People with nothing positive to say or only gawk at the female figure should keep their thoughts to themselves, said MCA vice president Chew Mei Fun after national gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi drew brickbats over her outfit.
She said people who find fault in women over their sporting attire would only confine women in the domestic realm, especially Muslim women, because the outfits deemed to be ‘revealing’ are also used in sports other than gymnastics.
This would make sports in Malaysia dominated males and non-Muslims, which is does not bode well for the country’s sports development and national unity, she said.
“I support the statement by social activist Marina Mahathir who in defence of Farah Ann, had rebuked ‘those people who spend their time looking at athlete's private parts, what exactly have they done to bring glory to their country?’
“People who have nothing positive to say, or who only gawk at a woman’s figure, should keep whatever thoughts they have to themselves, as such public condemnations, linking Farah Ann’s leotard to ‘the shape of a vagina’ are a self-reflection of their own distracted mindset whenever they see the physical attributes of any person, be that individual a female or male, and not the talent or sports development of any sportsperson,” she said in a statement today.
The deputy women’s minister also expressed concern over the statement by Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria, who had reportedly said that gymnastics is not a sport for Muslim women, while Muslim men should wear knee-length shorts while playing football.
Chew said such statements would stagnate sports participation in both men and women.
Gan: Get priorities right
Separately, former MCA deputy minister and Centre for a Better Tomorrow (Cenbet) co-president Gan Ping Sieu said the criticisms against Farah as well as an earlier controversy over the dress code at the Road Transport Department’s offices are signs of extremism creeping into the public sphere.
“Such elements have become more pronounced over the years. They spread their influence by way of legislative reforms and administrative measures or so-called guidelines.
“While going back to the roots of any religious teaching is laudable, this should not be used as a cloak for deliberate misinterpretation of faiths for sectarian or even political agendas,” he said in a statement.
He said arguments over such issues distract from more important issues of nation-building, such as quality of government services and sporting standards.
“It (overzealousness) cuts across the entire spectrum of our society. At a time when we are faced with growing economic challenges and a shrinking world brought by advent of technology, we should get our priorities right.
“We can start by not allowing extremism take hold and derail what we have achieved and what we set out to do,” said the former deputy youth and sports minister.
Six medals in hand
Farah Ann won six medals over the past week at the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games that is being hosted in Singapore, comprising two gold medals (including one for the team event), one silver medal, and three bronze medals.
However, some netizens preferred to criticise her for wearing leotards that they complained did not cover her aurat as required of Muslims.
She has since fired back at her critics saying“empty cans make the most noise”, while Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar has also spoken up in her defence.
However, Khairy has thus far not been spotted responding to Harussani's general call against Muslim women in sports on his social media channels.
She said people who find fault in women over their sporting attire would only confine women in the domestic realm, especially Muslim women, because the outfits deemed to be ‘revealing’ are also used in sports other than gymnastics.
This would make sports in Malaysia dominated males and non-Muslims, which is does not bode well for the country’s sports development and national unity, she said.“I support the statement by social activist Marina Mahathir who in defence of Farah Ann, had rebuked ‘those people who spend their time looking at athlete's private parts, what exactly have they done to bring glory to their country?’
“People who have nothing positive to say, or who only gawk at a woman’s figure, should keep whatever thoughts they have to themselves, as such public condemnations, linking Farah Ann’s leotard to ‘the shape of a vagina’ are a self-reflection of their own distracted mindset whenever they see the physical attributes of any person, be that individual a female or male, and not the talent or sports development of any sportsperson,” she said in a statement today.
The deputy women’s minister also expressed concern over the statement by Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria, who had reportedly said that gymnastics is not a sport for Muslim women, while Muslim men should wear knee-length shorts while playing football.
Chew said such statements would stagnate sports participation in both men and women.
Gan: Get priorities right
Separately, former MCA deputy minister and Centre for a Better Tomorrow (Cenbet) co-president Gan Ping Sieu said the criticisms against Farah as well as an earlier controversy over the dress code at the Road Transport Department’s offices are signs of extremism creeping into the public sphere.
“Such elements have become more pronounced over the years. They spread their influence by way of legislative reforms and administrative measures or so-called guidelines.
“While going back to the roots of any religious teaching is laudable, this should not be used as a cloak for deliberate misinterpretation of faiths for sectarian or even political agendas,” he said in a statement.He said arguments over such issues distract from more important issues of nation-building, such as quality of government services and sporting standards.
“It (overzealousness) cuts across the entire spectrum of our society. At a time when we are faced with growing economic challenges and a shrinking world brought by advent of technology, we should get our priorities right.
“We can start by not allowing extremism take hold and derail what we have achieved and what we set out to do,” said the former deputy youth and sports minister.
Six medals in hand
Farah Ann won six medals over the past week at the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games that is being hosted in Singapore, comprising two gold medals (including one for the team event), one silver medal, and three bronze medals.
However, some netizens preferred to criticise her for wearing leotards that they complained did not cover her aurat as required of Muslims.
She has since fired back at her critics saying“empty cans make the most noise”, while Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar has also spoken up in her defence.
However, Khairy has thus far not been spotted responding to Harussani's general call against Muslim women in sports on his social media channels.
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