For Muslim women worldwide, the 21st century is the age of progress and setbacks. The progress is made possible by women themselves; the setbacks are largely courtesy of some vocal clerics and self-appointed representatives, such as the terrorist group al-Qaida, both of whom often masquerade as the "saviours of the ummah".
Call it masochism if you want, but recently I started to take an interest in what the self-appointed representatives of this religion, whose first believer was a woman, have to say about us, women. What I discovered was far from reassuring. Some imams and also militant terrorist groups, it appears, have taken an unhealthy interest in all things feminine.
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