Miriam faces harassment from men over her online Muslim women's group

A woman who administers an online group for Muslim women has faced a torrent of harassment, including unwanted advice on her attire and behavior.

Miriam, whose full name is not being used due to fears of online retaliation, has been running the group for over a year, but has found it difficult to escape the attention of men who have somehow discovered its existence.

She has received numerous messages from individuals telling her how she should dress, speak, and behave in public, with some even going so far as to suggest that she cover her skin with gloves to conform to certain standards of modesty.

These messages have taken a toll on Miriam's mental well-being, prompting her to consider abandoning the group altogether.

The Muslim manosphere has adopted a common worldview that sees feminism as a destabilizing force in society, giving women too much power and necessitating men's reassertion of control.

This ideology is not unique to the Muslim manosphere but rather an adaptation of ideas circulating through the wider manosphere, rebranded with language from Islamic faith.

A 2025 report by Sarah Kaddoura, a feminist researcher and creator of the YouTube channel Haki Nasawi, examined the Arabic-speaking manosphere, identifying prominent influencers who disseminate these views to a wide audience.

Kareem Atta'i, a Jordanian relationship coach known online as Coach Kareem or Red Pill Arabic, is one such influencer whose videos often frame interactions between men and women as contests for power.

Ali Dawah is a UK-based creator whose YouTube channel features street debates and commentary on various topics, including relationships, gender roles, religion, and Western culture. His approach often involves challenging women in public over their clothing choices, which he views as immodest.

The name "Dawah holds significance, as it translates to making an invitation to someone to learn about Islam. However, Dawah's actions are more akin to aggressive promotion of his manosphere-esque content than a genuine invitation. He is part of the group known as the Dawah Bros," who have gained prominence online for their provocative take on Islamic values.

The rise of influencers like Dawah and the Dawah Bros can be seen as an extension of older media figures who appeared in Islamic television programs during the 1990s. These TV preachers would answer questions from callers on topics such as relationships, clothing, and acceptable behavior. However, today's online influencers are not bound by traditional broadcast schedules and interact with a wider audience.

Their ideas often spread beyond podcasts and debate videos to affect prominent Muslim women online. For these individuals, the impact of such ideologies can be particularly severe, given their already visible presence on the internet.

Comment sections and private messages on social media platforms have become breeding grounds for self-appointed moral enforcers who target women online.

A recent study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found that 72 percent of hate speech, harassment, or abusive language directed at public figures and influencers in Jordan was aimed at women. Moreover, a significant portion of this abuse - 11 percent - took the form of religious or moral harassment, with an overwhelming 85 percent of such comments targeting female influencers.

The intersection of sexism and religiosity online is particularly concerning, as it subjects women to unwanted attention while also instructing them to remain invisible. This paradox is evident in the experiences of Mariam, who has received messages that reflect this contradictory dynamic.

Online engagement systems can amplify polarizing content, including videos promoting manosphere ideologies that blame women for men's problems. These videos often generate reactions from supporters and critics alike, increasing their visibility and further entrenching discriminatory attitudes towards women.

The online spread of discriminatory content against women can be a gradual process, where users are subtly encouraged to engage with and share such material. This can make disagreement appear immoral, leading critics to be portrayed as threats to the faith.

Researchers struggle to track how users move between creators and communities due to limited access to internal data, leaving key questions unanswered, including whether prolonged exposure to such content changes user behavior over time. The technical intricacies behind harassment may be invisible to its victims, but its effects are undeniable.

The cycle of online harassment can repeat indefinitely, with videos being shared through recommendation systems into users' feeds, and eventually echoed in women's comment sections and inboxes, perpetuating a toxic environment that women like Mariam must navigate.