Can we please stop confusing each other?

Some consistency is needed in the way we approach the fatwas in our country.

COMMENT

I was pleasantly surprised to read about our synchronised swimmers who won gold and silver medals in the ongoing 28th South East Asia (SEA) Games in Singapore. Looks like with all the political commotion of late, most of us missed out on that wonderful piece of news.

However, while being proud of our medallists, I couldn’t help but take note of their aurat flashing attire.

Now please don’t get me wrong, I am no aurat cop like most of our self-acclaimed ustaz are. To be honest, it is no big deal to me how our athletes choose to dress as long as it is appropriate for the sport they are participating in.

The thing is I can’t help but wonder why it is okay for Muslim sportswomen to don swimwear in the swimming and gymnastics categories whilst it is prohibited for beauty pageant contestants.

If you remember, back in 1996, there was a fatwa against Muslim participation in beauty contests following a mufti’s criticism that the swimwear costume made compulsory in such pageants revealed a Muslim woman’s aurat, hence was declared sinful and prohibited.

Until today no Malaysian Muslim woman has been allowed to participate in beauty pageants such as the Miss World and Miss Universe simply because of this clothing criteria.

Even when the swimwear category was replaced with sports attire in the Miss World Pageant 2013, our muftis still made a big deal of it, forcing four Muslim finalists to pull out from the pageant.

How then does the attire for swimming and gymnastics in sports competitions differ from the swimwear category in a beauty pageant?

Why the double standard?

I am not suggesting Muslim women be banned from gymnastics and swimming but I am questioning the basic principle behind the fatwa.

Fatwa is an Arabic word which simply means opinion. However, when an Islamic scholar gives his opinion or fatwa based on a religious context, this ‘fatwa’ carries more weight than just any random opinion.

You see, Muslim scholars are expected to give their ‘fatwa’ based on religious evidence, not based on their personal opinions. Hence, their ‘fatwa’ is regarded as a religious ruling.

This is how many fatwas declared by our muftis have become some sort of a law in our country and Muslims who go against these rulings can be arrested and punished.

But how can a ruling derived from the teachings of the Holy Book and Hadith treat two similar issues differently?

As ridiculous as it sounds, it’s almost as if we are saying sex between two unmarried people in a hotel room is a sin whereas the same act if committed behind a bush is fine.

The same inconsistency applies to the fatwa against cigarette smoking as declared by the fatwa councils in Selangor, Kedah and Perlis but allowed by the religious council in other states. Technically what this means is that a Muslim who smokes in Selangor can be arrested while a Muslim smoking in Kuala Lumpur can have his second stick.

Does that make any sense to you?

And how can we forget the fatwa against practising yoga which was retracted soon after a Muslim leader disagreed to it following his wife’s passion for yoga?

Seriously, if fatwa is indeed a religious ruling and all Muslims have no choice but to abide by them, why then the inconsistency?

Can we please have some fixed manner in the way we approach these delicate issues?

Religion is not supposed to be confusing in the first place.