FALSE PATRIARCHAL SERMON NARRATIVES ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEIR GENDERED CONSEQUENCES IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

Digital circulation of Waj Mahfil sermon clips in Bangladesh often promotes patriarchal misreadings that travel from screen to household rules and institutional actions. This study analyzes four widely viewed clips containing false patriarchal narratives alongside paired reported incidents to map how selective interpretation and platform amplification produce constraints on girls’ schooling, women’s employment and leadership, and safe mobility. Using a consistent case template with brief excerpt, scriptural verification, timeline, and analysis, the study applies representation theory to show how meaning is made through captions, metaphors, and editing, and social norms theory to explain how those meanings harden into injunctive and descriptive rules. Cross case findings reveal a common mechanism. Vivid claims about female obedience, polygyny, and women’s unsuitability for public life are amplified online, absorbed in families and communities, and then enforced through harassment, gatekeeping, or administrative decisions, with documented consequences that include education dropout, economic vulnerability, curtailed participation, domestic violence, and dangerous delays in care. The article contributes a claim to consequence framework that separates religious teaching from preacher rhetoric and identifies actionable leverage points for educators, community leaders, platforms, and policymakers who seek to support accurate religious learning and protect women’s rights.