Libya should stop importing overly racy lingerie and undergarments, the country’s grand mufti said in a letter sent to the office of the prime minister, Egypt’s al-Wafd newspaper reported on Friday.

Sadek al-Ghariani, who is considered to be Libya’s top religious authority, said these undergarments come in lewd designs and fashions which contradict the virtue of Islamic modesty, urging the government to regulate these imports.

According to al-Wafd, women’s underwear items in Libya are usually imported.

Other fatwas

This is not the first time Ghariani issues controversial statements.

Last October, Ghariani issued a fatwa or a religious edict saying all female teachers instructing male students in schools and universities must be veiled.

While activists criticized his fatwa on social media platforms, there was no major outcry in the country at the time.

Ghariani also previously called on the government to ban Libyan women from marrying foreign men. He said no Libyan women should be permitted to marry foreign men even if they were Muslims or Arabs.

In 2012, he also asked the Ministry of Education to remove passages related to democracy and freedom of religion from school textbooks.

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 13:52 - GMT 10:52