All because of them: Pakistani cleric blames women for Covid-19

Published April 27, 2020

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By admin

SOURCE: HT

A well-known cleric in Pakistan has said the coronavirus pandemic has been unleashed on humanity because of the “wrongdoing of women” and he made the comments in the presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan on live television. According to news agency ANI, Maulana Tariq Jameel made the comments during the Ehsaas Telethon fundraising event on Thursday as Imran Khan looked on.

Reports said the cleric blamed women who “were often scantily dressed” for the spread of the coronavirus disease in the country. He condemned them and said their behaviour was bringing such wrath upon the country. Jameel had also condemned the media for what he said was disseminating lies but later apologised for that remarks, saying it was a slip of tongue.

However, he did not apologise was made for his offensive remarks on women. The Human Right Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has pulled up the cleric for his statement against women.

“HRCP is appalled at Maulana Tariq Jamil’s recent statement inexplicably correlating women’s ‘modesty’ to the Covid19 pandemic. Such blatant objectification is unacceptable and, when aired on public television, only compounds the misogyny entrenched in society,” the commission tweeted.

The country widely-read newspaper Dawn wrote in an editorial that statements like this are troubling, adding they are also aired, unchallenged, from a very high-profile platform.

Dawn said that it is a “shame” that the cleric was not corrected when he made these offensive comments.

Cases of domestic abuse cases have soared during the coronavirus pandemic as women are forced to stay home for extended periods with their tormentors.

Pakistan has reported 11,940 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), including 253 deaths across the country.

from Indian Defence Research Wing https://ift.tt/2SbqpN9
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