Posted on 10/26/2006 5:36:11 AM PDT by cartan
Australia's most senior Muslim cleric has triggered international outrage for describing women who dress immodestly as “uncovered meat” who are inviting a sexual attack.
Sheik Taj Aldin al-Hilali—the Mufti of Australia—condemned women who “sway suggestively”, wear make-up and no hijab or Islamic headscarf, in a Ramadan sermon to 500 worshippers, The Australian reported.
Islamic leaders are today meeting in Sydney to discuss his future and are considering whether to sack him from his role as the most senior cleric at the city's largest mosque.
John Howard, the Prime Minister, said that the cleric's comments were “appalling and reprehensible”.
He told reporters: “The idea that women are to blame for rapes is preposterous. I not only reject the comments, I condemn them unconditionally.”
Mr al-Hilali, who arrived in Australia in 1982 from Lebanon on a tourist visa and later fought attempts to deport him, has triggered controversies in the past.
In 2004 he said in a sermon in Lebanon that the September 11 attacks were “God's work against the oppressors.” The cleric later said that he did not mean that he supported the attacks, or terrorism.
Race relations in Sydney are volatile following riots between the white and Middle Eastern youths last December. As summer arrives the city's authorities fear that troubles may explode again and police have begun patrolling the area where the riots took place.
In a statement today, the outspoken cleric apologised for his comments and said: “I had only intended to protect women's honour, something lost in The Australian presentation of my talk.”
He was reported in the newspaper as saying that he only meant to refer to prostitutes as meat, and not any woman who does not wear a hijab, but the paper said there was no mention of the word prostitute in the sermon.
A spokesman for the Egyptian-born cleric said that his comments, made last month, had been taken out of context in the newspaper report, but did not challenge the accuracy of the paper's translation.
During the sermon al Hilali said: “If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden, or in the park, or in the backyard without cover, and the cats come to eat it…whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat?
“The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred.”
The Australian also reported that he said that women were “weapons” used by “Satan” to control men.
Pru Goward, Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner, said that Mr al-Hilali had a history of making such comments and should be thrown out of the country.
“It is incitement to a crime. Young Muslim men who now rape women can cite this in court, can quote this man, their leader in court,” she told Australian television.
“It's time we stopped just saying he should apologise. It is time the Islamic community did more then say they were horrified. I think it's time he was asked to go.”
Islamic groups have tried to disassociate themselves from Mr al-Hilali's remarks. The Islamic Council of New South Wales said his comments were “un-Islamic, un-Australian and unacceptable”.
Waleed Aly, a member of the Islamic Council of Victoria state, said that the comments would result in more antagonism toward Muslims.
“I am expecting a deluge of hate mail. I am expecting people to get abused in the street and get abused at work,” he said.
You won't hear language like that coming from any muslim. We'll see if the guy is actually removed from the mosque...but I doubt it.
It will be interesting to see the "feminist" take on these comments.
Will it be another "Clinton moment" where power politics are shown to be far more important to "feminists" than protecting women and their rights?
According to the imam, that's because they don't dress properly...
He's wrong....for the analogy to work with muslims you have to change "cats" to "brain-damaged pigs"
I suppose shootings happen because the gunpowder is immoral...
I like the "uncovered meat" comment - I suppose the idea of consent never crossed his mind...
I bet if he gets raped in the shower while in prison, his thoughts will be a bit different.
"Oh my Lord! Why is it that no one seems to want to point out that "that" is an excuse for men NOT TO CONTROL THEMSELVES?"
I know. It's like the parents who constantly use the old saying "Boys will be boys."
Sheik Taj Aldin al-Hilali is actually moderate Muslim in his views. Young women who have been raped sometimes are killed by family members in 'honor killings' in Islamic countries.
We need death squads to "disappear" people like this, along with imam that preach jihad. Just find 'em a grave in a lonely place.
“The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred.”
This is your brain on Islam.
Any questions?
Liars.
Muslim:B1N142 “‘O womenfolk, you should ask for forgiveness for I saw you in bulk amongst the dwellers of Hell.’ A wise lady said: Why is it, Allah’s Apostle, that women comprise the bulk of the inhabitants of Hell? The Prophet observed: ‘You curse too much and are ungrateful to your spouses. You lack common sense, fail in religion and rob the wisdom of the wise.’ Upon this the woman remarked: What is wrong with our common sense? The Prophet replied, ‘Your lack of common sense can be determined from the fact that the evidence of two women is equal to one man. That is a proof.’”
Bukhari:V3B48N826 “The Prophet said, ‘Isn’t the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?’ The women said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is because of the deficiency of a woman’s mind.’”
Ishaq:584 “Tell the men with you who have wives: never trust a woman.”
Ishaq:185 “In hell I saw women hanging by their breasts. They had fathered bastards.”
Tabari IX:113 “Allah permits you to shut them in separate rooms and to beat them, but not severely. If they abstain, they have the right to food and clothing. Treat women well for they are like domestic animals and they possess nothing themselves. Allah has made the enjoyment of their bodies lawful in his Qur’an.”
Islam never says nothing bad about women...
That's for sure.
So a woman's hair is such a turn on to Muslim men that they can't control themselves?
I've heard of fetishes before, but. . .
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.