The Blatantly Patriarchal Face Of Islam
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
20 June 2025
In a shocking incident, a 40-year-old woman died by suicide in Kerala’s Kannur district after she was allegedly publicly humiliated by a group of men for talking to her male friend.
The aforementioned two news items consolidate the general tenor that Islam is sickly patriarchal. Muslim apologists will try tooth and nail to repudiate the general perception and project Islam as a religion that has no place for gender bias.
Who a Muslim woman talks to and what she should wear is her choice. It's her life. Why should a Muslim woman follow the diktats of a Muslim man who's unknown to her? How can an unknown man enforce these dress codes on a woman in a public space?
This is extreme condescension and religious despotism. This also smacks of spiritual snobbery of Muslim men. Just like a majority of Muslims across the globe think that converting all 'Kafirs' to the fold of Islam, the only true faith of Allah, will get them a place in heaven, many Muslims are of the view that teaching Muslim women what to wear will add to their piety and 'holy' deeds.
An average Muslim still doesn't treat women on an even keel with men. A woman is not on a par with men on all counts. Her desires and aspirations are controlled by men. That's the reason when a 40-yr-old woman talked to a man, she was publicly humiliated by a group of Muslim men.
Muslims need modern education to get rid of such antediluvian religious ideas. But the problem is that even educated ones often think in such an irrational manner that one wonders what has been the role of modern education in their lives? Why does the Quran remain the only 'authentic' and 'unadulterated' book in these people's life even after 1450 years? Why shouldn't it be expurgated to cater to modern ethos and universal values instead of remaining stuck in a bronze age with desert morality? Lastly, these two incidents mentioned in this piece are not the isolated ones. The fact is, Muslim women suffer even worse but that often goes unreported.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/blatantly-patriarchal-face/d/135929
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