The Truth About Gender Apartheid

Islamic nations are often criticised for their treatment of women; the term gender apartheid refers specifically to the segregation of the sexes,  and what is often seen as women being treated as second or third class citizens. Ten years ago, the American feminist Phyllis Chesler published a scathing attack on especially Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, making all manner of lurid claims about their male inhabitants, but as this is the woman who published a defence of female serial killer Aileen Wuornos, nothing she says should be taken too seriously.

Chesler is a second wave feminist; younger, third wave feminists tend to be more moderate, obviously terrified of being branded racist if they say what they believe. By the same token, self-styled Moslem feminists Ilhan Omar and Linda Sarsour are not to be taken seriously as far as Islam is concerned. Both have come out in support of so-called LGBT rights, not simply for sexual deviants to be free from legal persecution, but for them to come right out of the closet and even poison the minds of the young. Omar has patronised homosexual events that would have the Prophet turning in his grave. But is it true that Islam holds women down?

There are plenty of female apostates who make that claim, including Yasmine Mohammed, but as is often the case, converts are the worst bigots, even converts to atheism. Mohammed is particularly scathing about Saudi Arabia, a country that warrants some criticism, but one should first consider the historical aspect.

Although Saudi Arabia was created less than a hundred years ago, the Prophet Muhammad was born in its modern capital, and the country is home to two of the four holiest sites in Islam. The Saudi rulers take their role as the guardians of Islam extremely seriously. Modern technology aside, until very recently, the Saudis were living in a time warp. It is easy for us to laugh at or even condemn the guardianship system and the restrictive dress codes, especially for women, but when Islam arose it was better for a woman to dress modestly and to be under the protection of a male relative at all times.

Yasmine Mohammed in particular loses it at any mention of the hijab, including in Iran which is far less repressive, but we are all required to conform to certain dress codes most of the time, be they formal or informal.

Islam is often condemned for its misogyny; Afghanistan is the worst offender, but the Taliban is to Islam what the Westboro Baptist Church is to Christianity, as the overwhelming majority of Moslems realise. Aside from Afghanistan, Pakistan has a particularly bad reputation, but is this reputation warranted? Benazir Bhutto served as Prime Minister of Pakistan twice; do Pakistani men hate women so much that many voted for one?

Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007, not by a deranged incel but by the usual suspects. Politics can still be dangerous the world over, as the recent assassination of the Conservative MP Sir David Amess proves.

If one looks closely, there are plenty of other women in positions of power and responsibility throughout the Islamic world.

The segregation of the sexes is what really blows the minds of feminists, but should it? In the first place, there are plenty of sex segregated schools the world over, including institutions of higher learning. In the second place, girls mature faster than boys, so there is something to be said for tailoring their curricula separately. And especially with older teenagers who are “discovering” the opposite sex, same sex schools remove this obvious distraction.

Segregating women in the workplace is likewise not a bad idea, certainly where people are in close contact with each other and often behind closed doors. This protects genuinely vulnerable women from men who would take advantage of them, and most especially nowadays it protects men from false allegations. Over the past few years with the rise of the so-called #MeToo Movement, these have become myriad. Most such allegations are of a she said/he denies nature, but even when allegations are clearly false, innocent men see their careers trashed.

One such man is former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. While politically he can hardly be called innocent, the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by his political opponents and a gaggle of demented women were clearly false, yet he was still forced to resign. Check out this video and listen to what Alan Dershowitz says. At just after the eleven minute mark is a short clip from Egypt. A woman is walking down the street when a dude walks up and gooses her. And wishes he hadn’t. This is a country with an overwhelming Moslem majority where women are “oppressed” by the Islamic patriarchy, or so we are led to believe. Does that woman look like a helpless damsel to you? If Andrew Cuomo’s principal accuser had been treated so, she would have been in counselling for six months and walking around with a therapy dog.

If so-called gender apartheid were so bad, why does it breed strong, confident women, unlike feminism?