http://twitter.com/#!/umairh/status/353226490063765504

With the horrifying stories of women being raped in the streets of Egypt, it’s only natural to question how the very powerful religious culture plays a role. Author Joyce Carol Oates dared to venture into that territory today:

http://twitter.com/#!/JoyceCarolOates/status/353209191256694785

In a survey of Egyptian women by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, 99.3 percent of respondents claimed that they had been subjected to some form of sexual harassment.

http://twitter.com/#!/JoyceCarolOates/status/353212618988732419
http://twitter.com/#!/JoyceCarolOates/status/353225043377012736

She’s not exclusively impugning Islam with regard to rape, but rather suggesting that Islamic fundamentalism — the Muslim Brotherhood, in this case — might contribute to violence against women.

In fact, she is apparently not a fan of religion in general:

http://twitter.com/#!/JoyceCarolOates/status/353229326277292032
http://twitter.com/#!/JoyceCarolOates/status/353230337867915266

But the fact remains that in a theocratic society, religion has a dominant influence.

http://twitter.com/#!/JoyceCarolOates/status/353232206082215937

Oates’ musings didn’t sit well with the P.C. crowd, who lashed out:

http://twitter.com/#!/JamilSmith/status/353214425186041856
http://twitter.com/#!/Kimberly124/status/353225569162366976
http://twitter.com/#!/alexhanna/status/353227792713916416
http://twitter.com/#!/OwenRBroadhurst/status/353227868790206464
http://twitter.com/#!/sarahkendzior/status/353225297845424129
http://twitter.com/#!/lucypaw/status/353230497675091968
http://twitter.com/#!/xarabic/status/353227329901821952
http://twitter.com/#!/AgitPropPraxis/status/353235214656487424

Radical Islamist parties like the Muslim Brotherhood seek to govern through a theocracy. Oates may be wrong about a lot of things, but she’s on-target in suggesting that intertwining politics with religion can be dangerous — particularly if thuggish, misogynistic radicals are calling the shots.

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Update:

Iowahawk notes the double standards of those denouncing Oates:

http://twitter.com/#!/iowahawkblog/status/353246532012752896

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Related:

Do tell: Self-appointed MSM defenders of women forget about sharia

Irony: Ahmadinejad speaks out for women’s rights at UN General Assembly

#Harass_female_cashiers: Saudi writer reportedly calls on followers to sexually molest working women

Tunisian Islamists demand Sharia and Islamic law because it’s “good for women”

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2013/07/05/joyce-carol-oates-suggests-radical-islam-fosters-rape-culture-gets-slammed-as-bigot/