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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Australian cleric in dress furore | Australian cleric in dress furore |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Australia's most senior Muslim cleric has prompted an uproar by saying that some women are attracting sexual assault by the way they dress. | Australia's most senior Muslim cleric has prompted an uproar by saying that some women are attracting sexual assault by the way they dress. |
| Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali said women who did not wear a hijab (head dress) were like "uncovered meat". | |
| But he has now apologised for any offence caused by his comments, The Australian newspaper reports. | |
| Leading Muslim women condemned the comments and PM John Howard said the remarks were "appalling". | |
| "The idea that women are to blame for rapes is preposterous," Mr Howard told reporters. | "The idea that women are to blame for rapes is preposterous," Mr Howard told reporters. |
| A transcript of the sermon containing the original remarks has been published in The Australian. | |
| "I unreservedly apologise to any woman who is offended by my comments," Sheikh Hilali said in a statement on Thursday. | |
| "I had only intended to protect women's honour, something lost in The Australian presentation of my talk." | |
| A spokesman for Sheikh Hilali earlier said the quote had been taken out of context and referred not to sexual assault, but to sexual infidelity. | |
| The sermon was targeted against men and women who engaged in extra-marital sex and did so through alluring types of clothes, he said. | |
| Ramadan sermon | |
| 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. | 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 href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4532155.stm" class="">Controversial Mufti | |
| "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. |