YOURSAY | ‘Olympian gymnast Farah Ann needs support, not condemnation…’

Political, religious leaders urged to address disrespect against women

Manjit Bhatia: I don't think religion alone is contributing to the viciously sexist comments by morons targeting women in general and those in the news specifically, such as Olympian gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi.

Religion may warp one’s sanity and promote racism and bigotry but look at the education system. It is revolting, by and large. Its aim is to indoctrinate and create unthinking, unimaginative zombies to extract compliance and conformity, just as mass religion does.

The other problem is the feudal nature of not just one ethnic group but all ethnic groups in Malaysia, from which spring nasty and oppressive patriarchal attitudes and practices that culminate in state-level patrimonialism.

You could also link these to sexist parenting influences in the home, where women are often treated as sex objects and slaves in their own homes to the male.

You have the same examples to follow from your politicians, especially those who portray a veneer of piety but are among the worst misogynists you will find anywhere.

Look around you. Look at how they leer at “modern” females. The “cucuk” episode at a vaccination centre. Look at the ugly comments hurled at 17-year-old student Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam.

OCT: Competitive sports is about showing one's skill and excelling. Sports is not a fashion show or nudity parade. The rakyat watches sport as it shows courage, preparedness, skill, dedication, and determination to do one's best.

Nobody forces the person to watch if he/she thinks the sport offends his/her religion. You can always switch to other programmes. You don't have to condemn the participants in that sport. Keep your belief to yourself. If your religion forbids your interest in sports, it doesn't mean others must do the same.

Sport participants need support and not condemnation. Sport unites the world. It's a clean healthy event.

To those who condemn women about their attire, go and get professional help. The world has evolved but religious perverts haven’t. Women are playthings for them.

Newday: @OCT, it is fascinating that currently there is a movement in Europe by female athletes themselves to make their sporting attire more conservative (for lack of a better term).

The German women’s gymnastics team opted to wear full-body suits and Norway’s beach handball team was fined after the women wore shorts instead of bikini bottoms.

The sports officials may not be happy but only women can determine this themselves.

Cogito Ergo Sum: When you have elected representatives who are crude and filthy in their words, how can we teach their constituents to be respectful to women and girls?

Two outstanding crude individuals are former deputy minister Tajuddin Abdul Rahman and Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Bung Moktar Radin.

And yet they are re-elected year in and year out. It is a reflection of the education system and crude culture being encouraged.

With such political leaders, how can we change this crude culture? Change the politicians!

Hmmmmmmmm: So, if Farah Ann wears a burka while competing in the Olympics, everything will be fine? I'm afraid it won't be that simple.

Because after there is nothing to complain about women’s attire, they will then say women should not compete in international sporting events. When women stop doing that, they will say women should not play sports at all.

Give an inch and they’ll take a mile. So, to keep yourself stress-free, just do whatever you want as long as it is not illegal. Ignore people who try to control your life by telling you what you can wear, etc.

It definitely won't be easy in a country which prioritises attire over vaccination at vaccination centres.

Appum: In 2015, then youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin defended Farah Ann. Who and where is our present sports minister under Perikatan Nasional?

DalvinK: This is what happens when those in power mix religion with politics. I suspect they do so to keep themselves in power.

It seems so easy because if someone decides to speak against those in power, that someone will be seen as not doing God’s will. If a politician speaks up, the religious backlash against them will be a threat to their job. As a result, the politician will just keep their mouth shut and go with the flow.

This is a bad cycle and unfortunately, it will only spiral deeper down, bringing this country further towards ultra-conservatism.

Turkey is one example. From a secular country, it is also moving to become more ultra-conservative because of the ruling party's religious stance. What's stopping them to go full throttle is because they still want to be seen as part of Europe.

Back to our country, I hope someone can really say “one does not have to be Arabian to be Islamic”, or “one doesn’t have to be an Indian to be Hindu”, or “one doesn’t have to be European to be Christian”.

We should look at Indonesia, or just simply at East Malaysia - where people can still sit together, eat together - without checking what's on the other's plate. The question is: Who will start that movement?

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