Islam’s obsession with keeping women “safe” and protecting their “dignity” by wrapping them up in layer upon layer of cloths is no secret. Islamist organizations in Muslim majority nations brag about it openly, while Islamic organizations in Western nations frequently whine about lack of “religious freedom” to get wrapped up in ever more freakish ways (which would have been hilarious, given the fact that in many Islamic nations religious freedom simply doesn’t exist, if it weren’t for the tremendous human suffering caused by Islamic apostasy and blasphemy laws). What doesn’t get nowhere nearly as much attention is what happens to women in Muslim majority countries who may not wholeheartedly agree that getting wrapped up in garbage bags is good for them.
Of course, there is no question that Islam does not have a monopoly over this type of misogyny and sexual oppression. Ultra-orthodox Jewish sects such as the Haredim, and certain Christian groups like Calvinists, behave in more or less the same way. What makes them different, though, is that by sheer number they are categorically overshadowed by Muslims. Further, such groups generally do not have the backing of states to enforce their dogmas, unlike Islam.
Any religion taking away so basic a personal freedom from half of the human race (and insulting the other half as dangerous bugs or out-of-control sex freaks) is evil, but in today’s world, no one can doubt that Islam stands out as the biggest villain.
So here, I have a question for the good people accusing me of “Islamophobia”: Do they have a refutation to my statement that Islam stands alone among world religions today in the way it treats women? And if not, how can they tell me with a straight face that “Islamophobia” accusations are anything but an attempt to stifle legitimate criticism in the name of political correctness and cultural relativism?
