Short hemlines, sexy dress not an insult to Islam; rightist Muslims told to get a sense of perspective

Short hemlines, sexy dress not an insult to Islam; rightist Muslims told to get a sense of perspective





CONTRASTING moral values. Therein lie the crux of the matter.

This was the point made by influencer with penchant for fashion شكينة (@_nsyakinah) who equated disrespecting Islam with inflammatory actions such as burning the holy book, vandalising mosques and spreading Islamophobia.

The donning of short skirts or sexy outfits do NOT fall into this category.

The poster was reacting to criticism from conservative Muslims outraged over girl band Dolla’s latest music video.




To re-cap, the clip for the trio’s single Question has caused all sorts of consternation as too much skin and flesh were purportedly on show, especially as one member – Wan Sabrina Wan Rusli a.k.a. Sabronzo – is, gasp, a Muslim.

“How dare she?” has been the reaction of many a walaun (slang for hardcore PAS supporters).

The poster went on to passionately argue that this issue of covering up one’s aurat (body parts which must not be exposed according to Islam) was “a personal journey”.

It was not meant for others to cast aspersions upon, let alone for the authorities to criminalise or punish people for their wardrobe choices.

She also felt that the Madani government was using this issue as an excuse to implement restrictive and authoritarian measures that further impugn civil liberties.



Needless to say, the post elicited a heated debate. It was highlighted by one commenter that the criticism was only aimed at the Muslim member of Dolla, and not Sabronzo’s non-Muslim band colleagues. It was argued that there are other ways to express oneself artistically.



The same commenter further contended that a Muslim has an obligation to politely reprimand a fellow Muslim if he or she has erred from the righteous path (as opposed to being a busybody).



However, as rightly pointed out by the poster, too often guidance or advice comes in the form of insults, noting that polite advice was a rarity. She also argued that threatening the Muslim Dolla member with criminal offences was totally unacceptable.



Somehow echoing the poster, one commenter urged the holier-than-thou types to get a sense of perspective as there were loads of pertinent issues which can be classified as insulting to Islam.



This point had previously been raised by high profile legal experts who argue that the religious authorities have no business interfering in this most personal of spheres.

Human rights activist and lawyer Siti Kasim had quite simply said that “if dressing as such is a sin, then it is for the sinner to bear the burden”. Former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner and lawyer Latheefa Koya also claimed that it was not a minister’s job to prosecute citizens for their dress sense.

What these legal eagles and the poster seem to be dead set against is more interference by the authorities. They are also fighting against a mob mentality where people are pressured to conform to certain Islamic values.

It is these episodes that is causing alarm among non-Muslim Malaysians that a modern, multi-plural society is fast slipping into hardline, Taliban-style rule. – Nov 24, 2025