Sheikh blasted for sex sermon

from Australia's Sydney Morning Herald
www.smh.com.au

At least one Muslim leader has branded Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly "out of line" for his
comments in blaming immodestly dressed women for sexual assault.

The former secretary of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Shujat Mantoo, said
the sheik was probably out of line, but he defended his right to stay in Australia.

"There would be many people like [the sheik] who uphold those views, and there would be
among mainstream Christians, but we don't simply deport them. We educate them," Mr Mantoo
said.

Sheik al Hilaly's comments were delivered in a Ramadan sermon to 500 worshippers in Sydney
last month, a newspaper report said.

He blamed women who "sway suggestively" and who wore make-up and no hijab [Islamic scarf]
for sexual attacks.

"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?" he said.

"The uncovered meat is the problem.

"If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred."

The cleric said that he meant to refer to only prostitutes as meat, and not any scantily
clad woman without a hijab.

Mr Mantoo said the sheik was probably entrenched in the Egyptian culture he was brought up
in.

"Prostitutes ... enjoy the same rights as any other woman or man in this country and, if
he has said that, he has to understand that there is equality before the law."

Mr Mantoo likened the cleric's views to those of some elderly judges, who were out of step
with mainstream society's standards.

The sheik's comments have drawn strong criticism from some federal politicians and the
federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward, who said he should be sacked and
deported.

"It is incitement to a crime. Young Muslim men who now rape women can cite this in court,
can quote this man ... their leader in court," she told the Nine Network.

"It's time we stopped just saying he should apologise. It is time the Islamic community
did more than say they were horrified. I think it is time he left."

NSW  Premier Morris Iemma denounced the sheik  for his "outrageous'' comments and called
on the Muslim community to take action against him.

"He ought to be held account for his comments,'' Mr Iemma said. "What's in the papers this
morning are offensive and outrageous and ought to be condemned and retracted. He does not
have a flash record as far as these sorts of statements.''

Treasurer Peter Costello branded the comments "totally unacceptable".

He called for Muslim leaders to condemn the comments, disassociate themselves from them,
and pull their leader into line.

The Treasurer said comparing women to uncovered meat invited people to treat them in a
degrading and dehumanising way.

He said the leaders of Catholic and the Anglican churches in Australia would never make
such a comment.

"This is totally unacceptable. This is comparing women to uncovered meat," Mr Costello
told the Seven Network.

"We really need political leaders to speak out against it.

"But I hope that the moderate Muslim leaders will speak out today and condemn these
comments.

"Make it clear to Muslims that this is not the view of Islam and that they will really
take some kind of action to disassociate themselves from the comments which Sheik al
Hilaly has made.

"And take some action to try and pull him into line."

Mr Costello said that, in light of a series of Sydney gang rapes in 2000 committed by
young Muslim men, the sheik's message was dangerous because it seemed to justify rape.

"If you have a significant religious leader like this preaching to a flock in a situation
where we have had gang rapes, in a way that seems to make it justifiable, or at least
lighten the dehumanising and degrading extent of the offence, then people that listen to
that kind of comment can get the wrong idea.

"They can actually think that it is not as bad as it is."

Treasurer Peter Costello branded the comments "totally unacceptable".

He called for Muslim leaders to condemn the comments, disassociate themselves from them,
and pull their leader into line.

The Treasurer said comparing women to uncovered meat invited people to treat them in a
degrading and dehumanising way.

He said the leaders of Catholic and the Anglican churches in Australia would never make
such a comment.

"This is totally unacceptable. This is comparing women to uncovered meat," Mr Costello
told the Seven Network.

"We really need political leaders to speak out against it.

"But I hope that the moderate Muslim leaders will speak out today and condemn these
comments.

"Make it clear to Muslims that this is not the view of Islam and that they will really
take some kind of action to disassociate themselves from the comments which Sheik al
Hilaly has made.

"And take some action to try and pull him into line."

Mr Costello said that, in light of a series of Sydney gang rapes in 2000 committed by
young Muslim men, the sheik's message was dangerous because it seemed to justify rape.

"If you have a significant religious leader like this preaching to a flock in a situation
where we have had gang rapes, in a way that seems to make it justifiable, or at least
lighten the dehumanising and degrading extent of the offence, then people that listen to
that kind of comment can get the wrong idea.

"They can actually think that it is not as bad as it is."

- with AAP