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(The Star) - KOTA BARU: Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is ready to ban the wearing of the purdah if it becomes a menace to the state’s population.

He said Islam only requires a Muslim woman to cover her head and hands and that nowhere in the Quran is it stated that she must also cover her face.

“As I have said a long time ago, Muslim womenfolk need not cover their face because women who enter the Masjidil Haram (in Mecca) only need to wear a telekung (women’s prayer garb) that only covers their hands and feet and not their face.

However, lately, men have taken up wearing the purdah to commit crime, making it hard for the police to tell whether the person behind the purdah is a man or a woman, he told reporters at his office at Kota Darul Naim.

He said this before receiving a courtesy call from Ulama Syed Ahmad Mohammad Alawi Al-Maliki from Mecca who was accompanied by four of his assistants.

Nik Aziz said face veils were especially dangerous in countries with a high incidence of suicide bombings.

He also cited the example of a vice-president of an Arab country who had tried to escape from his war-torn country by wearing a purdah. The man was eventually arrested after his shoes gave him away.

Comments (9)

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written by sydput, October 08, 2009 10:28:42

i believe the koran states that we must dress up decently.
But for the ibans and the papuans, decent means exposing womens breast and wearing grass skirts(in the old days).
Before islam, the malays wear the sarong up to the chest and below the knees.
To the chinese, wearing short pants is decent enough.

So I believe, since koran is universal message, its up to the community to decide what is decent.

The focus of the koran is justice and righteousness. And we must confront injustice and evil. No where does it tells us to defend a specific religion.

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written by hellosunshine, October 08, 2009 10:42:40

Tok guru Nik Aziz has repeatedly shown how wise and moderate he is compared to those extremist fundamentalist upstarts Hadi, Hasan, Nasa and their ilk. Unfortunately, TGNA is getting old and will there be a successor as capable and respected as him in the future? The crystal ball is really cloudy on this.

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written by Joe, October 08, 2009 11:04:20

What the Koran states applies to Muslims. Here, one's culture takes a back seat to one's religion. That is why Islam doesnt condone racism.

So I believe that if it is clearly stated in the Koran (as Tok guru mentioned) then muslims must follow, not under do or over do!

It has now come to a level where, non-muslims are correcting muslims in their own religion. Now non-muslims know more about Islam than muslims!

Its sad!

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written by chin, October 08, 2009 12:00:00

A very pragmatic man, this Nik Aziz.

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written by asguard, October 08, 2009 12:05:18

Better act quickly where there is problem!

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written by SCM, October 08, 2009 12:52:53

Nik Aziz,

Do not ban the purdah completely. It should be used for special circumstances, like for example, if and when Rosmah decides to visit any of the kampungs in Kelantan. The hunters may mistake her for a fat pig and poison dart her with their blowpipes. The poor hunter will then have his head chopped off by UMNO and paraded in Shah Alam.

Pity the wild boar too. They too may mistake her for one of their kind and decide to hump her only to find out how disgusting it was. So, leave the purdah for emergency special purposes.

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written by budakindia, October 08, 2009 16:22:58

But of course the mainstream media will spin this to negative news! Damn!

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written by alarcarte, October 08, 2009 17:01:05

If the clock is rewind back to the sixties, just ask ourselves how many Malay Muslim women wear the Arabic dress? Even the tudung worn by the women today did not exist.

In those days, the tudung worn by the Malay Muslim women are compatible with head scarf worn by any other non Muslim women in the world. The culture of the Malay Muslim women regarding covering their head has definitely changed 100%.

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written by ultraman, October 08, 2009 17:29:13

Nik Aziz once again showed wisdom. He is spot on.
Yes, Nik Aziz is a true Muslim .

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