No comment.
“TV show contestant “˜shamed herself and insulted Muslims,” from The Times, June 29:
A muslim woman has been accused of shaming herself and insulting her religion by taking part in a reality TV motor-racing show.
Durban beauty therapist Nadira Dasoo has come under fire from a Gauteng Muslim organisation, Know Islam, believed to be behind an e-mail lambasting her for being a contestant in the Ultimate Grand Prix Drive, screened on SABC3 on Sunday nights.
Show contestants race in go-karts and cars and must perform various tasks.
Dasoo, a 29-year-old mother of two who maintained her religious dress code throughout the contest, was eliminated from the show last week.
The e-mail said : “This Muslim sister of ours has made a mistake and we are here to remind her of the wrong she did.
Take heed, Nadira; the next “reminder” may well consist of hurled stones.
“In your headscarf you participated in a kaafir (non-Muslim) male-dominated show, bringing shame to yourself and insulting Muslims throughout the world.
“You allowed your body to be touched by a kaafir in a manner which will create excitement in any man … you seemed to be enjoying this.
“It was called “˜exercise” and “˜training”, while this kaafir carried you up and down the stairs. What a travesty indeed!”
It went on to say that the majority of Muslim scholars and jurists had determined the minimum requirements for Muslim women’s dress, including:
* That clothing must cover the entire body, with the exception of the face and hands; and
* That the clothing should not be form-fitting, sheer or eye-catching as to attract undue attention or reveal the shape of the body.Dasoo agrees she has “done wrong as a Muslim girl”.
“But when I was approached with the competition, I saw it as an opportunity, because this is something that I actually enjoy, Formula 1 racing, and I had the support of my husband.
Guess who also just got in trouble?…
“I took this opportunity, but I do realise I have done wrong as a Muslim woman,” she said. [“¦]
Women’s rights activist Shabnam Mohamed said: “I don’t think that certain aspects of the show can be justified according to Islamic principles. I think being carried by a man is deemed inappropriate. I do, however, think that there was a more sensitive way of managing the concerns expressed in this e-mail.
Mind you, this is coming from a “women’s right’s activist.” Oh wait, her name is “Mohamed.” Confusion solved.