Muslim vs Atheism - The case for women

"I don't shake hands with women."

It was those words that pulled me down and humiliated me. I went to a debate where I had to feel uncomfortable from the very beginning. "Sister, sister...that way," a man said pointing to the side of the room, where all the women were supposed to sit -stupidly facing the centre of the room instead of the stage, so then I was forced to assist the entire conference twisting my neck.

At the end of the debate, "Muslim vs Atheism", I went to the Muslim speaker, unconvinced by his argument on the existence of God based on the fact that the universe must have a beginning and therefore a cause, God. Mr Hamza Tzortzis answered my question and cut short saying that he's available via email to answer further questions. I then politely thanked him and stretched my hand forward for a respectful shake.

And there he stabbed me: "I don't shake hands with women." It is not the fact that he denied to shake hands with me that bothered me. If it was not culturally acceptable for him to shake hands with people, for whatever reason, I would have accepted it. But no, the fact that he denied to shake hands on the principle that I am a woman just pissed me off. I felt humiliated, scorned, angry.

Mr Ed Buckner, in his defence of atheism, forgot to mention how religions, Islam in particular, have contributed to lock women out of society and put them under the dominance of men. Men who claim to be rational and base their belief in God on rational grounds, but then have to cover up their women because they are too irrational to resist the temptation of women's beauty. How silly of women to accept this and believe it is protective of them in any way.

The fact that men and women should be treated differently because God, or Allah, or whoever claims to be the divine said so, is something that I cannot accept. You may call it a cultural bias. But entering that room tonight, being denied a shake of hands, a sign of respect and equality on the basis that I am a woman, made me feel like I was back in 18th century, if not earlier. And no religion that claims that there should be a difference of treatment of men and women on the basis of gender should be supported.

There is no intrinsic difference between men and women, other than biological ones. Therefore, a difference in treatment between men and women is no more acceptable than a difference of treatment based on the colour of skin or on the colour of someone's eyes. It is DISCRIMINATORY AND RACIST. If that is what Islam preaches, then I assume it is a discriminatory religion.