Not very long ago, singer-turned-cleric, Junaid Jamshed riled up a significant number of religious groups after a video of his diatribe was released online.

It was the usual; Jamshed shaming women for existing, speaking of them as strange creatures who need to be ‘controlled’ but who can never be truly understood.

What was different this time was that he channeled his chauvinism towards the Prophet’s (PBUH) wife. Like clockwork, Jamshed was pushed to release a video taking back his words and apologise, before fleeing the country. He said he didn’t mean to be blasphemous or disrespectful; it is believable, because what became evident was that Jamshed’s chauvinism knows no bounds.

We should know better than anyone else that religion can be a trenchant tool for complete control. Very often, the control begins with establishing a patriarchal culture. Not your usual ‘it’s a man’s world’ patriarchy, but the kind where women aren’t the lesser ones, they simply do not exist.

Consent is all but absent; in fact, having consent at all is seen as a grave threat.

The most recent poster child for this misogyny is Maulana Sherani, of the good old Council of Islamic Ideology. He’s back with yet another statement on marriage, divorce and all things women.

Also read: CII: Pushing Pakistan back to the caves

This time, Sherani has stated that not only are men ‘allowed’ to remarry without their wives’ permission but even the idea of a wife consenting to polygamy is anarchism.

This anarchism, according to Sherani, is furthered under the garb of women rights. Because of course, the rights of women do not exist unless they are dictated by men.

The rights that do exist are in reality convoluted ideologies that teach women that being a subordinate is a norm, because they were born this way.

That women were born for a purpose which is to satisfy a man’s sexual desires, be a homemaker and a procreator.