Womens Struggle Against Religious Misogyny
By Khadija Khan
“Either hijab or life. This isn’t or shouldn’t be a matter of choice for women.”
Just recently, British MP Naz Shah tweeted about a meeting that was attended by Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, and US congresswoman Ilhan Omar among others. She wrote, “The sisterhood is international!” with an exclamation mark in the end.
A heart warming gesture to show the world the sisterhood these powerful Muslim women share, despite the miles.
Meanwhile the Iranian authorities announced 12 July as National “Hijab and Chastity Day” which aimed to condone misogynistic mandatory hijab laws that force women to wear the hijab.
Many Iranian women shared photos of themselves taking off their hijab in public in defiance of strict rules which take away women’s rights to bodily autonomy in Iran. Courageous Iranian women are taking part in civil disobedience campaigns protesting the mandatory hijab.
They are using the hashtag #No2Hijab or #حجاب_بی_حجاب (Hijab_no_hijab) on social media to show the world their resilience against the theocratic state.
These peaceful protests have met with escalation in the crackdown on women by the morality police. Women are being singled out and punished for defying so-called morality standards set by the theocratic Iranian state.
It is so tragic that these Muslim women in position of power in the US and the UK would move heaven and earth to defend fragile religious sensibilities. They would present legislation to combat “international islamophobia”. They will argue unequivocally in the parliament that because of the publication of the caricature of their prophet, “emotional harm caused upon our heart is unbearable.”
But unfortunately, they don’t have anything to say in solidarity with these Iranian women who become the victim of prevalent religious intolerance and prejudice towards women. There is no tweet on their timeline, whatsoever; to defend these women’s right to spurn the hijab as a symbol of modesty for women.
Tragically, the international community hardly took notice of these women being beaten and thrown in the jail for merely demanding their right to be free from discrimination.
It is an open secret that Iranian Hijab laws have never been about an imposition of a benign piece of clothing. These laws legitimize the state's cruel and misogynistic policies toward women. Women without a “proper” hijab are considered wearing a “bad hijab”. They are deemed “vulgar” and treated as subhuman.
They are deprived of their humanity. Their rights to freedom of expression, equality, and freedom from discrimination have been snubbed in the name of religious modesty. Those who refuse to comply are punished and made a lesson for others.
Not to mention that the struggle against the hijab is a constant struggle against religious intolerance in the Muslim world. In Afghanistan, women are protesting against the Taliban’s brutal decrees on Hijab imposition. Women have been taking to the streets to challenge these misogynistic policies to which a Taliban fighter responded, “You are all loose women for protesting against the burqa. Why don't you want to cover your bodies? You are not Muslims”.
One of the protesters said, "They insult us. We can't even reply because they have guns and their fingers are always on the trigger. They don't care that we are women, they don't value women. I am not just defending my own rights, but the rights of all women in Afghanistan."
Such narrow-mindedness derives legitimacy from theocratic discourse. Therefore, defying these so-called moral standards is deemed challenging divine Laws. Hence violence and intimidation done in the name of religious morality becomes an effective and socially acceptable tool to control women.
The recent gruesome murders of Egyptian women further expose the same phenomenon where violence against women is used as a religiously legitimate way to treat women inhumanly.
A student Naira Ashraf was repeatedly stabbed by a man. He then slit her throat for merely rejecting his marriage proposal. After a few days, another young woman Iman Irshaid was killed for the same reason.
A famous Egyptian scholar Mabrouk Attia said, “So leave your hair touching your cheeks and wear tight clothes, then you will be mesmerized by a harasser who will kill you. The woman should wear a hijab to live and should wear broad clothes to not tempt youth.”
He further said, “If your life is precious to you, get out of your house wearing a veil. As in case you were seen by a man who has no money to marry you, he will kill you.”
This is so unfortunate that the ruthless murders of young Egyptian women have been used by fanatics to perpetuate religious misogyny that justify violence against women. No wonder that this mindset that lays blame on women for being raped and killed is pervasive in such religiously conservative societies.
Young girls and women are warned time and time again to wear the hijab and cover their bodies or risk their lives. Either hijab or life, this isn’t a matter of choice for women.
One the other side , there are Muslim women born and raised in free western societies who hold position of power and make independent decisions. These women in power positions bear a moral responsibility to voice the concerns of these helpless women. Unfortunately, this is where the flickering hopes of many unfortunates are met with disappointment.
The reality is that the extremists are described as a fringe element and the majority of people as law-abiding citizens. However, using religion as a justification to control women is not limited to extremists who condone violent means to justify their ends.
Religious people do tend to condone certain practices and rituals which are inherently discriminatory towards women but prescribed as an essential part of their faith. They do conform to the rigid interpretation of scriptures when it comes to women’s rights. Customs and regulations which oppress women in the name of divine laws are deeply embedded in theological discourse.
Even the Cairo Declaration (1990) which is viewed as the parallel charter of human rights in the Muslim world which is ironically, based on Sharia law. This takes theological explanation to assign men and women societal roles which place women in the far less favourable condition in society.
In fact, this is just another way to legitimatize religious misogyny and makes it even harder for vulnerable women to speak up. This stresses the need to challenge misogynistic rituals and behaviours that derives legitimacy from religious discourse.
These courageous women are fighting with resilience. They are putting their lives on the line to protect their basic human rights. The world needs to pay heed to these women’s concerns and amplify the voices of those suffering in silence. Religious freedom is a human right but it doesn’t and cannot supersede the right to freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination.
Khadija Khan is a journalist and commentator based in London, UK. She writes for different publications, focusing on human rights, mainly women's rights as well as minorities and extremism. You can find her on Twitter @khadijakhan_