Muslim Brotherhood & Misogyny “Question about intermixing between men and women”

Cairo – Questions related to women’s issues are an important and significant theme in the Fatwa Section of Al-Dawah (The Call) Magazine, as they exceed in number all other Fatwas related to Copts, politics, and art.

This is clearly stated in issue No. 13 of Al-Dawah magazine, released in December 1978.

Muslim sister, “S. H“, a Teaching Assistant at the Faculty of Sciences, Sohag University, strongly deprecates and criticizes the plight of youth and their lack of moral integrity, which stooped to the abyss; as youth only have become interested in nothing but youthful indiscretion. She wondered: “Am I right to be in such as state of revolution! I want someone to enlighten me and reassure my heart.”

The Brotherhood’s Mufti’s response reveals the truth of his group’s position, as saying: “Sister, every word in your message is true, and bespeaks your high piety, sincere faith, and concern about the morals of our generation, which reached dangerous and unprecedented levels. The parents, the school and the society are all responsible for this decadence, wanton unveiling and intermixing between men and women. All these factors have led to this serious imbalance. The responsibility for the enjoining the good and forbidding the evil is that of the society: “All of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects“.    May Allah bless you and make your example prevail and be a good model for a generous generation, and Al-Dawah magazine performs its duty as far as possible towards all fellow Muslims; reminds, shows and advises them until the command of Allah comes[1] .

The complaint in the letter is from the abyss of indiscretion in which young people fell, and the answer agrees to the phenomenon without reservation or hesitation. Mixing and unveiling is blamed the in the first place, the mixing of women with men and their unveiling is leading to the dominance of serious imbalance, as if the ancient and modern societies that blocked women were devoid of moral ills!

Critique:

There is no doubt that the Brotherhood knows very well, out of historical reading and realistic observation, the rampancy of corruption and its widespread practice in varying degrees in every place and time, is timeless rule of God. Why should women alone bear the responsibility of the crisis that everyone participates in precipitating? Over the past two decades, the ideas and practices of the Muslim Brotherhood have succeeded in reducing the extent of mixing and limiting the spread of unveiling. However, corruption has increased and spread like wildfire. Such a social phenomenon is due to various economic, political and cultural causes. It is an egregious mistake to be confined by the view of the Brotherhood that the wanton unveiling and intermixing of women with men are the root causes of the plight.

Dr. Abdel Rehim Ali, an Egyptian Journalist and Member of Parliament, is an expert on Islamist Movements and political Islam. Ali is a member of Egypt’s Press Syndicate, head of the Arab Center for Journalism in Egypt and chairperson & Editor-in-Chief of Al-Bawaba Newspaper and Portal. He is also an Egyptian MP and head of the Arab Center for Research and Studies (ACRS) in Cairo and Paris.

[1] Issue No. 13 of Al-Dawah magazine, released in December 1978.