Press Release
Why is it only the Islamically motivated gender separation a problem?

On Tuesday 4th of April, the media in general and TV drew attention in its program “Kalla Fakta” that the Al-Azhar School has separate seating places in its school bus for boys and girls, that a cafeteria in Tensta refers men and women to different sitting places and that there are “moral police” roaming in the suburbs. Stefan Löfven was quick to call it abhorrent. Gustav Fridolin was also quick to say that this is unacceptable.

Does Stefan Löfven even think that the youth club that TV4 talked about in the same program that was founded early in 2015 and was only for women is also abhorrent? When we know that Anna Jonazon from his own party supports the idea. What does Gustav Fridolin think about that Awad Hersi from the Green Party also supported the idea, is it also unacceptable? Perhaps Stefan Löfven and Gustav Fridolin would rather suggest that Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lotta Schelin play in the same gender mixed national team. However that is apparently not as abhorrent because the motive is not an Islamic one. It is as much acceptable as the idea of the large number of gender segregated toilets in Sweden. In the beginning of February, SVT reported positively about the Facebook group “Honesty & the bees”, which is only for women. Elza Dunkels, associate professor and internet researcher at Umeå University, supported the idea in a positive light. Doesn’t the government have bigger issues to deal with, which we have highlighted in a previous video.

The question is: why is it only the Islamically motivated gender separation a problem? To take this discussion seriously, one can ask oneself: why isn’t the vile treatment of refugees at schools in Ronneby and Thoren Framtid as big of a problem because the refugees were referred to a separate entrance?

Obviously from the examples above, the separation in of itself isn’t the problem, the problem is what they have against Islam! Just a few days ago we realised a video that highlighted the repeated attacks on Islam and Muslims in Swedish society. A couple of days later a new campaign began to once again smear the Islamic values hoping to break the Muslim youth’s ties with them. The attacks put the Muslims under pressure between wanting to live a calm life without any problems or preserve their Islamic identity. Just like Devin Rexvid, researcher on social work at Umeå University, commented in relation to the report about the signal that the so called “moral cops” send to women in the suburbs is: “if you don’t live as we say, as we prescribe, as we expect then you don’t belong here.” Similarly the society is sending the same signal to the Muslims that refuse to sacrifice their Islamic values that either they adapt to the society or else they do not belong in it. However the only difference is that the former signal does not match with reality- as it is known for anyone who lives in the suburbs that the streets are filled with women dressing up in all kinds of ways- while the latter signal is now a reality.

To the Muslims we say that these repeated attacks only occur because Islam, despite all this denigration, keeps growing. When the arguments with its enemies run out they shift to smears and attacks. This should be a source of strength to us for the treasure we carry. We do not apologize for being Muslims and we will be steadfast in our Islam at all times and places and we will continue to do so. It is our duty to present Islam as it is without adding to or subtracting anything from it. Allah saved us from the darkness of ignorance and brought us to the light which is Islam, let us not fall for the pressure of this society and fall back to ignorance. After hardships comes ease. Allah Almighty says:

[وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِّمَّن دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ]

“And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, "Indeed, I am of the Muslims."” [Fussilat: 33]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Scandinavia