Islamic preacher blames women for coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan on national TV, sparks outrage

ISLAMABAD, Apr 28, 2020, DNA India. Well-known religious leader Maulana Tariq Jameel’s recent comments on national television during the Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s ‘Ehsaas Telethon’ has caused a lot of ruckus across the globe, DNA India reported.

On April 23, Maulana Tariq Jameel was invited on the show to initiate a collective prayer for the general public of Pakistan amid coronavirus outbreak in the country.

During his speech, Jameel spoke about his discontent over the morality in the country and then went on to blame how the clothing choices of women and their desire to dance are a reason why ‘Allah’s torment is unto such a nation’.

“When a Muslim’s daughter practices immodesty and the youth indulges in immorality, then Allah’s torment is unto such a nation,” he said.

As soon as this happened, his remarks received some much-expected criticism on social media.

Barrister Maleeka Bokhari, parliamentary secretary of law and justice of Pakistan, took to Twitter and wrote: “The spread of a pandemic must never and under no circumstances be correlated or linked to a woman’s piety or morality.”

“It is danger to make this correlation as violent crimes against women/girls continue to take place with impunity,” she further added.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) later on also released an official statement stating it condemned Maulana Tariq Jameel’s statement.

“The HRCP is appalled at Maulana Tariq Jamil’s statement which inexplicably correlated women’s ‘modesty’ to the Covid-19 pandemic. Such blatant objectification is unacceptable and, when aired on public television, only compounds the misogyny entrenched in society,” read the statement.

Shireen Mazari, Federal Minister of Human Rights, also expressed her thoughts on the statement and wrote: “Simply absurd for anyone under any guise to even suggest the Covid-19 pandemic is a result of women wearing short sleeves or because of private schools/universities misleading the youth.”

“This simply reflects either ignorance about pandemics or a misogynist mindset. Absolutely unacceptable.”