Thread by @AyoCaesar

I don't think that this was an illegitimate question to ask, but its presentation as a 'gotcha' displays a really profound ignorance of how Muslim spiritual leadership works (i.e. its complicated, and not analogous to either the Anglican or Catholic church).

https://twitter.com/BBCWomansHour/status/1357974310527270913

What it shows is that, unfortunately, when Muslims are in the media there's already narrative constraints in place about being backward and anti-woman. I mean, anyone remember this incident from a few years ago? theguardian.com/media/2015/feb…

I've experienced it firsthand. A few years ago LBC invited me to talk about a feminist and gay-friendly mosque that was opening, and Nick Ferrari proceeded to argue (a Muslim feminist) that there aren't any Muslim feminists.

I think I recall Nick Ferrari talking about whether Muslim women could wear bikinis, as if we just sprout gills and scales when we want to go swimming.

While not as obnoxious, Emma Barnett's line of questioning demonstrates a similar incuriosity and rigidity.

Being an imam is not like being a priest. It refers to someone who occupies a paid role as a community leader, which is what I imagine Emma is talking about.

But it *also* refers to the person who's leading the prayer, and there are women who do that.

Asking "how many women imams are there?" isn't a question that'll yield a meaningful answer, if what you really want to know is how the role of women in Islamic spiritual leadership has or hasn't changed.

At best, it looks ignorant. At worst, it looks like baiting.

Either way it does a disservice to both interviewee and audience, who are missing the chance to learn about a community who are more often spoken of than spoken to.