THE VOICE OF EMMANUELLA: WHEN TRUTH BECOMES A CRIME
By Nur Khazari | July 5, 2025
In the summer of 2025, Kazakh blogger Emmanuella Nauryzbayeva posted a video recounting her experience of being sexually harassed in the Nur-Gasyr mosque in Aktobe. A man had approached her with a so-called “one-time Nikah” — a religiously cloaked form of exploitation.
But instead of compassion, Emmanuella faced a storm of hatred and blame. Rather than being protected, she was cast out by society.
When the Victim Becomes the Guilty
What followed exposed more than just one woman’s pain — it revealed the toxic state of an entire sociocultural and religious environment. Emmanuella became the target of online abuse:
- Accused of “defaming Islam”
- Dismissed as seeking attention
- Shamed for “dishonoring the mosque”
While the perpetrator remained anonymous and unpunished, she was publicly crucified.
Her “crime” was not what she said, but that she dared to speak at all. She broke a silence many are too afraid to break — and paid the price.
This is not about Islam. It’s about patriarchal traditions hiding behind religious rhetoric.
Critics claimed she insulted Islam. But in truth, she exposed the hypocrisy that thrives under a false veil of piety.
Islam Teaches Dignity, Not Silence
Islam, as taught in the Qur’an and Hadith, emphasizes justice, human dignity, and the protection of the vulnerable.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“The best among you are those who are best to their women.”
Yet in many societies, Islam has been hijacked by patriarchal power structures, where:
- Women are blamed for men’s behavior
- Shame is valued more than truth
- Violence is dismissed as “a private matter”
The West and the Paradox of Islamic Values
Here lies a painful irony:
In many secular Western countries, a woman like Emmanuella would be:
- Legally protected
- Taken seriously by the police
- Supported by the public
In those countries:
- Harassment in houses of worship is punishable
- Public shaming is condemned
- Cyberbullying is prosecuted
These systems are not in contradiction with Islamic values — in many ways, they uphold the Prophet’s teachings better than some self-proclaimed “Islamic” societies.
The issue is not Islam. The issue is those who abuse Islam to control women.
One Voice Can Awaken Thousands
Today, one woman speaks.
Tomorrow, thousands may realize they have the same right.
And that is what society fears most — women who find their voice, instead of keeping silent.
When a woman says:
“I was harassed in a mosque,”
she is not dishonoring the mosque.
She is reclaiming her dignity
by shedding light on the injustice that thrives in silence.
What Now?
Society must choose:
- Justice — or hypocrisy?
- To silence truth — or confront abusers?
Emmanuella’s story is not an isolated case.
It is a mirror — and we all must dare to look.
Because when silence becomes the norm, truth becomes the crime.
But truth remains truth — even if it’s spoken by just one woman standing against the world.