On Friday, an influential city based Muslim, Syed Md Nurur Rahman Barkati, the Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Masjid, said that girls of the present generation are presented in a ‘sexy manner’ and that is why they become ‘prey to men’s lust’.
Addressing a press conference, Barkati said, “These days, women are being raped. Young women are made to appear so sexy that young men are tempted to violate them.” He added, “One should take example from how the women of Rajasthan wear a veil on their face or the women of Punjab who wear a dupatta over their dresses.”
However, he later clarified on that by “sexy” he meant “attractive”, adding that women are free to do what they want but they should also “be cautious about their own safety.”
He said that the many have adopted the Islamic rule of purdah even in places like America and that would bring down the number of cases of violence against women.
“Even Hindu sages are appreciating the purdah system and when they ask women to dress up in a sober manner, they receive a lot of flak,” he said.
After being questioned by journalists for his description of women as “weak”, he said that women are “weak” because they “trust others very easily” and hence are “viewed with lust by wolves [men of questionable character].”
He blames men too. “The character of men is not right these days,” he said.
Speaking about his ‘fatwa’ against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he also issued one against Muslims in the BJP. “I have a lot of reverence for the Prime Minister’s chair but what I said was against Narendra Modi as a person who is behind Gujarat genocide and all the inconveniences that are caused to the people of the country through his demonetization policy. Today I issue a fatwa for Muslims in UP that in the forthcoming elections that not one Muslim votes should be cast in favour of BJP or RSS. You may vote for any other party other than the BJP. And also for the Muslims who are in BJP, I expel them from Islam today through my fatwa,” he said.
The cleric also issued a ‘fatwa’ against BJP minority leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, saying that he “should be beaten with shoes.”
Sunanda Mukherjee, chairperson, West Bengal Commission for Women said that Barkati had lost his mind. “In which university, has he studied the increase in ‘sexiness’ among women? Then he must also know how to proportionately lessen the urge among men. That should serve the purpose. He must understand that this is India and not Saudi Arabia. Here people of different religion live in perfect harmony with their cultures and tastes,” she said.
