Minister Calls For Investigation Of Alleged M'sian Woman In Male Ihram Attire In Mecca
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad has warned that stern action will be taken against the individual if the allegation is proven true.
A video of an individual clad in male ihram attire at the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia has recently created controversy on social media
The video was shared by a Twitter user who claimed that the pilgrim was a Malaysian woman performing umrah while wearing a male outfit.
They also criticised the individual for being disrespectful by cross-dressing at the holy site, drawing more ire from other social media users.
The video garnered over 20,000 retweets and was viewed over a million times.
While there has been no confirmation of the claim, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad has warned that stern action will be taken against the individual if proven true
In a Facebook post on Friday, 12 August, Idris Ahmad said he was concerned about the issue as it involved Islamic law.
"I have contacted the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) to launch an investigation against the individual as soon as they return to Malaysia," he wrote.
The minister added that he has also informed the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC) to take stern action against the agency that had handled the individual's umrah trip if the allegation was proven to be true.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad.
Image via Bernama/New Straits Times
Pahang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Rahman Osman has also said that action must be taken against the individual because they have insulted Islam
"Firstly, the act of resembling a man when performing the umrah is an insult to Islam and action should be taken against them for committing such an act according to the law," he told Berita Harian.
He added that action should be taken to prevent similar incidents from recurring in the future.
"A woman has to protect the entirety of her 'aurat' when performing umrah," he said. "If not, her umrah is invalidated, and she will have to pay a fine and perform umrah again."
In February 2020, Nur Sajat was also condemned for wearing female clothing while she was in Mecca:
Meanwhile, Idris Ahmad has previously advised Malaysian Muslims not to participate in a Japanese festival held annually in Shah Alam, Selangor due to religion:
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