Anna Karamanou: Is Islam Compatible with Democracy? – “Uncovered” Women – the Worst Women

Islamists claim that clothing is directly related to the moral principles of the community.

The recent bloody events in Iran, in response to the beating to death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini because her hijab did not cover all her hair, have dramatically reopened the discussion about whether Islam is ultimately compatible with democracy and women’s rights.

Ernest Gellner, in his study of Islam, concluded that the compatibility of Islam with democracy is impossible because the secularization of Islam is unattainable.

The deep influence that Islam exerts on the entirety of the social and personal lives of its believers stands in stark contrast to secularized Europe. In reality, the cultural red line that separates the West from the Islamic world does not concern democracy so much as it does gender justice.

However, Iran under the presidency of Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005) seemed to seek policies of modernization and secularization of the regime. He initiated the topic of the “dialogue of civilizations” in response to Samuel Huntington’s views on the clash of civilizations.

In this dialogue, Greece responded with the late President of the Republic, Kostis Stefanopoulos, and Prime Minister Costas Simitis. I participated in the delegation led by the President in Iran in October 1999, and we signed agreements, including cooperation for the promotion of gender equality. Meetings followed in Athens, Brussels, and the UN. However, after Khatami, the country returned to an authoritarian theocratic regime, writes Anna Karamanou in an article for the newspaper TA NEA.

Islamists claim that clothing is directly linked to the moral principles of the community. The mandatory covering of women’s bodies is one of the most debated mandates of Islamic law. God Himself, through the Quran (Surah 33, verse 59, ed. Kaktos 2002), provides clear instructions:

“O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks over themselves. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be harmed.”

The command is clear. The isolation of women, alongside the polygamy of men, is reinforced by many instructions in the Quran. The issue of the veil obviously does not only insult women but also raises questions about the men, whom it considers inherently violent and ready to attack any uncovered woman.

The chador emphasizes the power relationship between the viewing man and the seen woman. The dispute over the dress code has led to a daily political conflict between liberal modernizers and conservative Islamists. This conflict has extended to universities and parliaments, not only in Muslim countries but also in the EU.

It is true that Islamists view Westernization not as a step toward progress but as a sacrifice of authentic Islamic identity at the altar of Western materialistic values. Sociologist Fatima Mernissi writes that, unlike Christianity and Judaism, which refer to individuals, Islam refers to a relationship: submission! She argues that what enrages fanatic Islamists is that now women are participating in public events.

Even many educated men consider modern women with degrees and careers to be the worst traitors to Islam. However, the worst heretics, according to their own standards, are uncovered women. Nevertheless, the participation of many young men in demonstrations for gender equality gives hope and leaves open the question that Gellner answered.