Muslim Cleric Calls Women 'Uncovered Meat'

Sheik In Australia Chastises Women Who Do Not Wear Head Scarves

(AP)  A senior Muslim cleric compared women who go without a head scarf to "uncovered meat" left out for scavengers, drawing widespread condemnation and calls Thursday for his resignation.

Sheik Taj Aldin al Hilali denied he was condoning rape when he made the comments in a sermon last month, and apologized to any women he had offended, saying they were free to dress as they wished.

Hilali was quoted in The Australian newspaper Thursday 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.

Prime Minister John Howard called the remarks "appalling and reprehensible."

"The idea that women are to blame for rapes is preposterous," Howard said.

The comments come during a heated debate in Britain about religious freedom centered 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 Thursday of the cleric's comments from other Muslim leaders, civil libertarians and political leaders.

Australia's Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward said Hilali's comment was an incitement to rape and that Australia's Muslims should force him to resign.

"This is inciting young men to a violent crime because it is the woman's fault," Goward told television's Nine Network. "It is time the Islamic community did more than say they were horrified. I think it is time he left."

Hilali is the top cleric at Sydney's largest mosque, and is considered the most senior Islamic leader by many Muslims in Australia and New Zealand.

He has in the past served as an adviser to the Australian government on Muslim issues, but triggered a controversy in 2004 for saying in a sermon in Lebanon that the Sept. 11 attacks were "God's work against the oppressors." Hilali said later he did not mean that he supported the attacks, or terrorism.

Relations between Australia's almost 300,000 Muslims and the majority Christian-heritage population are tense following riots last December that often pitted white gangs against youths of Middle Eastern decent.

Howard offended some Muslims recently by singling out some Muslims as extremists who should adopt Australia's Western liberal attitudes to women's rights.

Many Muslims say they are increasingly treated with suspicion since the Sept. 11 and other international terrorist attacks. Waleed Aly, a member of the Islamic Council of Victoria state, said Hilali's comments would result in more antagonism toward Muslims.

"I am expecting a deluge of hate mail," he said. "I am expecting people to get abused in the street and get abused at work."

Hilali said in a statement he was shocked by Thursday's reaction to his sermon.

"The presentation related to religious teachings on modesty and not to go to extremes in enticements, this does not condone rape, I condemn rape," he said.

"Women in our Australian society have the freedom and right to dress as they choose, the duty of man is to avert his glance or walk away," he said.

[bretware]

I'm pretty sure Muslim cleric's don't have too much creditability with anyone except Muslims.They have no idea how much damage their doing to their image and relegion. I think I know how this ends, and it%u2019s not pretty. They can't match the brain power or man power of the sane world, I fact about 50% of there man power is at home covered with tablecloths.

[bigal321321]

Let me take this one step further. Why are Catholic Priest celibit? Because thier leadership leaves that part of their religion in the 11th century. Both celibicy and women's rights in both religions need updating.

[bigal321321]

I've said it before. I'll say it again. This is the root of our differences between western ideology and muslim ideology. The way women are treated. From the muslim perpective the way they are able to treat thier women is something to die for. They profess that women should always be covered from head to toe and keep their place in the home. Muslims need to adjust their religion (as others have) to bring thier beliefs into the 21st century. I get the feeling they prefer the 6th.

[bluestardad]

STAY ALERT, THIS IS ANOTHER WEDGE TO SPLIT US.
Be Ever Vigilant. Bush and Rove will do anything to stay in power up to an including flooding key districts with fake absentee ballots tampering with electronic voting machines, and bussing in voters who are not from the districts to vote, or even starting another war with and suspending civil liberties postponing the mid term vote. There is a great possibility for this administration to tamper with the electronic voting machines to the point that very subtle differences will take place in Key races just enough to tip the vote in their favor but not enough to cause a full scale American Revolution leaving some doubt, but just enough to throw key races in the Republican Favor. Watch out for this election coup.

[halozcel]

which cats shall eat 'covered meat'

[halozcel]

which cats shall eat 'covered meat'

[plsthink]

Verzz, true but this is a forum where people has the freedom to express their thoughts. If this was hysteria, buses would be burning like those in Paris. The pornsites won't chop your head off if you're not satisified with their 'performance'...yes, those female porn stars are catering to the males and as they are very demeaning to women, but they are not being forced to do so. The comparison is ridiculous and weak.

[bellal-2009]

YOO HOO calling all feminists! Where are you? Where have you been? Oh, yea attacking Bush and Madam Secty. Rice.

[verrz]

Ouch! I admit that what the sheik said was stupid and crude, but these comments reek of hatred and near hysteria. Think for a minute folks how we unthinkingly use such crude terms in daily life, ie, meat market for singles bar, and cool your jets. More seriously, if you surf internet pornsites, freely available to most kids, you can see women debased in the most vile and dehumanizing ways imaginable. Hmmm, but appearently this is just fine and dandy in today's West.
It is obvious then that this man has been singled out for invective mostly because he is a Moslem. So what comes next, mandatory yellow crecents sewn on clothing?

[laurieleemoo]

so when the muslim terrorists try to blame american foreign policy for the reason they kill---consider the source as they also blame women unveiled for them not being able to keep their d_ _ s in their pants.