Sydney, Australia—Top Muslim cleric Sheik Taj el-Din al-Hilali has sparked outrage and condemnation from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, when he said that unveiled women are comparable to uncovered meat that attract voracious animals. Speaking in Arabic, the “imam” delivered a religious address on adultery to some 500 worshippers in Sydney in September 2006, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

According to The Australian's translation, Al-Hilali allegedly said, "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat. The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab (Islamic headscarf which covers the hair neck and shoulders), no problem would have occurred.”

Iktimal Hage-Ali, a Muslim woman who does not wear a hijab, in an interview with The Australian said, “The Islamic headdress was not a ‘tool’ worn to prevent rape and sexual harassment. It's a symbol that readily identifies you as being Muslim, but just because you do not wear the headscarf does not mean that you are considered fresh meat for sale. The onus should not be on the female to not attract attention; it should be on males to learn how to control themselves.”

In another interview with The Australian, Aziza Abdel-Halim of the Muslim Women's National Network Australia and Australia's most prominent female Muslim leader said the hijab did not “detract or add to a person's moral standards.” Islamic Council of Victoria spokesman Waleed Ali said it was “ignorant and naive” for anyone to believe that a hijab could stop sexual assault.

“I unreservedly apologise to any woman who is offended by my comments,” Sydney’s imam said in a statement. He said his suggestion that women who did not wear a headscarf attracted sexual assault had been taken out of context and “misinterpreted.”

Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali said he would step down if judged to have incited violence against women.

Sources:
“Excerpts of al-Hilali's speech” from BBC News, posted on October 27, 2006, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6089008.stm>.
“Muslim leader blames women for sex attacks” from The Australian – News, posted on October 26, 2006, <http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20646437-601,00.html>.
“Sydney imam seeks tribunal ruling” from BBC News, posted on November 3, 2006, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6112620.stm>.