Another top Diyanet official targets women through their outfits

Another top official of Turkey’s top religious body Diyanet has targeted women through their outfits on Diyanet TV, saying that women were not covering themselves enough in especially wedding ceremonies. Diyanet vice chair Burhan İşliyen went further by saying that male relatives of women should be involved in giving them advice with regards to this issue.  

Duvar English 

Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) vice chair Burhan İşliyen has targeted women during a program aired on Diyanet TV, saying that women were “committing haram” by not covering themselves enough in especially wedding parties.

“I go into a (wedding) salon, and our women sisters should not get mad at me, but it is as if they have no clothes to wear; this is miserable. Why are you like this (addressing women)? Did God give an order that says ‘cover up when you go to a mosque, but open up when you go in a wedding salon?'” İşliyen said.

İşliyen also made a call to men with regards to the issue, saying “fathers, brothers and husbands” should warn women.

“Fathers, brothers and husband, should we not advise and lead our women? A Muslim stance is needed. (They) have started to open up all their covers, violate the limits and commit harams. A Muslim would not do this. Our lifestyle should be in line with the book (Quran). Our weddings, our entertainments should be in line with the book,” İşliyen was quoted as saying by the daily Cumhuriyet.

This is not the first time that women have been targeted on Diyanet TV through their outfits. İdris Bozkurt, a member of the Diyanet’s High Council, had previously said that it was a “violation of the religious rules” for women to wear “tight trousers."

“Let us all accept that the things we call trousers are skintight. And more on women. [Wearing] trousers in the form of tights and going in public with them is unacceptable. It is the violation of religious rules,” Bozkurt had said in August on Diyanet TV.