A shocking new report has revealed that mosques and churches are being awarded tax relief while preaching that it is acceptable for a man to hit his wife. The National Secular Society (NSS) has claimed that religious charities are promoting misogynistic beliefs at the same time they receive public grants and funding. The report highlights examples including an imam who told his mosque that men were allowed to abuse their wives if she refused to have sex.
Another Islamic leader in the UK also said women who wore make-up were “destroyed” and a sermon publicly questioned online if wives should be allowed to work. The NSS is now calling on a change in the law to prevent religious organisations that promote misogyny from having a charitable status. An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre in Birmingham was one example used in the report after a YouTube video, uploaded last year, showed lecturer Mahamed AbdurRazaq claiming men could beat their wives for refusing sex.
Despite The Charity Commission suspending AbdurRazaq from speaking at further engagements, he was hosted numerous times at Green Lanes mosque after the incident.
The report also cited cases of sexist attitudes from Christian organisations which includes a baptist preacher saying a wife should “submit to her husband’s leadership”. He also references religious text as evidence that a wife was the “weaker partner”.
Rosyth Baptist Church in Fife was an example used where its YouTube account posted a video of a pastor citing scripture saying “a husband is the head of his wife”.
He added that a wife “that submits to her husband’s leadership and respects him is easier to love”.
Megan Manson, author of the report titled Mission and Misogyny, and head of campaigns at NSS, told The Times: “While religious groups should be free to advance their faith, their charitable status gives them access to extensive tax benefits, which in these cases amounts to indirect state support of misogyny through public money.”
19 examples of misogyny in mosques and churches were highlighted in the NSS report – 12 of which involved Muslim charities and nine were Christian.
A spokesman for An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre told the newspaper: “An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre submitted a full report on this matter to the Charity Commission over a year ago. The issue has been fully addressed and resolved.
“Our charity provides vital support to the wider community, plays a crucial role in strengthening social cohesion, and fosters compassion across society. We remain fully committed to complying with all UK laws and regulations.”
