Inside the Muslim Manosphere Policing Women Online

Atta’i packages his ideas as relationship advice, but his videos frequently frame interactions between men and women as contests for power. Atta’i’s videos, which WIRED Middle East has watched, describe violence as a means of “disciplining” women or retaliating against sexual rejection.

The Arabic manosphere does more than translate Western Red Pill content. Its creators have adapted the ideology to local anxieties around religion, masculinity, marriage, money, and social change.

Kaddoura says influencers use financial insecurity, political instability, religious identity, and fears about declining morality or social cohesion to build their audiences. Misogyny becomes an explanation for a much wider sense of frustration—and women become its most visible target.

The problem is not religious expression online but the use of religious authority—real or claimed—to legitimize misogyny, harassment, and the public surveillance of women. The Muslim manosphere is also not confined to the Arab world. Like the broader manosphere, it crosses borders, languages, and platforms.

Take prominent UK-based creator Ali Dawah, whose channel features street debates and commentary about relationships, gender roles, religion, and Western culture. In one clip, Dawah says he hates Muslim feminists “the most.” In another video, he approaches women in public and challenges them over clothing he describes as immodest.

“Dawah” is not just this YouTuber’s name. In Arabic, it means to make an invitation to someone to learn about Islam. Ali is just one of many influencers often called “Dawah Bros,” and they’re generally known for being more aggressive than offering an invitation when it comes to promoting their manosphere-esque content.

Kaddoura sees the Dawah Bros as a platform-native successor to an older variety of media figure. During the 1990s, Islamic television programs in Egypt and Saudi Arabia regularly featured sheikhs answering callers’ questions about relationships, clothing, and acceptable behavior. However, unlike television preachers, today’s influencers are not limited to scheduled broadcasts, and they aren’t only interacting with people who’ve chosen to call in.