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Despite support for gymnast, Twitter analysis shows Malaysians want Muslim women athletes to cover up

KUALA LUMPUR — The reported outpouring of public support including from prominent members of society for a Malaysian gymnast attacked for exposing her “aurat” with her leotard belies a wider desire for Muslim athletes’ attire to conform to Islamic standards.

Although Farah Ann can count Mr Khairy Jamaluddin and Ms Marina Mahathir among her supporters, wider conversation on social media suggests that they are in the minority. Photo: The Malay Mail Online

Although Farah Ann can count Mr Khairy Jamaluddin and Ms Marina Mahathir among her supporters, wider conversation on social media suggests that they are in the minority. Photo: The Malay Mail Online

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KUALA LUMPUR — The reported outpouring of public support including from prominent members of society for a Malaysian gymnast attacked for exposing her “aurat” with her leotard belies a wider desire for Muslim athletes’ attire to conform to Islamic standards.

Although medal-winning Farah Ann Abdul Hadi can count Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and prominent activist Marina Mahathir among her supporters, wider conversation on social media suggests that they are in the minority.

An analysis of recent tweets in Bahasa Malaysia on Farah Ann, the “aurat” and women’s gymnastics, showed that 70 per cent of Twitter users would likely back a change in Muslim women athletes’ attire to more conservative outfits that cover their head and entire body.

In Politweet’s analysis sent to Malay Mail Online, the research firm found that out of a sample of 416 Twitter users, 291 criticised Farah Ann’s leotard, said Muslim women must cover their “aurat”, and gave religious advice on what are considered intimate body parts that should not be exposed in Islam, such as saying that covering the “aurat” should be done for religious reasons, not fashion.

“It is likely that users who were suddenly tweeting about the importance of covering up would support a change of attire for women’s gymnastics,” said Politweet.

“It seems unlikely that they would express support for the current sportswear worn by women athletes. The way they were expressing themselves and quoting online preachers gave the impression that support for this change will grow over time,” added the research firm that analyses social media.

Minister in charge of Islamic affairs Jamil Khir Baharom said last Monday (June 15) that the federal government will carry out an in-depth study on Islamic compliance for clothing used for sports and other fields, following criticisms over the leotard worn by Farah Ann, who won a gold medal in floor exercise in the SEA Games.

According to Politweet, who analysed 416 out of 24,532 Twitter users who tweeted in Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia or similar languages from June 12 to June 15, only 30 per cent, or 125 users, saw no issue with Farah Ann’s gymnastics outfit.

Some of these users said it didn’t “make sense to ask a gymnast to cover up as she can’t perform her sport” and pointed out that Malaysian bodybuilder Sazali Samad was not criticised despite being more “exposed” than Farah Ann.

Those who criticised the 21-year-old artistics gymnast’s outfit slammed her harassers, but said “Malaysia is an Islamic country and our athletes’ attire should reflect that”. They also highlighted images of women athletes from other countries who wore the tudung and track pants.

Twitter users who believe Muslim women must cover their “aurat” said it is a “sin” to remove the headscarf and considered women who cover their “aurat” to be more pious, beautiful or perfect.

Users of the micro-blogging site who gave religious advice on the “aurat” tweeted that it is sinful to look at or distribute photographs that expose the “aurat” and told Muslim women that “aurat” is more than just attire, saying too that covering the “aurat” should be for religious reasons, not fashion.

The Twitter analysis results are not surprising as the tudung industry in Malaysia is booming, with popular brand Fareeda telling Malay Mail Online that 80 to 90 per cent of some four to five million Muslim women aged between 25 and 50 years are estimated to wear the headscarf.

An academic and activist have also noted that Muslims in Malaysia became increasingly conservative since the Iranian revolution in 1979, pointing out that the wives of leaders from Islamist party PAS did not wear the tudung in the 1950s and 1960s. Members of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) women’s wing now, however, cover their heads.

Although liberal groups like Sisters in Islam question the mainstream definition of women’s “aurat”, pointing out that it is not defined in the Quran, powerful Islamic clerics in Malaysia insist that a Muslim woman is obligated to cover her entire body except for her face and hands.

While Muslim women are targeted by conservatives, their beliefs also appear to have spread to the civil service, with the Road Transport Department recently forcing an ethnic Chinese woman to wear a full-length sarong over her knee-length skirt. THE MALAY MAIL ONLINE

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