As an anti-sharia campaigner, one of the most frequent comments I hear is that sharia law is "their culture" and essentially it has nothing to do with me — it's none of my business. If I complain about the increased legitimisation of this deeply misogynistic legal system, I am treated as if it is I who is causing the problem. A few days ago I was asked by a trade unionist why I felt sharia was a priority. I informed her that I believe the mistreatment of half of humanity is indeed a significant issue. I was told "I'm a woman and it doesn't affect me". This is a shocking response on so many levels. First of all, it is a disgusting "I'm alright Jack" attitude that abandons those we deem different to a set of laws that we would not want applied to ourselves. So much for human solidarity! But that is not the only important point; sharia law does affect her, just as it affects me and every woman.

Sharia law is turning back the clock on hard-won rights for women in the West. This is a system which treats women as second-class humans who should be obedient and who, if they are beaten, only have themselves to blame. On Panorama, the Islamic Sharia Council adviser twice asked the undercover reporter what she had done to deserve this violence). This is seeping in to public discourse and legal discussion and instead of being condemned, it is being promoted and normalised. This is a problem for women, whether or not they are Muslims. 

There is an even more direct threat to western women from some Muslims however and another example of this was seen recently in Australia. A Magistrate there was forced to alter her actions to accommodate a Muslim man who refused to stand up when she entered the room. According to reports, Mohammad Issai Issaka, charged with rioting in Sydney in 2012, refused to stand for the Magistrate because she was a woman and to do so would be against his religion. In the end, a "compromise" was reached whereby Issaka would walk into the courtroom after the Magistrate and leave before her.