Muslim charity run

[Thomasina79]

Has banned women and girls over the age of 12 from participating. Thoughts?

There is a problem because they are being unlawfully excluded on the grounds of age as well as sex.

Presumably because of the book where a main character married a 13 year old. 12 is a very common age for girls to start being put in a hijab, although some parents do it even earlier. The organisers don’t want their male runners being distracted by fitna. 😬

Does it state that every race must be open to everyone all the time? Not sure it does.

Are you an organiser of this race? Can you really not see how bad this looks? 🤪

I wouldn't let my 15 year old anyway near such men, so a bit moot.

If it was termed a men's race it's be ok legally.

The problem is they have included girls to a certain age and excluded women whilst saying it's a family friendly event open to everyone (to watch).

It's a) misleading b) it is then discriminatory precisely because it says when girls hit 12 they cease to be allowed to participate. Thus teenage girls are being treated less favourably by the organisers than boys.

Good grief. So almost like 13 year olds would be visually distracting?

No i am not the organiser. I just don't think it is illegal or more noteworthy than what our British men are up to. If Muslim women are upset and require support to challenge this, then I am there with them. Doesn't seem like they mind unless you can point to Muslim women speaking about how problematic this is?

If not, I am sure they can join the thousands of organised running events we do have that welcome everyone.

Thinking it through, is this a religious exemption? I guess not, if men who are not Muslims are allowed to run.
I’m trying to find a parallel to compare it with to see whether I can find a way for it to make sense. I mean, obviously is sexist and demeaning but where is the justification?

A school that only accepts boys over 11?
Different uniform for boys and girls?

Legally discriminatory or you find it to be discriminatory?

Come on, how obtuse !!

a race for Muslim men / for all the family / girls under 12 are permitted !!

this reeks of oppression of women - younger girls don’t count as they shouldn’t be distracting sexually or distracted from their required compliance -

how is that not blatantly obvious ?!

In the uk yes. It’s popped on my fb a few times. No females over 12 are allowed.

So I agree this is wrong - but it will just be the tip of the iceberg.

Religious organisations across Britain will be discriminating against women on a daily basis on the grounds of sex, justified by their religion.

I don’t know where the line is on being tolerant of freedom of expression, and therefore accepting some women will be second class citizens in this country as a result of that.

You know what is fucking hilarious about the uproar around this? British men make jogging a bloody hellhole for women. You know how many women are sexually harassed while out running? So theyre upset at the Daily Mail that Muslim women have been banned from taking part, but when women do take part, Daily Mail type men sexually harass them!

But some muslim women ARE calling it out, and getting radio silence from the mosque

many Muslim women will not call it out because that would be a risky thing to do - so we have to be more proactive as women than wait for / expect the oppressed to be able to fight that cause …..

If by "it" you mean the Equality Act 2010, it does say that, in effect. No-one can be excluded from events, premises, opportunities or facilities etc on the grounds of a protected characteristic (PC) unless a valid exception applies. Sex and age are PCs. The event includes females, but not on the same terms as males. It includes males over the age of 12, but not females over the age of 12.

The cohort included does not share PCs.
So unless the organisers can point to a valid exception or two, and none spring to my mind, their event unlawfully discriminates directly against women and girls on the face of it, at least.

It's not allowed. It's not an integral part of worship.

Lots of religious rules are based around the idea that men will be tempted by young girls and women. Even school uniforms in religious AND non-religious schools. Is it just easier to understand when a white Headmaster from a Christian background says your daughter's short skirt is distracting the guys? Is it more palatable?

Show me them calling it out.

I think assuming that Muslim women are so oppressed that they never speak up for themselves is kind of racist. Racist because that assumption comes from their cultural background rather than adherence to the religion itself.

It is at least legitimate ask why they do not allow women to compete in an event that is billed as family fun day. Why women are invited to cheer but not compete.

I have seen women only events but the organizers are generally happy to answer the question of why their event excludes men, they are usually happy to talk about issues like the harassment women runners can receive, the discrimination they face, etc. These are what the Equality Act terms "legitimate aims " - real, objective reasons for a policy, practice, or decision that might otherwise be considered unlawful indirect discrimination.

We await a response from the lads at the Muslim Fun Run

Why is it every time that someone raises an issue with Islam/Muslim men that the Left try to make it all about white non Muslim British men? We are allowed to abhor sexism regardless of its source.

This may fall foul of Charity law as well as the Equality Act.

It’s revolting that as soon as a girl turns 12 she’s considered fair game. So she’s not allowed to run in a park but the men who she needs protection from are allowed to do what the fuck they like. And what kind of God fearing men want to have sex with 12 olds? And what are this group of people modelling to their children about the value of women? It’s so depressing.

I’d like to be ‘tolerant’ but this sort of blatant and belligerent misogny is just accepted as normal. It’s reprehensible in the 21st century.

You do know you’re on the FWR board, right? Or did you wander in accidentally? Because of you want to make a thread about men making running impossible for women (and I don’t think it’s just British men btw) you’d get a lot of support here. As it stands, your weird whataboutery isn’t going to fly.

I do think the event should allow women and I would certainly want to support Muslim women objecting to their exclusion from the event (on the off-chance that they wanted input from some random non-Muslim woman!!).

But the outrage about this from the Mail and from a lot of posters here seems to be motivated by a powerful desire to present Islam as problematic, and to further the US-promoted narrative that Britain is becoming more and more subject to Sharia law.
Yawn yawn yawn. 'Event organised by a religious community found to be operating on exclusionary religious principles' is hardly shock horror news.

It's in the article or will you need read it cos it links to the daily mail?