Islam, like most religions, imposes centuries-old dogma on women and demands their submission. Their role is as silent servants first and individuals second—and their treatment in Islamic states reflects this fundamental inequality. In too many of these states, women are explicitly denied rights afforded to men—freedom of movement, freedom to work, and freedom to wear what one pleases.
More broadly, troubling patterns in Islamic scripture and custom exacerbate gender inequality. It is women who bear the guilt and shame of “modesty culture,” not men. In many countries, women cannot initiate the process of divorce and are not entitled to any of the couple’s shared possessions, nor can they seek meaningful justice if they are raped by their husbands. And in the most extreme cases, a woman who fails to remain chaste and in her place risks honor violence.
Human rights—to blaspheme, speak, and live freely—are universal and do not discriminate by sex. No woman’s freedom or agency should be impeded for the sake of a religious text, and a religious culture that perpetuates inequality should not command deference.
This Week's Edition Has Arrived
In this week's Unbelief Brief: Iran is taking a dangerous turn by proposing "hijab clinics" to institutionalize women who defy its dress codes under the guise of psychological treatment. In the U.S., Texas public schools face pressure to adopt a curriculum favoring Christian teachings, blurring the line between church and state. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s arrest of a transgender influencer for alleged blasphemy highlights the country’s growing crackdown on religious dissent.
Unbelief Brief
Back for more? This Week’s Dispatch Has Arrived
Welcome back. This week our Unbelief Brief brings up an issue of hate speech persecuted as blasphemy, along with staggering new statistics on blasphemy-related arrests and imprisonments in Pakistan.
Explore This Week's Dispatch
This week’s Unbelief Brief looks at an Iranian student’s protest of hijab enforcement with a powerful act of civil disobedience, France faces UN backlash over its hijab ban in sports, and the UK debates removing Church seats from the House of Lords in a push toward greater secularism.
Unbelief Brief
This Week's Dispatch is Here
This week’s Unbelief Brief discusses Pakistan being taken to task by the UN Human Rights Committee, the declining health of an imprisoned Iranian human rights activist and an overview of anti-blasphemy laws in the US.
This Week's Dispatch is Here
This week’s Unbelief Brief provides updates on Islamism and Islamic intolerance in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.
Your Weekly Dispatch is Here
This week’s Unbelief Brief examines a rare resolution to a new blasphemy case in Pakistan and the ever increasing paranoia of the Taliban
Welcome Back to Dissent Dispatch
This week’s Unbelief Brief examines the rescue of a Yazidi woman trafficked to Gaza, Bibles in Oklahoma public schools and atheists outnumbering theists in the UK.
The Dispatch Returns with New Insights
This week's Unbelief Brief exposes the harsh realities faced by women and dissenters worldwide.
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Dissent Dispatch: Your Weekly Update
In this week’s Unbelief Brief, we look at charges against an Iranian actress for dancing in public and Erdogan’s vow to purge military officials for supporting a secular democracy.
