Why aren’t we taking religious misogyny seriously?

Around the country, youths are regularly listening to charismatic and articulate lecturers explain why men have authority over women.

These lecturers are telling them that women should stay at home and do the cooking and cleaning, that women should submit to their husband's commands, that women shouldn't meet anyone without their husband's permission. Impressionable boys and young men are being told that women and girls must dress a certain way so they don't inflame sexual desire in men, and that giving women equal rights has corrupted society.

Worst of all, these youths are being told husbands have a right to sex on demand, and that it's acceptable to beat a woman who refuses.

I'm not talking about videos by Andrew Tate and other misogynistic influencers on TikTok. I'm talking about lectures given by religious leaders in places of worship.

The Netflix drama Adolescence has thrown a spotlight on the radicalisation of boys and young men into 'incel' ideology. 'Incel', which stands for 'involuntary celibate', refers men who blame all their problems on women – particularly their inability to find a romantic or sexual partner. It's increasingly used as a catch-all term for the modern day misogynist.

Adolescence, which tells the story of a teenage boy accused of murdering a girl in his class, is being taken extremely seriously by politicians. It's been referred to in several parliamentary debates on subjects ranging from relationships education to rugby league. The Welsh education secretary pledged to speak to school pupils to learn more about concerns raised in Adolescence. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for Adolescence to be shown in schools, and even met the show's creators at No 10 to hear their views. An invitation that most women's rights campaigners can only dream of.

Adolescence is a beautifully made and powerful piece of film. But it is art, nonetheless. It is a work of fiction created by writers and filmmakers.

But misogyny and violence against women and girls are very real – as are their cheerleaders, looking to recruit the next generation of male supremacists.

However, where misogyny is promoted by religious groups, politicians seem less keen to take it seriously. As a result, we're now in a situation where religious misogynists are not only tolerated in public life – they are subsidised by public funds, because they are preaching for religious charities which pay little to no tax.

Take the case of Muhammadi Masjid, a mosque in Bradford run by a registered charity. Last year it published a sermon on YouTube which said a woman who "wears makeup", "beautifies herself" and "allows everybody else to look at her" is "destroyed" in Islam. The lecturer, Muhammad Huzaifah, said Muslim women who challenge any men dictating how women should dress, speak and act are under the influence of Satan. He even said women need permission from their husbands to observe voluntary fasts, because fasting involves celibacy – in other words, a woman can't say no to sex without her husband's permission.

It's clear young men were present at the sermon. They could occasionally be seen on camera, and at the beginning Huzaifah asked the "youngsters" to come closer so they could hear better. And that's not counting the youths who may have watched the recording of the sermon at home.

Then there's An-Noor Masjid in Birmingham, which offers "Quran school for kids, teenagers and adults" and hopes to "establish a college in the near future". It published a sermon last year which explicitly said if a woman repeatedly refuses "intercourse", her husband is "allowed to hit" and shake her.

The Charity Commission's response to our complaint about An-Noor Masjid was to give the charity's trustees "advice and guidance" and leave it at that.

And then there's the Tawheed Islamic Education Centre of Maidenhead, which offers "weekend structured Islamic Science studies" and caters to "all ages from children 6 years. It hosted a sermon in 2022 which said men should command their daughters to don hijab before they're 15, and women shouldn't leave the house without their husband's permission. Speaking about the 'corruption' of modern society and women's liberation, the lecturer said: "We have to raise our daughters to not think like that".

So while politicians are trying to get more anti-misogyny lessons in schools, religious leaders are actively promoting misogyny, and encouraging parents to raise their children in these mindsets.

Incel ideas are by no means limited to Muslim charities. We've found them in Christian ones as well, like the Christadelphian Sunday School Union. Its website has a lesson plan intended to be used for children which says "a wife is to be subject to her husband" and chastises women who wear "flamboyant or sexy clothing". The resource suggests the instructor ask the "young people" in the class what women are allowed to do, as they are not allowed to "take a leading role" or even "address" the church. It says acceptable suggestions may include "make the tea".

The lesson plan also promotes female stereotypes which reinforce women's subordination. It says a woman "should not be domineering or aggressive" and her role should be "one of helpful service".

There's Horemow Europe, whose activities include a weekly "Youth & Children Bible Study". Its pastor published a series of blogs saying women wear trousers "because of the spirit of whoredom" and blaming how women dress for an "increase in rape".

And there's Moray Coast Baptist Church, which runs a nursery, a Sunday school and a "kids Bible club". A 2021 sermon on its website said the "primary function" of a woman is "to be married, to have children, and to tend to household affairs – the cooking, the cleaning, the washing up". He also said he wouldn't want his wife to "look sensual" around other people.

When we reported this charity to the Scottish charity regulator OSCR, it refused to act, telling us: "the views expressed are likely to be held by virtue of a manifestation of a religious belief."

So OSCR is apparently fine with misogyny – as long as it's religious misogyny.

And this is likely the tip of the iceberg. In these cases, the charities chose to put these sermons online and we happened to find them. Far worse may be said behind the closed doors of these places of worship.

These charities are all registered under "the advancement of religion". This charitable purpose exists because there's an outdated assumption that advancing religion is inherently good for people and society. As these examples show, very often it clearly isn't. The National Secular Society has spent years raising these real-life cases with parliamentarians. We're still waiting for the meeting that the Adolescence creators got within weeks of broadcast.

We should welcome the increased discussion on how to ensure boys and young men don't fall prey to incel ideology. But parliamentarians must not allow popular culture to distract them from tackling the underlying issues. These are complex and mean having some very difficult conversations, including challenging both religion and charity law.

Cracking down on the widespread misogyny in religious charities is not as popular, not as glamorous – and let's face it, not as fun – as watching and promoting a Netflix show. But if politicians actually take the incel problem seriously, it's something they need to do urgently.