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| Australian cleric in dress furore | Australian cleric in dress furore |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Australia's most senior Muslim cleric has been accused of saying that some women are attracting sexual assault by the way they dress. | Australia's most senior Muslim cleric has been accused of saying that some women are attracting sexual assault by the way they dress. |
| In a sermon, Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali said that women who did not wear a hijab (head dress) were like "uncovered meat". | In a sermon, Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali said that women who did not wear a hijab (head dress) were like "uncovered meat". |
| A transcript of the sermon has been published in an Australian newspaper. | A transcript of the sermon has been published in an Australian newspaper. |
| Leading Muslim women have condemned the comments, as has the government, which called on him to apologise. | Leading Muslim women have condemned the comments, as has the government, which called on him to apologise. |
| But a spokesman for Sheikh Hilali said the quote had been taken out of context and referred not to sexual assault but to sexual infidelity. | But a spokesman for Sheikh Hilali said the quote had been taken out of context and referred not to sexual assault but to sexual infidelity. |
| Sheikh Hilali's critics have previously accused him of praising suicide bombers and claiming the attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001 were "God's work against oppressors". | Sheikh Hilali's critics have previously accused him of praising suicide bombers and claiming the attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001 were "God's work against oppressors". |
| The cleric's latest comments came in a sermon delivered to some 500 worshippers in Sydney last month. | |
| If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred Sheikh Hilali "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside... and the cats come and eat it... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat?" he asked. | If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred Sheikh Hilali "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside... and the cats come and eat it... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat?" he asked. |
| The uncovered meat is the problem, he went on to say. | The uncovered meat is the problem, he went on to say. |
| "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred," he added. | "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred," he added. |
| Sheikh Hilali also condemned women who swayed suggestively and wore make-up, implying they attracted sexual assault. | Sheikh Hilali also condemned women who swayed suggestively and wore make-up, implying they attracted sexual assault. |
| "Then you get a judge without mercy... and gives you 65 years," he added. | "Then you get a judge without mercy... and gives you 65 years," he added. |
| High-profile case | High-profile case |
| The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says the comments are seen as particularly insensitive because Sydney was the scene six years ago of a series of gang rapes committed by a group of Lebanese Australians, who received long prison sentences. | The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says the comments are seen as particularly insensitive because Sydney was the scene six years ago of a series of gang rapes committed by a group of Lebanese Australians, who received long prison sentences. |
| Finance Minister Peter Costello called on Muslims to condemn the speech. | Finance Minister Peter Costello called on Muslims to condemn the speech. |
| "If you have a significant religious leader like this preaching to a flock in a situation where we've had gang rapes, in a way that seems to make it justifiable, then people that listen to that kind of comment can get the wrong idea," he said. | "If you have a significant religious leader like this preaching to a flock in a situation where we've had gang rapes, in a way that seems to make it justifiable, then people that listen to that kind of comment can get the wrong idea," he said. |
| "They can actually think that it's not as bad as it is." | "They can actually think that it's not as bad as it is." |
| A number of leading Muslim women have already spoken out against the sermon, describing it as repulsive and offensive. | A number of leading Muslim women have already spoken out against the sermon, describing it as repulsive and offensive. |
| Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward said the comments could be an incitement to crime. | Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward said the comments could be an incitement to crime. |
| "Young Muslim men who now rape women can cite this in court, can quote this man... their leader in court," she told Australian media. | "Young Muslim men who now rape women can cite this in court, can quote this man... their leader in court," she told Australian media. |
| She added that the cleric should be deported for inciting rape. | She added that the cleric should be deported for inciting rape. |
| But a spokesman for Sheikh Hilali said his comments had been misconstrued and that they referred to sexual infidelity rather than sexual assault. | But a spokesman for Sheikh Hilali said his comments had been misconstrued and that they referred to sexual infidelity rather than sexual assault. |
| The sermon was targeted against men and women who engaged in extra-marital sex and did so through alluring types of clothes, he said. | The sermon was targeted against men and women who engaged in extra-marital sex and did so through alluring types of clothes, he said. |