Islamic misogyny largely inherited Byzantine Christian and Jewish customs through conquest

Evidence

As Islam spread, it adopted the cultural practices of various empires, including those of the neighboring Persian and Byzantine empires. The Christians who populated the Middle East and the Mediterranean had more rigid customs associated with women. In the Christian Byzantine empire, the sexes were segregated. Women were not to be seen in public, they were veiled, and they were given only rudimentary education. As the expanding Islamic empire incorporated these regions, it also assimilated these cultural and social practices. In other words, the particular misogynistic practices that Islam came to adopt were inherited from the Christian and Jewish religious customs of the neighboring societies that Muslims conquered. … The significant point here is that sexist attitudes toward women, far from being unique to Islam, were prevalent among Christians and Jews as well. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 310

The Christians who populated the Middle East and the Mediterranean had more rigid customs associated with women. In the Christian Byzantine empire, the sexes were segregated. Women were not to be seen in public, they were veiled, and they were given only rudimentary education. As the expanding Islamic empire incorporated these regions, it also assimilated these cultural and social practices. In other words, the particular misogynistic practices that Islam came to adopt were inherited from the Christian and Jewish religious customs of the neighboring societies that Muslims conquered. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 322

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s existing interest in the ‘Complaints About Immodesty’ article, which traces how dress norms encode cultural identities and moral panics — veiling practices here are shown as cross-imperial inheritances, not Islamic inventions. — connects to: Islam’s misogynistic practices were inherited from conquered Christian and Jewish society — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 172; Islamic veiling and sex segregation were borrowed from Byzantine Christian customs; Sexist practices Westerners blame on Islam were inherited from Christian and Jewish customs — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 310 (+1 more)
• ADDENDUM: Directly supports the ‘Complaints About Immodesty Go Way Back’ article by showing veiling and female seclusion were Byzantine Christian customs absorbed by the expanding Islamic empire — reinforcing that modesty panics cross religious lines.
• QUESTION: Samir Amin’s claim that Islam’s ‘model’ was still patriarchal even while adopting Byzantine practices is worth chasing — how much of his argument rests on scripture vs. inherited practice?
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 310; Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of…, 322

Broader Connections

• Islam’s misogynistic practices were inherited from conquered Christian and Jewish society #corroborates (1.00) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 172
• Islam’s restrictive women’s customs were inherited from conquered Christian and Jewish societies. #corroborates (1.00)
• Islamic veiling and sex segregation were borrowed from Byzantine Christian customs #expands (0.92)
• Sexist practices Westerners blame on Islam were inherited from Christian and Jewish customs #expands (0.90) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 310