Australia’s Muslim cleric in dress furore

SYDNEY- One of Australia’s senior-most Islamic clerics has triggered outrage after comments comparing women who don’t wear a headscarf to “uncovered meat” who invite rape.

Sheik Taj Aldin al Hilali denied he was condoning rape when he made the comments in a sermon last month, and apologised to any women he had offended, saying they were free to dress as they wished. The row comes during a heated debate – and sometimes attacks – in Britain about religious freedom centred around whether Muslim women should wear veils.Similar passions raged when France banned head scarves and other religious symbols in public schools two years ago.In Australia, there was widespread condemnation yesterday of the cleric’s comments, from other Muslim leaders, civil libertarians and political leaders.Hilali was quoted in the Australian newspaper as saying in the sermon: “If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside …without cover, and the cats come to eat it …whose fault is it, the cats’ or the uncovered meat’s.””The uncovered meat is the problem.If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred,” he was quoted as saying, referring to the headdress worn by some Muslim women.Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward said Hilali’s comment was an incitement to rape.Nampa-APThe row comes during a heated debate – and sometimes attacks – in Britain about religious freedom centred around whether Muslim women should wear veils.Similar passions raged when France banned head scarves and other religious symbols in public schools two years ago.In Australia, there was widespread condemnation yesterday of the cleric’s comments, from other Muslim leaders, civil libertarians and political leaders.Hilali was quoted in the Australian newspaper as saying in the sermon: “If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside …without cover, and the cats come to eat it …whose fault is it, the cats’ or the uncovered meat’s.””The uncovered meat is the problem.If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred,” he was quoted as saying, referring to the headdress worn by some Muslim women.Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward said Hilali’s comment was an incitement to rape.Nampa-AP