Rahul Gandhi’s “Smash the Patriarchy” speech in Pune can be a significant milestone for Indian women seeking gender justice. Firstly, a politician giving a call for social reform centred on women’s equality is a rare phenomenon in independent India. A politician calling out Manusmriti for its misogyny in fraught Hindutva times is further rare. Can we hope for the day when not just Gandhi but many more politicians across ideological divides begin highlighting the ugly truth at the core of our unequal society?Patriarchy masquerades as religion in our society across communities and faiths. It is the biggest elephant in the room that we have collectively as well as individually failed to address. Although not a fan, I praise Rahul Gandhi unequivocally on this count.As children we were taught to believe that religion is for good. For those fortunate ones who were born into progressive families, we were told that all religions are good. But rarely were we told about the inherent gender biases flourishing all around society in the name of religion. Religion as personal matter is one thing but institutionalised religion is a monstrously oppressive organism with little room for justice or equality.Temples, mosques, churches are often power structures based on rigid hierarchies and opaque functioning. Most followers of religions are not in a position to read and understand the texts by themselves. Most are recipients of religious knowledge passed on by typically male figures of religious authority. In many communities it has been made into rocket science which none other than religious heads can touch.The conservatism and patriarchal worldviews of those in charge have come to dominate what is broadly called religious conduct. Over time good conduct came to be based on what is supported by religion as outlined by men of religion. Exclusion of women was a natural corollary.Religions are popularly understood through male lens onlyOur religions are popularly understood through male lens only. They provide a subtle as well as direct justification besides a framework for subjugating women through cultural beliefs, norms, traditions, practices. Families and communities, be they Hindus or Muslims or Christians are guilty of male bias and gender discrimination. It provides not just a cover but even legitimacy to misogynist attitudes and behaviour.Sati, dowry, child marriage, polygamy, purdah, domesticity have been the fate of women over centuries in the Indian subcontinent. Religious dominance in society has relegated women to the margins despite constitutional guarantees and laws. The dream of a gender just Uniform Civil Code by Nehru, Ambedkar and many women freedom fighters was meant to remedy this social illness. Sadly it has been reduced to an insidious political agenda today. Empty slogans of Nari shakti is all we are left with! The stranglehold of religion and fear of so-called religious sensitivities prevents public intellectuals, activists, feminists from engaging with the subject.Ours is a fascinating case where the Constitution upholds the right to religious freedom for citizens as well as secularism as a principle of public life and governance. This sounds great in theory but it is riddled with complexities and challenges for anyone who engages with these in real-time. It is horrifying that both these ideals have been outrightly violated, maligned and mocked in the last decade under Modi.Let me highlight certain challenges as a woman born into a minority faith who chose to engage with some of these questions. Twenty years ago, we had serious deliberations lasting for months over the naming of our national collective of Muslim women. A key concern was whether the word Muslim should form a part of the name. I was personally not inclined to include the word as I have always believed in secularism.But in the aftermath of the Gujarat communal violence of 2002 and 9/11 it had become suspect to be a Muslim. It was important to unapologetically announce that we are a Muslim women’ s group and just as much Indian as anyone else. By doing this we would exercise both our right to religious freedom and uphold the value of secularism. Yet we were criticised by some for bringing Muslim into our name.Our biggest challenge was how to counter the patriarchal interpretations and misinterpretations of religious text so commonly accepted in the community. Learning and dissemination of gender just and progressive interpretations by globally renowned feminist scholars was a herculean task that took years and still continues. Soon, we undertook the campaign for reform in Muslim personal law. Ordinary Muslim women who were survivors of instant triple talaq were convinced that it is a wrong practice when we were able to explain how it was not valid as per the Quran.“My Nabi [prophet] cannot be unjust towards me” is the faith of an ordinary woman. She joined the movement against triple talaq and questioned male authority when she was introduced to verses calling for a just and fair divorce translated into her own language. It appears breezy in a nutshell but it was full of challenges including threats to physical safety and social boycott. Besides, we were labeled stooges of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).For many voluntary groups and activists entering the field of religion is a strict no no. It is much easier to demand change from the democratic state than seek to change intimate gender relations based on marriage and family – both institutions enjoying legitimacy from religion.Rahul Gandhi has raised a genuine question for the bright future of young Indians. The question is are we as a society and polity ready to call the bluff of patriarchal religious norms that deny equality to women and girls?Zakia Soman is co-founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan.