They say Islam's holy book,the Koran, states men and women were created as equal parts of a pair.

VOA: standard.2010.07.19

Russia's constitution guarantees men and women equal employment.

VOA: standard.2009.11.05

Women's contributions, skills and experience are equal to men's and must be rewarded accordingly.

BBC: Gender pay gap 'still widening'

Women's minds and ideas don't receive an equal hearing on the national stage partly because, as one survey showed, only 20% of all op-eds are written by women, and just 15% of columns dealing with foreign policy and security issues.

CNN: Women's power: A story with sharp divide

It symbolises equality - all men and women are equal in God's eyes.

BBC: Aerial view of Great Mosque at Mecca - file 2006