AP: Trump is Wrong About Islam and Women

The Associated Press was compelled to come to Islam’s defense last week with a “fact check” of Donald Trump’s assertion that the religion treats women “horribly.” Writer Calvin Woodward (shockingly) came to the conclusion that he was wrong:

“No such generalization is supported by the diverse circumstances for women in the Muslim world,” wrote Woodward.

Before we get into the meat of the matter, can we just pause to appreciate how meaningless this kind of “fact checking” has become? What once seemed like a good idea – a way to provide viewers of these debates with some counterbalance to the often ridiculous claims made by politicians – has devolved into another excuse to exercise liberal bias. These writers pick and choose which statements to check, decide which standards to apply to the “truth,” and assign arbitrary rulings that conform suspiciously with a left-wing worldview.

In this case, like many others, they’ve chosen a statement that pretty much defies fact checking. “Horribly” is an entirely subjective value judgement. And you can bet your bottom dollar that if we were talking about a religion mostly made up of white adherents, the AP would have no problem at all agreeing with Trump’s assertion. But since we now live in an age where all other races are exempt from criticism, Islam’s mostly-Arab worshipers earn their religion a pass.

“Some Muslim societies are indeed repressive by Western standards, enforcing or pressing for norms such as clothing that covers all but their eyes or faces; bans on driving, voting and education; and restrictions on interacting with the other sex,” Woodward wrote. “But many Muslim women adhere to Islamic norms not out of fear or repression, but in observance of faith and their own preference.”

There is so much insanity in this paragraph that it’s almost hard to believe it made it past an editor. Woodward is seriously arguing that countries that keep women from driving, voting, or earning an education aren’t treating them “horribly?” How can Muslim women in these countries be given credence for a “preference” when their limited access to education deprives them of any reasonable choice?

Besides, Trump didn’t say that many Muslim countries treat women horribly. He said that the religion itself is to blame for the treatment. So let’s see what Islam’s holy book has to say about the fairer sex:

“And if ye are unclean, purify yourselves. And if ye are sick or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have had contact with women, and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it.”

“Women are to lower their gaze around men, so they do not look them in the eye.”

“A man is permitted to take women as sex slaves outside of marriage.”

Granted, you can find plenty of eyebrow-raising verses about women in the Old Testament as well. The difference being that we don’t see Christian communities that continue to treat females like animals.

When it comes to Islam, American liberals are failing hard. Trump’s statement is so mindbogglingly obvious that it shouldn’t even be controversial, especially to people who claim to be progressives.