A feminist group protests against a book by Soto Ivars but says nothing about the Quran

Within leftist feminism there is a very curious concept of freedom of expression and what can or cannot be said.

Feminism is still necessary today, but not in the way that many people claim
Left-wing and feminism: revealing a political business whose aim is not to protect women

A few days ago, Juan Soto Ivars released a book titled "This Doesn't Exist: False Accusations in Gender Violence". According to the Amazon page for the book, his thesis is as follows:

"Abused women received a necessary shield with the 2004 Organic Law on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender Violence. In its twenty years of existence, many have been saved thanks to it, but no one has wanted to look at those other women who, feigning victimhood, use the shield as a sword. Society has always responded with "This doesn't exist" to every false accusation that these women have used as a weapon."

Some say it's better not to talk about this. But harm isn't done by telling the truth, but by remaining silent. If yesterday people were silent about the hidden and tormenting lives of abused women locked up with a beast, today they are silent about the hidden and tormenting lives of men caught in the sharp springs of a protection mechanism used as a death trap."

Last Sunday, the Feministas Canarias group criticized the book with this message: "A misogynist publishes a book about false accusations of gender-based violence, which represent less than 1%. ⚠️ We encourage you to demand that your trusted bookstores not sell it. Victims need social support, not to see these discourses on shelves 🤬 Is enough!!"

That feminist group claims that "we've spoken with some bookstores and they've removed it. It's a matter of principles and social commitment. We lose nothing by saying this and we can gain a lot, especially the victims." I wonder what kind of "principles" and "social commitment" it is that attacks a fundamental right protected by Article 20 of the Spanish Constitution, which recognizes the right to "freely express and disseminate thoughts, ideas and opinions through speech, writing or any other means of reproduction", adding: "The exercise of these rights may not be restricted by any type of prior censorship."

If it's true that false accusations don't exist, as that feminist group claims, I don't see what the problem should be with asserting their existence. If Soto Ivars were to claim something untrue, it would at most be called into question, and it would suffice for someone, for example that feminist group, to dismantle the arguments on which the writer bases his book. Instead, "Feministas Canarias" is simply trying to censor a book because it defends a position they don't like. Obviously, those who are doing something intolerable in a democracy (demanding the censorship of a book) are those feminists, not the author of that work, who is defending a perfectly legitimate thesis while exercising his right.

Interestingly, I've searched high and low on the "Feministas Canarias" Twitter account and there isn't a single mention of Islam or the Quran. Not one, despite the account being active for four years. This is shocking, because discrimination against women is commonplace in many Islamic countries. This discrimination is based on the holy book of that religion, the Quran, whose surah 4:34 states:

"Men are in charge of women by what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in absence what Allah would have them guard. But those from whom you fear arrogance – advise them; forsake them in bed; and, strike them. But if they obey you, seek no means against them. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted and Grand."

If the "Canary Islands Feminists" group is truly concerned about so-called "gender violence," a concept that defends the thesis that women are victims of violence that is "a manifestation of the historically unequal power relations between women and men" (which is what Organic Law 1/2004, which Soyo Ivars criticizes in his book, states), it is clear that a book that encourages beating rebellious women is much more dangerous than a book that warns against false accusations, especially considering the large number of followers of the Quran in Spain: 2.5 million Muslims reside here. It will be difficult for Soto Ivars to reach such an audience with his book, but if feminists insist on their demands for censorship, it wouldn't be out of the question, considering the Streisand effect that censorship generates.

---

Photo: Malik Shibly.