European women fined because their clothes were not short enough
In Bulgaria the Norwegian women’s beach handball team were fined €1,500, or €150 per player, for “a case of improper clothing” because their clothes were not short enough - according to the rules!
The opposite happened last week, at The English athletics championship, when a female official told Paralympic world champion Olivia Breen her “sprint shorts were too short and inappropriate”.
Too short? Not short enough? Which is it? Secular culture can’t decide.
Usually, some accuse #Islam and Muslims of being obsessed with dictating how women dress. Actually, the Islamic guidance on dress for men and women is very clear and consistent, has the concept of covering the awrah and is against reducing women or men to been seen as mere sexual objects. This dress code is part of a comprehensive social system that ensures harmony when the sexes interact.
On the other hand, #secular culture is full of contradictions – leading to all sorts of pressures on women to look a particular way – which usually means showing off their bodies. Some women in secular Europe feel uncomfortable about being portrayed as mere sexual objects.
So Germany's gymnasts wore full-body suits in women's qualification at the Olympics as they continued their stand against the ‘sexualisation of their sport’. Sarah Voss, Pauline Schaefer-Betz, Elisabeth Seitz and Kim Bui donned the red and white outfits that extended to the ankles on Sunday. Wow, some women in Europe are saying the way women are made to dress can affect how they are seen! Creeping shariah or what?
We see the uproar when Muslim ladies insist on covering the Islamic way –as a worship to their Creator. Will these German gymnasts face similar uproar for their laudable stance? No, because they are seen as covering because of ‘personal freedom’ and not wanting to be sexualised. When two women undertake similar action, the secular world only has a problem with the woman undertaking the action for Islamic reasons.
Taji Mustafa