Malay Islamic leader warns lipstick and perfume are rape risks

ONE of the leaders of Malaysia’s Islamic opposition has upset women in the country by suggesting that they should stop wearing lipstick and perfume to lower the risk of being raped.

Nik Abdul Aziz, the spiritual leader of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, claimed that even women who wore Muslim head-scarves could arouse men if they also wore make-up and perfume. The end result could be rape or molestation, he said.

Many women from Malaysia’s Malay Muslim majority wear a moderate form of Islamic dress, such as long sleeves and a head-scarf covering the hair but leaving the face exposed. Younger women often wear the head-scarf with modern clothes such as jeans, as well as make-up and jewellery.

Ivy Josiah, a leader of Women’s Aid, said Nik Aziz’s comments suggested he believed victims of rape were responsible for provoking it.

"Rape is a chosen action by men who want to assert control over women," she said.

But Anwar Bakri, an adviser to MrAziz, said: "[Mr Aziz] said that just like we carry money safely hidden away from the sight of thieves, practising good dressing and moderation can avoid attracting sex maniacs."

The fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party is the country’s largest opposition group.