped themselves over time. It is as natural as human growth.
For example, majority of Islamic scholars today believe that as long as women wear hijab in western countries they are abiding by the stature of purdah. They are not required to wear 'burqa' or 'Abaya' or cover their face totally but go back a century and that justification of 'hijab only' wasn't there. Same is the case with slavery, teen/arranged marriages, institutions of government etc. Democracy which some still consider an unIslamic rule of law, now has approval of many Muslim scholars, some even go as far as to call it an Islamic virtue in terms of ijtihad.
So the point is that these changes are inevitable, you can debate them as it is always healthy to talk things out but it doesn't change the fact that as the people around the world become closer so does their religion, customs and morals.