Daily Times

Renowned religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel’s recent comments on women in Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Ehsaas Telethon have once again created controversy.

Earlier on Thursday, Maulana Tariq Jameel was invited to the Ehsaas Telethon to initiate a collective prayer for the general public and also to guide people on how to take precautionary measures amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In the latter part of his speech, Maulana Tariq Jameel spoke about his dissatisfaction with morality in our country. He displayed his dismay over the clothing choices of women and their desire to dance.

He said, “When a Muslim’s daughter practices immodesty and the youth indulges in immorality, then Allah’s torment is unto such a nation.”

Ever since the conclusion of the transmission, #tariqjamil and #molanaTariqJameel have been trending on social media. His speech and prayers attracted two-pronged reactions from social media users. Whilst, some appreciated him for enlightening and guiding the listeners during these turbulent times. Others dissented with Maulana Tariq Jameel’s participation and his speech in the telethon.

Shireen Mazari also took veiled dig at Maulana Tariq Jameel for ‘misogynist’, ignorant remarks. “Misogynistic” and ignorant comments blaming women and youth for the ongoing coronavirus crisis were “absolutely unacceptable”, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari said.

Mazari said the idea “the COVID19 pandemic is a result of women wearing short sleeves or [because] of private schools/universities misleading the youth”, is “simply absurd”.

“This simply reflects either ignorance [about] pandemics or a misogynist mindset. Absolutely unacceptable,” she said on Twitter. “We will not accept the targeting of women on the pretext of such ludicrous accusations.

The cleric spoke for almost a quarter of an hour, noting how the goal was not to fight against the coronavirus but to treat it and be humble in front of God. He went on to blame the pandemic on women and young people being indecent, prevalence of dishonesty and betrayals in society, and earning through fraudulent means.