please at least be consistent in your critique
Thanks for your comment and input.
I personally don't see any inconsistency in my views nor do I see any inconsistency in the sort of issues discussed on these boards by a wide range of women.
Ex-Muslims are an extremely marginalised minority and I will continue to focus and support them as long as blasphemy and apostasy laws around the world, and various cultural and religious beliefs, contribute to their death and mistreatment. Many Ex-Muslims are at a high risk of being killed - not just in Iran or Saudi Arabia, but also in places like the UK. Ex-Muslim women are especially vulnerable due to their sex - sexual harassment, threats of rape or actual rape on top of general intimidation for leaving Islam, being kidnapped and taken from US/UK to places like Bangladesh/Pakistan especially if they are younger as family members think they would benefit from being away from the 'corrupting' influences of the West if the women say they no longer believe in Islam. Ex-Muslim women are also at high risk of losing access to their children as again, she is viewed as a corrupting influence/apostate and if her husband is Muslim, fathers ultimately have custody of children under Islamic law, not mothers.
Several Ex-Muslim women have not seen their children for years. It is heartbreaking hearing their stories.
And yet so-called liberals, lefties and progressives in the West continue to turn a blind eye to what is happening to Ex-Muslims, not just around the world but also within their own countries. For years, Ex-Muslims would be no-platformed at universities and liberal establishments and could only get a little airtime on right-wing media. (sound familiar?) It's only fairly recently that this is starting to slowly change, with Humanists UK taking up the issue via their Faith to Faithless programme.
I would urge people to please watch Women Leaving Islam -
I consider all of the world's major religions to be patriarchal, sexist and misogynistic, and I happily criticise all of them. I will not make an exception for Islam. It is very much a political and Islamist strategy to label any and all criticism of Islam as 'Islamophobic'. People are able to criticise and mock Christianity without risking death, and until people are able to do the same for Islam, I will support any campaign for their right to do so.
I start or raise threads specifically about Ex-Muslims or Islamism maybe 4 or 5 times in a year. Apart from myself and a few other posters, no one else is particularly vocal of their support of Ex-Muslims. If a handful of these posts are enough to frighten some women off from posting here, then that's on them. We've had plenty of threads and posts being very critical of Christianity and this understandably annoys or upsets many of the Christians that post here, and some might share their views saying so but it doesn't stop them from engaging with various discussions. I'd suggest a similar approach to those who might feel that criticism of Islam and Islamic and/or cultural practices is something that can annoy or upset them personally.
There is no inconsistency in the fact that I oppose countries like France forcing women to remove their hijab. Others might take a different view, but there's nothing to stop a poster from creating a thread about this issue and criticising such authoritarian policies.
I am perfectly able to
- oppose the hijab and other forms of modesty clothing for the underlying sexist and misogynistic principle that women's bodies are a source of sin and shame, and that the only way to stop men and their 'uncontrollable' urges and actions is for women to bear the responsibility for what they wear and how they look.
- oppose the hijab and other forms of modesty clothing for ever more younger and younger girls in schools - again this is a form of sexualisation of young girls and teaches them their bodies are a source of shame and sin. Read the open letter linked above.
- understand that cultural, social and political factors and pressures can influence women's decisions to wear (or not wear) the hijab and other forms of Islamic clothing. It's not entirely a free choice - if it was, there wouldn't be an issue in many families if a woman suddenly decided she no longer wanted to wear a hijab.
Lots of threads here criticise Western fashions and beauty practices such as shaving, waxing, makeup etc. Robust arguments for and against it by many women.
- In my opinion, I don't consider wearing the hijab to be 'empowering' at all in the same way I don't consider women wearing skimpy clothing to be 'empowering'. I think it's something young Muslim women tell themselves and others to fit in with the liberal feminism of 'everything is my choice, everything is empowering' that is prevalent in social circles in the West.
- I will continue to support women's right to wear modest clothing for whatever reason - personal, religious or cultural. Just like many women here are able to criticise make-up or skimpy outfits but will stand by any woman who is harassed or treated unfairly for doing so.
- I will continue to oppose government laws and policies that infringe on women's liberties and individual freedoms - hence one of the reasons why I oppose gender ideology imposing on religious women by insisting they should share their spaces and bodies with males.
None of these positions are inconsistent if one genuinely supports liberty in its actual sense and also cares about women and the underlying dynamics that affect them.
Plenty of Ex-Muslims continue to support Muslims, especially since many of their families and friends are Muslim. They understand all too well that there is genuine prejudice and discrimination against Muslims from some sections of Western society, but they are also able to oppose and criticise religious ideology and practices. They want so-called progressives to stop being cowardly in pandering to Islamist ideology and that it is possible to support Muslims while opposing Islamism.
Please watch Sarah Haider's video.