Ex-mufti: Fatwa should cover sports too
Former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin supports disqualification of Muslims from beauty pageants
Lisa J. Ariffin, FMT
Former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has defended the fatwa prohibiting Muslims from participating in beauty pageants.
He also said the ban should be extended to all sports requiring women to expose their bodies.
“I agree with the fatwa that Muslims should not participate in beauty pageants,” he told FMT. “Maybe people are confused over the double standards. Therefore, I think it should apply also to participation in sports that require women to expose their bodies.”
To a suggestion that many people might consider his recommendation too harsh, Asri said the alternative was to have a separate and secluded sports arena for women athletes such as swimmers.
“But that’s impossible,” he added. “So the best thing is to standardise the fatwa to apply to all activities that require women to expose their bodies.”
Asri dismissed as misguided a recent Sisters in Islam statement alleging that the procedure for legislating fatwas was “unIslamic” and “undemocratic”.
“Fatwas are syariah laws and are not made by Parliament,” he said. “They are conclusions from what is understood from the Quran and authentic prophetic tradition.”
Asked to comment on the recent disqualification of four Miss Malaysia World 2013 beauty contest finalists on the basis that their participation would be sinful, Asri said the girls should have known that they were doing something against their religion.
“If they know about Islam, then they should have known this even if there is no fatwa. The basic thing is that Muslim women should not expose their bodies.”
