Women fleeing Islamist societies must be granted asylum

Maryam Namazie
Published in Hambastegi English
October 2, 2000

Though women face sex discrimination, suppression and violence in every corner of the world, and though there are innumerable reasons forcing them to flee, a leading reason for women’s flight is undoubtedly political Islam. Seventy five percent of the world’s refugees are fleeing from Islamist societies. Of the top five countries producing asylum applicants in Europe, three of them are Islamist societies, namely Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.

Political Islam’s first victims are women. In Somalia, women are bayoneted in the vagina; in Iraqi Kurdistan, 4,000 women have been maimed and killed in the name of “honor;” and in Pakistan, women are accused of Zina (adultery) in 15% of rape trials. In Bangladesh, in a period of 8 months, 174 acid attacks were made on women and girls primarily for refusal to marry and domestic violence; of these 174, 10 were girls under 10, 79 were aged 11-20, and 20 were aged 20-30. In Iran and Afghanistan, women are stoned to death for voluntary sexual relations outside of marriage.

Islam and the Koran require “obedience,” “chastity,” and “righteousness” and promote sexual violence against women who transgress religious norms. Political Islam imposes its misogynist rules by laws, governments, courts, the army, intelligence and police services, Islamic terrorist groups, assassinations and fatwas.

Since 1981, when the Islamic Republic of Iran established itself through mass repression and consolidated Islam in power, the global refugee population has tripled. Though Western governments encouraged the growth of political Islam during the Cold War, and continue to maintain it for political and economic gain, they refuse to support its victims using the racist theory of cultural relativism.

In an era where political Islam is responsible for some of the grosses and most violent crimes against women and humanity, advocates of women fleeing sex-based persecution cannot remain silent on political Islam – one of the root causes of flight.

Clearly, women fleeing Islamist societies must be granted protection solely due to their sex.