Facebook was pressured over a week of campaigning to regulate misogynistic content on the site which glorify violence against women and demean them. There has also been humour on the social media website, centred around rape which has drawn a lot of concern.

It took a number of advertisers to withdraw their ads as well as pressuring from many women’s organisations for Facebook to finally take action. Facebook claimed that they would need to differentiate between what is “cruel and insensitive” and what was “distasteful” before removing content.

This global company has dragged its heels in taking off such material and on top of that is trying to keep on the content which may still poke fun at exploiting women but is not ‘cruel’. A company, whose Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg has been the poster girl of the modern day woman, has shown that when it comes down to business there are no un-compromisable ideals at all. It has sought to allow the exploitation and degradation of women to continue, however ‘light-hearted’, in order to keep business going.

Capitalism allows the business agendas of companies to dictate what ideas and views they wish to disseminate in society. And the only compass which shapes these agendas is not the moral compass, but the compass of money. Therefore we have a secular Capitalist society that talks a lot about value and equality of women, however businesses who sell everything from soaps to cars by exploiting the beauty of a woman, to companies like Facebook who overlook the demeaning of women, just swallow this talk whole. Making the woman a commodity for male whims and desires happens across multiple industries, from the entertainment industry, to the beauty industry to of course the billion dollar pornography industry. This is to the point that these big industries of Capitalism ultimately end up shaping the culture and preoccupations of people on the street, despite all the women’s rights and lobby groups existing in society trying to go against this and raise the value of the woman – British MP Diane Abbott raised concerns about the overly-‘pornified’ environment that young people in the UK are currently growing up in, as a result of all this culture, and the affect this is having on them.

Thus the actions or inaction more like of Facebook, just reflect the wider attitude towards the viewpoint and the value of women in a Capitalist secular society. That the way she is viewed is a secondary issue, to how well businesses can thrive and succeed.

The attitude towards women under the Islamic Khilafah system is more than a world away from such a reality. Under Islam the viewpoint of the woman is clearly defined through hadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم:

الدُّنْيَا مَتَاعٌ وَخَيْرُ مَتَاعِ الدُّنْيَا الْمَرْأَةُ الصَّالِحَةُ

“The world and all things in it are precious but the most precious thing is a virtuous woman.” (Muslim)

This elevated view of the woman cannot be compromised in society at any expense, as this hadith illustrates that a virtuous woman is worth more than all the wealth that could be accumulated from the world.

Therefore the rules and laws of the Islamic social system which are then implemented, seek to ensure this view remains protected and upheld in society. One of these is the punishment held for anyone who even defames a woman’s chastity or character wrongly, which is met with harsh punishment. This alongside rules such as the prohibiting the exploitation of women in any industry, make real the high value of the woman in society and not just ideas or talk. However big the business, however much revenue it makes, the Islamic Khilafah would ensure the honour of the woman is always first.

هَـؤُلاء وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَانًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ

“We have sent down the Book to you making all things clear and as a guidance and mercy and good news for the Muslims.”

(An-Nahl, 16:89)

Umm Abdullah Khan

Women’s Media Representative Britain