From Maryam Namazie the religious discrimination against women. 

Orthodox Judaism forbids women and men from even touching or passing things to each other during a woman’s period.

In certain branches of Japanese Buddhism, menstruating women are banned from attending temples.

In Hinduism, a woman is forbidden from entering not only Hindu temples but also her own kitchen. 

She must not sleep in the daytime, bathe, have sex, touch others, or speak loudly.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, women are forbidden from receiving communion whilst the Russian Orthodox Church forces women to live in menstrual huts while on their period.

In Islam, women are barred from praying, fasting, touching a Quran, entering a mosque or circumambulation of the Kaaba (not that we mind) and even divorce and sex.

The idea that women are too emotional to be judges, must be secluded or that women are inferior to men stems from “dirty” menstruation and women being seen as inherently sinful. Which is why in many religions, women must ritually purify themselves before they can be deemed “clean.”

This is absurd. We are living in the 21st century.

#PeriodsAreNatural
#WeAreUnashamed
#WomenAgainstAllah
#NoGodsNoProphets
#Period



Maryam Namazie is a political activist and write.  She is also spokesperson
for the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.



Follow Maryam Namazie on Twitter @MaryamNamazie

Periods Are Natural

From Maryam Namazie the religious discrimination against women. 

Orthodox Judaism forbids women and men from even touching or passing things to each other during a woman’s period.

In certain branches of Japanese Buddhism, menstruating women are banned from attending temples.

In Hinduism, a woman is forbidden from entering not only Hindu temples but also her own kitchen. 

She must not sleep in the daytime, bathe, have sex, touch others, or speak loudly.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, women are forbidden from receiving communion whilst the Russian Orthodox Church forces women to live in menstrual huts while on their period.

In Islam, women are barred from praying, fasting, touching a Quran, entering a mosque or circumambulation of the Kaaba (not that we mind) and even divorce and sex.

The idea that women are too emotional to be judges, must be secluded or that women are inferior to men stems from “dirty” menstruation and women being seen as inherently sinful. Which is why in many religions, women must ritually purify themselves before they can be deemed “clean.”

This is absurd. We are living in the 21st century.

#PeriodsAreNatural
#WeAreUnashamed
#WomenAgainstAllah
#NoGodsNoProphets
#Period



Maryam Namazie is a political activist and write.  She is also spokesperson
for the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.



Follow Maryam Namazie on Twitter @MaryamNamazie

2 comments:

  1. #MenHavePeriodsToo

    https://ibb.co/qNncKfJ

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  2. Women got a bad deal when humans were put together. They know from they are 13/14 until their mid to late 40's give or take..they will spend anything from a few day's up to a week in pain, feeling uncomfortable and all the rest that goes along with mooning. And the only things they can do apart from grin and bear it is damage limitation from taking to pain killers to..what ever works. And while most of the west doesn't allow for the taboo's Maryam mentioned, parts of the West have their own taboo about women menstruating that is now getting lip service..period poverty.


    women are inferior to men stems from “dirty” menstruation and women being seen as inherently sinful


    Maybe that's the origins for gender pay gap..A man and a woman go for a job, both equally qualified...Maybe employer's s think (some deffo do) 'I can save money and employ the woman, pay her less because she will take time of with period cramps' and then what if she has 1 baby never mind any more. ...


    ”Which is why in many religions, women must ritually purify themselves before they can be deemed “clean.”


    That is in part because some of the ancient religious customs that religions practice today had more to do with hygiene. We know they haven't been updated into 21st C values. They didn't have the same level of sanitation as we have today. maybe in Greece, Rome, Egypt...But 2,000 yrs ago out in the desert where the the rules were made up a wife is menstruating close to her husband. She does all that is humanly possible to clean herself and keep her dignity. Maybe her husband thought, “Rule n*1...When she is on her period, after just what happened she is not allowed to touch any food that I eat.”

    As for women on their periods banned from places of worship and complaining about exclusion. Is it really a bad thing not having to be forced fed religion for a few days a month?

    Women are partly to blame themselves.. An online study of 1,000 women has found that 38% of women have used our menstrual cycle as an excuse to duck out of an activity that seemed unappealing at the time. Like sports, mostly! Or, gulp, sex..


    I can understand any woman going through bad period cramps not having the energy able to get out of bed, cook, clean..pick kids up. But using it as an excuse to get out of your responsibilities is very poor...

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