Excerpt:
An imam in France has claimed in a sermon that selfishness is part of "the nature of women", comments that have shocked all the more because of his reputation as a progressive influence on Islam in the country.
"No matter how much good you bestow upon a woman, she will deny it. Her selfishness drives her to deny it." These were the words of Imam Mohamed Khattabi, delivered during a Friday sermon at the Aicha Mosque in Montpellier, southern France, on March 6, two days before International Women's Day.
Standing high in the mosque's minbar (pulpit), Khattabi continued: "This holds true for all women, whether Western, Arab, Muslim, Jewish, or Christian. This is the nature of women.