Call to ban scanty dresses at Bazar Ramadan draws flak: Is this about respect or “thin iman (faith)”?

 

WITH two-third of the Muslim fasting month having passed, a rightist digital creator has taken a swipe at presumably female Chinese Bazar Ramadan visitors who are scantily dressed for defying the spirit of the holy month.

The self-proclaimed Bahasa Melayu champion since 2012 has proposed to all directors of Islamic religious councils nationwide to issue a mandatory notice for visitors/traders of Bazar Ramadan to ensure that “all Muslim female visitors cover their aurat (entire body except face and hands) while non-Muslims should dress modestly.

“Place such condition near the entrances to the Bazar Ramadan. The Abang RELA should not let them enter if they don’t meet the dressing code,” mooted Randuk 3.0 on his Facebook page.

“For Muslims, they (probably referring to women) shouldn’t be lazy to cover up their private parts during the fasting month. As for non-Muslims, please refer to your respective religious books. Don’t just because you’re a non-Muslim, you can act in a haram manner.”.

A few commenters attested to the call by the poster as timely given many Chinese tended to be clad in short pants when they frequented Bazar Ramadhan.

“Sometimes I feel sorry for those who’re fasting having to condone the sight of the short pant gang displaying their legs in public Truly disrespecting Muslims who’re fasting,” observed one Muslim.

Another concurred while remarking that “nobody is even asking them to don hijab but dress up politely …. not in the manner of going to a club or the beach ”.

This was when one non-Muslim commenter sarcastically proposed that “Bazar Ramadan be reserved for Muslim traders/visitors only while strictly abides by the Syariah principles whereby only Arabic burqa and hijab are permissible”.

Another non-Muslim cheekily wondered if this boiled down to “weak iman (faith)” given that certain rightists have been fussing about “don’t eat in front of Muslims or don’t dress sexily”.

One open-minded Muslim commenter got mocked after ticking off the rightist fraternity for “harping at the sight of buttocks” when one should keep their focus on what food to buy at Bazar Ramadan.

Interestingly, the rightist poster went on to school a Chinese commenter who claimed that “Chinese guys aren’t lustful at the sight of women in short pants” unlike “Muslim men who can easily get hardened even ifn the short pant wearer is a fellow male”.

“After all, Chinese women wear short pants solely for comfort purpose with no intention to seduce anyone,” argued the presumably Multimedia University Ph.D. candidate.

This was when the poster slammed the commenter against stepping foot in Bazar Ramadan if he does not understand civility.

“Don’t land here. Go land in America. Why did you run from Tongsan (Mainland China) to here?” he berated in a typical rightist slur. You should cherish the land your two feet are standing on. Do you think that this (Bazar Ramadan) is a pig farm? Shoo. Shoo.”

So engrossed is the poster’s rightist mindset that he went to the extent of citing Confucius’ Analects (12.1) which emphasises that “self-discipline and returning to propriety is benevolence”, hence immodest clothing is considered a disruption to social harmony

If this is insufficient, he also cited the Book of Rites (礼记) to cascade home the point that “men and women must abide by limits, including their aspect of clothing” and that the beauty of a woman lies in modesty, gentleness and purity as espoused by Ban Zhao’s Lessons for Women, among others. –  Focus Malaysia