Summary: Small incidents in the news often reveal hidden but large trends in society, if we examine them carefully. Such as a recent visit by Ontario’s Premier to a local mosque. Her political allies cheer; her political foes laugh and mock. But it tells us so much more. {Also, see yesterday’s post: Trump points to Sweden’s problems with migrants. Then they riot, again.}
Kathleen O’Day Wynne, Premier of Ontario.
Kathleen O’Day Wynne is the first female premier of Ontario and the first openly gay head of government in Canada (see Wikipedia). To build bridges with the local Christian community, she visited a fundamentalist church — and followed the appropriate Scriptural guidance. She sat quietly, head covered — even going beyond the Paul’s advice, to sit in the back of the church.
“Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head — it is the same as having her head shaved.” (1 Corinthians 11 4:5.)
“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.” (1 Corinthians 14 34:35.)
“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.” (1 Timothy 2 11:12.)
Of course, this is impossible. If Premier Wynne visited a church and was asked to sit quietly, head covered, her tirade would have blown the roof off. But, as most readers know, she visited a Toronto mosque on January 30, the day after six died during an attack at a Quebec mosque — and, as the Toronto Sun reported, she obeyed.
“While the men prayed, she sat patiently in the back corner of the mosque waiting to {speak}.”
Wynne’s choice of Imam Wael Shehab’s mosque was piquant, or perhaps ironic, given his statements about women like herself.
“As quoted in the CIJ News in 2015 …Imam Wael Shehab said “homosexuality is a sinful act in Islam … I’d cite the following fatwa of Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, president of the Fiqh Council of North America:
‘We should consider them people who get themselves engaged in a sinful act. We should deal with them in the same way we deal with any people who are involved in alcoholics, gambling or adultery. We should have deep repugnance to their acts and we must remind and warn them.’
“If they persist he said ‘we should certainly avoid those people.’”
It is easy to mock the Premier for this episode, most notably for inconsistent application of her values — and hypocrisy. But there is a kind of logic that in a world of strong, independent women, women’s preferences shift to prefer extreme strength of character in men — even if it is outright misogynist. That is a key lesson of Game. Perhaps Imam Wael Shehab knew this by cultural instinct. Trump demonstrated his understanding of this in the election, with women’s votes giving him a microscopic margin of victory (the 85 thousand votes in key states that won the electoral college).
Life on the streets provides daily examples, as shown in this funny but exaggerated and misogynist video. The slowly spreading understanding of this among men is the kind of event that changes the course of nations. It is like lead in Rome’s water, a poison unseen and beyond their understanding — but with powerful effects rippling throughout their society.
About Dr. Wael Shehab
Dr. Wael Shehab has a PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University. He is currently the Imam of the Downtown Toronto Masjid in Canada. For more about Islam’s view of women see his answer to the question “Are women inferior?“, and his video “Islam and the Role of Women“.
For More Information
If you liked this post, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. See all posts about Islam, about women and gender roles, and especially these…
- Men are “going Galt”. Marriage is dying. Will society survive?
- Beckett shows our future. She chooses wisely & marries Castle, but dreams at night of her alpha ex-boyfriend.
- “Castle” shows a future of strong women & weak men. As for marriage…
- Men are abandoning the rat race, & changing American society.
- Why men are avoiding work and marriage.
- Will today’s young men marry? America’s future depends which of these answers is right.