National Secular Society - new report - Mission and Misogyny

[WrongKindOfFeminist]

https://www.secularism.org.uk/charities/mission-misogyny

'Our new report, Mission and Misogyny, uncovers how religious fundamentalists are exploiting our charity sector to promote regressive and harmful ideas about women. Using recent case studies, the report reveals how religious charities have used the cover of 'the advancement of religion' to promote or condone:
• Violence against women - including hitting women who refuse to have sex with their husbands.
• Subordination of women, saying that men must lead while a woman's role is to do housework.
• Sexist 'modesty codes', including saying that women must never wear trousers or must cover their entire body apart from their eyes.
• Religious 'courts' which treat women as second-class citizens.
With concerns about misogyny and violence against women and girls on the rise, this report is the first of its kind to expose how the special status of religion in charity law is contributing to a climate of misogyny and sexism both online and in the 'real world'.'

'The most common form of misogyny we encounter in religious charities is women’s subordination: the idea that women should be subservient to men because they are female.
The subordination of women is common in mainstream religions, including Christianity and Islam. Such religions can be called patriarchal, because positions of authority within the religion are reserved exclusively or primarily for men.
But patriarchal attitudes often extend beyond religious hierarchies. They may extend to the family (in which daughters must be submissive to their fathers), marriage (wives must be submissive to their husbands), and other aspects of society (for example, the idea that women should not engage in a career or politics).'

'RECOMMENDATIONS
The National Secular Society makes the following three recommendations to end misogyny in religious charities:
1.
Revoke the charitable status of organisations promoting subordination, coercive control or violence against women and girls, or other forms of misogyny.
Charities have a duty to provide a public benefit. Promoting misogyny directly contradicts this. As this report reveals, charity regulators have been ineffective at preventing the promotion of misogyny in the charitable sector. The Government and regulators should work together to strip these charities of their registered charitable status.
2.
Review ‘the advancement of religion’ with a view to its removal.
As these case studies reveal, the charitable purpose of ‘the advancement of religion’ enables the promotion of misogynistic religious doctrine, and is a barrier to regulators taking action to prevent it. The Government must therefore urgently review this charitable purpose and begin the process of removing it from the list of charitable purposes. No organisation with misogyny as part of its ethos should ever be able to register as a charity in the first place.
3.
Include a focus on religion within strategies to tackle misogyny, extremism and violence against women.
While successive governments have launched a variety of strategies centred on women’s rights, there has been a reticence to address the serious problem of patriarchal religious institutions which are frequently at the root of misogynistic ideology. The Government needs to ensure future strategies robustly challenge religious misogyny. It must also ensure other stakeholder strategies relating to community cohesion and engagement with civic society do not privilege patriarchal faith groups, and prioritise the inclusion of groups dedicated to women’s interests.'

Great stuff, now can they look at the crossover between evangelical atheists (the ones who go around kicking apart others’ beliefs and systems) and TRAs? They need to put their own house in order as well. It’s a balancing act on both sides.

The NSS is right up the arse of gender ideology. I'd want them to define woman before I consider what they have to say.

Oh, are they?

How tedious.

That is punchy.

Very disappointing to hear the NSS indirectly supports the sexism, stereotyping and the removal of women's rights in the name of mens (trans) rights

Transgenderism is a secular religion.

True, the NSS have become the enemy they fought against, just like Amnesty. What they say in the report is true, it's a shame they can't see the same mote in their own eye.

Well said NSS and oh bugger that they drank the Kool aid. The mote in your own eye…

I am not sure I'd trust The Secular Society's attempts to parse what people or groups are allowed to believe, even as a charitable organisation.

Is anyone surprised to read this? I thought we all knew this since forever.

Have you got any evidence of this? I‘m surprised.

I am not familiar with them, but nothing surprises me. You can read a whole report by, for instance St Mungo's, where they appear to understand women's needs and women's rights and women's oppression, but then bow down to the gender gods by completely undermining all they've said (St Mungo's has every intention of continuing to allow men into women's homeless hostels).

Here is a sample at random from their website.

Alastair Lichten, National Secular Society campaigns officer, said: "Most people of all faiths and none realise that life involves encountering people with different values, identities and outlooks. However, as religious fundamentalists' homophobia is becoming less and less relevant, many are seeing transphobia as a growth area where they can sell their persecution fantasies.
"Any suggestion that this is somehow a conflict between competing rights is without basis. There is no right to have the world conform to your religious whims, foibles or bigotries. Nor is there a right to go through the world without the 'stress' or 'confusion' of encountering someone who doesn't conform to your religious values."

https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2017/09/parents-claim-schools-accommodation-of-trans-pupils-violates-their-religious-rights

Given that a lot of atheist circles are very pro gender, and over-ridingly massively male-focussed and sexist, I'm not altogether surprised.

'Any suggestion that this is somehow a conflict between competing rights is without basis.'

Prick.

Although that was 2017.

A search suggests they've said fuck all on the subject for the past two years.

They say it - but they can’t see it. There’s no right to go around expecting the world to conform to your whims and foibles, and you can’t foist your beliefs on others - how can they not see that the same applies to transgenderists!

There is plenty of genderist support in various of the less evangelical branches of Christianity so I’m rather viewing some of these comments as whataboutery, distracting from the report which I think merits proper discussion here rather than some sort of purity spiral.

I agree with the thrust of it - organisations which promote and seek to extend the sway of misogynistic dogmas should not have the benefit of charitable status. Tbh I don’t think religious groups should have taxpayers funding those elements of their orgs are ‘clubs’ and evangelising. If they’re providing truly charitable services (feeding the hungry etc) then those element should be eligible. Thats how a local Buddhist group does things, to their credit.