The Canadian PM Justin Trudeau indicated that he do not care for gender equality in cultures and communities other than his own.

He attended a gender segregated function in a mosque in Ottawa and actually seemed to praise the gender segregation as diversity and as a source of strength.

 “Diversity is a source of strength, not just a source of weakness, and as I look at this beautiful room — sisters upstairs — everyone here, (I see) the diversity we have just within this mosque, within the Islamic community, within the Muslim community in Canada.”

Trudeau was at the mosque Monday to mark Eid al-Adha, considered the holiest of feast days for the world’s Muslims. Three female MPs accompanied Trudeau during his brief remarks, though they had to arrive by a side door and stand with their heads covered. They did not address the mosque

Worshippers at the mosque are separated by gender. Men were on the main floor where Trudeau spoke. Women and girls were in a balcony or in other parts of the mosque.

I will meet with Canadians regardless of where they are in Canada,” Trudeau told reporters Monday afternoon. “I will speak to inclusive growth, help for the middle class. I will talk about gender equality. I will talk about the rights of the LGBT community. We will continue to promote the values which bring us together.”

While Trudeau, in his remarks at the mosque did indeed speak about growth and the middle class, he made no mention of LGBT rights nor did he make any mention of gender equality.

Some people are uncomfortable about criticising other cultures. But when it comes to universal Humanist values there should not be any double standards. Misogyny or racism or casteism is bad what ever the culture be.

Another motive for Trudeau is greed for votes. He must be thinking it is ok to sacrifice his feminist values at the altar of electoral politics.

Many in the atheist community think the same. They feel feminism is unimportant enough to be sacrificed for unity of the movement.

Many anti feminist atheists will soon be quoting this speech of Canadian PM, a self-styled feminist, for attacking feminism. What they should realise is one cannot attack rationalism just because a self-styled rationalist says he believes in homeopathy. Similarly if a self-styled feminist person’s speech or actions are not supportive of gender equality, that cannot be used to attack feminism.