“This practice was a very old tradition which had been followed by some when there was no security for women and when women were at risk of being abducted when travelling alone. – this was a tradition at the very beginning of Islam.” The problem is that this is part of Islamic law. And this is how these ideas are introduced into the West: a group such as the Blackburn Muslim Association floats them, there is a torrent of outrage, and then awhile later another group floats them, and there is less outrage, and gradually the resistance to it is broken down altogether.
Think, for example, about the freedom of speech. In 1989, when the Islamic Republic of Iran issued its death fatwa against Salman Rushdie, the free world was outraged. In 2015, when ISIS issued its death fatwa against Pamela Geller, the free (for a little while longer, anyway) world blamed Geller and called for voluntary self-censorship to appease Muslims. This is how it will work in this case.
“Women should not travel more than 48 miles without a male escort – Muslim group,” by Lexi Finnigan and John Bingham, Telegraph, May 4, 2016:
Women should not be allowed to go on long journeys without a male chaperone a British Muslim group has advised followers.
Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, condemned the advice from Blackburn Muslim Association as “disgraceful” and said such views had “no place” in modern Britain.
Instructions from the association’s “Department of Theology” insist that it is “not permissible” for a woman to go more than 48 miles – deemed to be the equivalent of three days walk – without her husband or a close male relative.
It also stipulates that men must grow beards and advises women to cover their faces.
The rulings are contained in a question and answer section of the group’s site which offers offer “solutions and answers” to social, religious and financial matters from Sharia teaching, accompanied by the catchphrase: “Allah knows best.”
The group is listed as an affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and claims on its website to have received funding from its local council in the past.
But leading Muslim scholars, including a prominent adviser to the MCB, rejected the guidance as “offensive in this day and age” while the National Secular Society condemned it as “almost medieval”.
The row comes amid increasingly acrimonious debate about religious identity and race in the run-up to today’s local and mayoral elections.
Ms Greening’s intervention came following a question from David Davies, the Tory MP for Monmouth, during development questions in the Commons.
He asked if efforts to improve sexual equality “would be made easier if organisations like the Blackburn Muslim Association were not putting out information to people that women should not be allowed to travel more than 48 miles without a chaperone?”
She replied that she had seen the website, adding: “Frankly the view that they expressed on it is disgraceful and unacceptable.
“It has no place in Britain and is contrary to our British values and I think the Blackburn Muslim Association should very clearly and publicly withdraw those comments.”
Neither the Blackburn Muslim Association not the Muslim Council of Britain commented officially last night.
But Dr Sheik Howjat Ramzy, an Oxford-based scholar and former head of the MCB’s education committee said: “I believe this is offensive in this day and age that such a restriction should be placed on any woman against her wishes.
“This practice was a very old tradition which had been followed by some when there was no security for women and when women were at risk of being abducted when travelling alone. – this was a tradition at the very beginning of Islam.
“I would think no Muslim man has the right to impose these restrictions of movement. Women should be free to go where they please.
“I believe they should withdraw this statement and not degrade women. Islam gives great freedom to women – travel is part of that freedom.”…

James P. Breslin says
Why can’t there be a Reformed Islam that doesn’t take these thing literally? Why can’t there be Islamic Historical Criticism? There isn’t and that’s why fundamentalism and literalism prevail. Islam does not want this to be and would kill any to tried to develop such a theology. There is no Islamic Spinoza. Not even in the West.
Ciudadano says
Because Allah himself took the time to prescribe in a very detailed way the rights and responsibilities of women: A woman’s testimony counts half of a man’s testimony, A husband has sex with his wife, as a plow goes into a field, Husbands are a degree above their wives, A male gets a double share of the inheritance over that of a female, A woman’s testimony counts half of a man’s testimony, Slave—girls are sexual property for their male owners, etc, etc (http://tinyurl.com/hc4o7x5)
If you want to reform Islam’s attitude towards women you have to criticize and contradict Allah himself, and that is forbidden by Quoran. Hence there is no room for reform in Islam.
SteveP says
“Reformation” is to re – form. go back to how it should be. just like an army that reforms in battle. it goes back to original formation. The Christian reformation was about going back to the scriptures. Go back to Islamic scriptures and what do you get ?
sog says
So now we have a smidgen of 8th century in Britain. Woe to those women whom violate Sharia. Although any individual good person wouldn’t harass any woman, there will be plenty of bad men who will, and it’ll be either partly or fully her own fault. Such misogyny is bound to spread beyond the bounds of evil men in the originating creed to evil men of all religions.
Angemon says
“Catchphrase”, eh?
quran 16:101
When We substitute one revelation for another,- and Allah knows best what He reveals (in stages),- they say, “Thou art but a forger”: but most of them understand not.
2:216
Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.
mortimer says
This UK organization is receiving government funding to promote a medieval subjugation of women. Would that be allowed if Christian groups promoted women’s submission with government money? I dare say not. This is a double standard, one for Muslim misogyny and another standard for other religious groups whose messages are minutely scrutinized for female issues.
Here is the gist of Islam’s second-class theory about women:
In Mecca, Mohammed spent little time talking about women. Women received no separate, special treatment, but by the end of his career in Medina, that had changed. By the end of his life, Mohammed’s views on women had changed so radically that in his last sermon, Mohammed declared that women were the ‘domestic animals’ or ‘prisoners’ of Muslim men.
Iyas b. Abdullah reported God’s messenger as saying, “Do not beat God’s handmaidens;” but when `Umar came to God’s messenger and said, “The women have become emboldened towards their husbands,” he gave license to beat them. Then many women went round God’s messenger’s family complaining of their husbands, and he said, “Many women have gone around complaining of their husbands. Those are not the best among you.” Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, and Darimi transmitted it. (Mishkat Al-Masabih: vol. 2, p. 692)
In Islam, women are the ‘prisoners’ of men. This is not a theory, but the eternal words of Allah and last words of Mohammed his final prophet. Because the emprisonment of womeon is found in Mohammed’s last sermon, over one billion Muslims accept that women have a lesser status to men and that that status may never be upgraded to full equality.
Cynthia in California says
Exactly. That last statement by Mohammed ABROGATED anything else he might have said earlier re. women and their status vis-a-vis men.
Paul says
It should be interesting to see what ‘third wave feminists’ have to
say on this. What are the odds on complete silence?!
Jakob says
I’ve got one I talk to when her old man is off shopping in another isle in Walmart……
Beagle says
48? Why not 50, 40, or 72? I would love to know the ‘reasoning,’ but not enough to look it up.
Beagle says
Ah, “three days walk.” Brilliant… Or something. Muslims walk very slowly it turns out.
vcragain says
What on earth has 48 miles got to do with it – you could be molested on your own doorstep so that is just nonsense ! They are just trying to implement CONTROLS any way possible. Women are under more threat always than men, but in order for us to be free we learn to be careful – we do not walk in some places at night, we keep car windows up if on the road at night, we check our door locks if we are in the house alone, and we may keep a gun in a hidden place in the house/ or on our person. That is all part of being female – but it is our CHOICE, we do not want males deciding we SHOULD do anything – mind your own business. if we had our own way YOU would be constrained rather than us – we know who are more threat to civil society – it is NOT females !
Alexander the Grape. says
A few years ago I was working as a volunteer in a Somali speaking area. One evening three young men approached me and told me to warn the two european girls who were working with us also as vounteers, to cover themselves properly and have a male companion when they exited the mission for shopping etc., otherwise they would be raped.
One of the three young men told me that he and his friends walked around in the evenings looking for girls not in accord with Islamic law so they could rape them.
What they told me has been brought home to me on many occasions. Only good Muslimas are protected from sexual predation by Islamic Law.
I ask, what are the names of other religions or ideologies that force women to comply with their strictures by the threat of sexual molestation? There are none. Only one name answers this question. Islam. No matter how many times they repeat and repeat it. No matter how loud they amplify it, their god is not greater than our true God, and their prophet is false.