Changing Times and Climes - Women in Bikinis to be allowed at Saudi Red Sea Resorts

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 20 January 2023 Deedat Went On To Dub A Bikini-Clad Woman As Dukhtar-E-Iblees (Daughter Of Satan), A View, Wholeheartedly Endorsed By His Indian, Now Absconding, Disciple Zakir Naik. ------ “No Muslim country will ever allow bikini-clad women on its holy land and no Momin will ever look or ogle at women in bikinis." -Surat-born, SA Muslim fundamentalist and a controversial preacher Ahmad Deedat, 1975 What an irony! Now women in bikinis are allowed at Saudi Red Sea Resorts! Deedat must be undulating in his grave. That Saudi Arabia, the holiest country according to all Muslims, has allowed women to wear bikinis, albeit in a restricted area underlines that, 'Waqt Ke Saath Taqaze Bhi Badal Jaate Hain/Zindagi Naam Hai Maahaul Mein Dhal Jaane Ka' (With changing times, parameters and yardsticks also change/Life is yet another name of adaptation). Deedat went on to dub a bikini-clad woman as Dukhtar-e-Iblees (daughter of Satan), a view, wholeheartedly endorsed by his Indian, now absconding, disciple Zakir Naik. That Islam is slowly waking up to the modernism is a heart-warming change. But there're still people like the Turkish Mufti Ahmet Unsal who says that wives mustn't defy their husbands' 'invitation to bed.' Years ago in NY, I met one young lady Rebecca Shepherd. She came to meet the legendary orientalist Dr Edward W Said at Columbia University regarding her doctorate in Women in Islam. Her words, which I jotted down, still echo in my mind, “To a majority of Muslim men, women are still doormats and this is not a cliche or a refrain, oft-quoted by the detractors of Islam. This is a reality that has existed since the beginning of Islam. To a great extent, Muhammad's own views about his wives and sex slaves contributed greatly to creating this derogatory perception about women in Islam." Muslims must understand that a woman is not a procreational machine but a human and whether she's wearing a bikini or nothing, she still has her individuality and identity as a woman and that must be valued by any means. Coming back to Deedat's claim that no Momin will look at a scantily-clad woman is also erroneous. Aren't Muslim men humans? And what's wrong if a man furtively looks at a woman (other than his wife) esp. when she's unencumbered with clothes? A man can remain a good human, not just a Momin, even if he occasionally ogles at beautiful women, whether fully or sky-clad. All religions must go beyond condemning permissible voyeurism. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/women-bikinis-saudi-red-sea-resorts/d/128916 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism