I recently finished a book by Yasmine Mohammad called Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam. Her story is one of complete courage in fighting for her freedom and life.
I loved this book for two reasons. First, she exposes the harsh truths of living in a home governed by fundamental religious beliefs, forcing her into perfect submission under the threat of death. Second, she’s managed to escape her family’s reign and find a life of peace as a human rights activist, but now she faces a new set of problems.
Mohammed argues that the Western liberal ideology has gone so far left that it’s doing harm to Islamic women seeking help. How? Because hard-left thinking seeks to “protect” everyone’s beliefs, meaning that they inadvertently reinforce misogynistic/patriarchal fundamentalist ideals.
One of the examples in her book is when, as a young teenage girl, Yasmine Mohammed sought the help of a school teacher to escape her family. Mohammed was physically beaten and tortured almost daily for things as simple as not memorizing parts of the Koran perfectly. The teacher contacted the authorities, and Mohammed found herself in court against her parents. The judge ruled that her beatings (severe child abuse) were allowed because of the family’s religion. In short, the judge ruled that because they were Muslim, child abuse was allowed. He was a left-leaning judge trying to honor the culture without prejudice. While this is honorable, in this case, it was wrong.
She felt betrayed by this, making the statement that little girls bleed, no matter what their religion is, and that child abuse is never right. I couldn’t agree more and stand with Mohammed on this point.
It’s a powerful book that will make you think about the complexities of religion, how it negatively affects millions of people (especially Islamic women), and how people in Western cultures can best support those suffering and needing real help.
I fully endorse this book and encourage you to support Yasmine Mohammed by buying and reading it. If you’re committed to making a difference, make a donation to her charity, Free Hearts Free Minds, which provides mental health support to people in Muslim communities seeking freedom.
Until tomorrow, read slowly – take notes – apply the ideas.
-Eddy
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