SIS: It's Misogynistic To Set Standard For What's "Appropriate & Proper" For Women To Wear
Sisters In Islam (SIS), a Muslim women's rights group, slammed the government today, 24 February, for its silence amidst the rise of moral policing on women's clothing in the country.
By Sadho Ram — 24 Feb 2023, 05:04 PM
Today, 24 February, Sisters In Islam (SIS), a non-governmental organisation working towards advancing the rights of Muslim women, called for the moral policing of women's clothing to be stopped
In a statement, the Muslim women's rights group slammed the federal government for its silence amidst the rise of moral policing on women's clothing in the country.
There have been multiple reports of women being subjected to policing on their attire, SIS said.
According to the group, the statement is in response to the news of the Terengganu government's decision to take action against women wearing "revealing" clothes by not observing the "Syariah compliant" dress code as well as that of a woman expelled from the Dewan Rakyat for wearing a knee-length skirt with a slit.
Both cases happened on the same day, 20 February.
Noting that it opposes efforts to force women to dress based on arbitrary and restrictive rules and standards, SIS said that it is disconcerting to see moral policing continuously happening here
"SIS opposes any efforts by the government, public institutions, or the private sector to force women to dress according to their rules and standards. This is a form of violation and harassment to women to choose their attire and undermines their autonomy and dignity," read the group's statement.
In the statement, SIS also strongly condemned any attempts to publicly humiliate women and impose restrictive dress codes on them, as shown in the Terengganu government's decision and the Dewan Rakyat security officer who expelled the woman merely for her attire.
"This imposition of dress codes degrades women and creates a climate of fear and insecurity as women feel like they are constantly monitored and judged by society in public spaces," it said.
According to the Muslim women's rights group, it is imperative that both public and private institutions, as well as individuals, put an end to this obsession with controlling women, particularly with how they dress
It is misogynistic and sexist to set a standard for what is 'appropriate' and 'proper' for women.
