‘Nothing wrong in his remarks on women's dress being the prime cause for attacks on them'

While everyone is gunning for the DGP, V. Dinesh Reddy, he has found support from an unexpected quarter – Muslim ulema and women. They find nothing wrong in his recent remarks on women's dress being the prime cause for increasing attacks on the fair sex.

Mr. Reddy's comments raised the hackles of women's activists who branded him ‘chauvinistic and thoughtless'. The Muslim clergy, on the other hand, feel that the top official is being unjustly hounded for telling the truth. The popular view among Muslim circles is that the spurt in rape incidents is to a large extent the result of the ‘indecent' way women and girls are dressing these days. “Mr. Reddy is not off the mark when he blamed women's attire for the increasing attacks on them,” says Mufti Mastan Ali. In fact the DGP's views on women's attire have generated a lively debate in the old city. In the last few days the Urdu press is flooded with statements from individuals and Muslim organisations on the need for modest dress for women. “Mr. Reddy is being criticised simply because he happens to be a cop. One should look at what is being said and not who is saying it,” says the Mufti.

This view has many takers. A woman is generally considered a yardstick to show modesty. Absence of ‘haya' (shame) from her is actually a sign of deficiency in her faith. “Shame is a natural quality of women and every religion believes in it,” says Rizwana Zareen, principal, Jamiatul Mominath, the girls seminary at Moghalpura. Interestingly, the DGP's remarks formed the topic of the Friday sermon in some mosques in the city. Many a ‘khateeb' waxed eloquent about the need for proper attire for both men and women. “In the name of women's emancipation free mingling of sexes is being encouraged and the ruinous consequences are there to see,” said Maulana Ahmed Ubaidur Rehman of Teenposh Masjid. Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rehmani, India's leading scholar and an authority on Islamic jurisprudence, rues the hue and cry over the DGP's statement. Sacchi baat kadvi hi hoti hai (truth is bitter), he says. Naseera Khanam, who heads the women's wing of Jamate Islami Hind, feels scanty dress alone is not the cause of assault on the fair sex. Spiritual degradation and the promiscuous culture where casual sex is not looked down upon is equally to be blamed.