Mohamed Salah has said people in "my culture and in the Middle East" need to modernise their attitudes towards women.
The Liverpool forward was speaking to TIME magazine after being named on their list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
The 26-year-old is one of just five sportspeople on the list - LeBron James, Tiger Woods, Caster Semenya and Alex Morgan are the others - and he has used the platform to call on men who share his faith to change their ways.
He told TIME: "I think we need to change the way we treat women in our culture. It's not optional.
"I support the woman more than I did before, because I feel like she deserves more than what they give her now, at the moment."
Salah has been included on the list after scoring 67 goals in 98 games for Liverpool since signing from Roma in 2017, as well as converting the penalty that sent Egypt to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years last year.