Answer:
"The doctrine of sola fide asserts God's pardon for guilty sinners is granted to and received through faith alone, excluding all "works" (good deeds). ... According to Martin Luther, justification by faith alone is the article on which the Church stands or falls."
Source: Wikipedia
Hope this helps
To answer your first question, early Muslim women were treated with respect and had the same amount of rights as men. for example, they could own property, gain an education etc. for example, Khadijah the wife of Prophet Muhammad was a very successful businesswomen in trade.
second question: as Islam spread, people intertwined their culture with Islam. for example some people believe that in islam women are not allowed to pick their own husband and instead have an arranged marriage. however this is a cultural belief, common in places such as Bangladesh and Pakistan.
That way if it someone they have never met they can use that in their defense and if they do know this person and they know that person is holding a grudge or purposely trying to ruin their reputation the defense can object
