The War on Muslim Womanhood (ft. Imam Tom Facchine)

What does it really mean to speak about the power of a Muslim woman in a world already saturated with assumptions about gender, autonomy, success, and value?

In this thought-provoking OnGuard conversation, Hamza Tzortzis is joined by Imam Tom Facchine (Yaqeen Institute) for a wide-ranging discussion sparked by Islam21c’s Power of a Muslim Woman campaign. But this is not the conversation many might expect.

Together, they explore:

• Why modern society subtly reshaped how we think about women and “empowerment”
• The quiet pressure many women feel to justify or even apologise for following their fitrah and divine guidance
• How homemaking, motherhood, and femininity became culturally devalued
• The liberal assumptions that influence how all of us — men and women — see the world
• Why debates around feminism often miss the deeper questions entirely
• The "crisis of Islamic scholarship" that leads to many sisters not getting the support they deserve
• And more

This episode isn’t about slogans or culture-war soundbites. It’s about stepping back and asking:

❓ Who defines value?
❓ What counts as power?
❓ And why do so many feel conflicted about answers Islam has long provided?

Whether you’re navigating these questions personally, as a parent, or simply trying to understand the world we inhabit, this discussion offers clarity, nuance, and reflection.

For more information about the Power of a Muslim Woman campaign and to sign up for updates, visit https://pomw.org

Chapters:
00:00 — Intro
03:57 — Why this conversation can’t be avoided
07:04 — How “empowerment” gets defined
10:45 — You’re swimming in liberal waters
14:21 — Why feminism feels persuasive
18:08 — Feminism vs Islam: different starting points
22:17 — Who actually defines value?
26:31 — Homemaking and cultural status
30:43 — “Pretend I’m a sister…”
34:55 — The pressure to justify choices
39:14 — When Islam is reframed in liberal terms
43:36 — Masculinity, femininity, and discomfort
48:00 — Strength vs stereotype
51:51 — The quiet belittling of homemaking
56:09 — The apology trap
1:00:13 — The crisis of Islamic scholarship
1:04:38 — Authority, trust, and confusion
1:09:01 — Internal tensions within Muslim spaces
1:13:43 — Disagreement without defensiveness
1:18:35 — Confidence without apology
1:23:47 — Noticing the water we’re swimming in
1:29:13 — Imagine I’m a sister…