Cover Up Or Else

Women working in retail outlets and restaurants in Kota Baru, the Kelantan state's capital city, (a state in Malaysia under the rule of an opposition Islamic political party - Parti Islam SeMalaysia a.k.a PAS) have been warned to mind their dressing or be prepared to face a fine. The Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB) has announced that it would “no longer tolerate indecent dressing” by women, both Muslim and non-Muslim.

Under local council by-laws women who “dressed sexily or indecently” could be fined up to RM500 (US$138). “Such outfits are prohibited here as it smears the reputation of Kota Baru and affects its status as an Islamic City. The local council added that although punishment for indecent dressing was in place under the by-laws, it had not been totally enforced. “But now, MPKB will no longer tolerate skimpy outfits, following mounting complaints from the public,” MPKB PR officer said, adding that under the by-laws, women working in retail outlets should wear decent clothes. Council enforcement officers, he added, would step up checks in various localities. He said MPKB would focus on “suspicious areas”.

The council stated that they had received complaints from ratepayers that certain shop assistants and waitresses here donned sexy outfits, supposedly to woo more male customers. Under the standard dress code here, a Muslim women has to be covered until the ankles and wear a tudung. Non-Muslim women are required to wear decent clothes. Tight-fitting tops and pants were not allowed, even for non-Muslims, the PR officer said.

(source: 5 Dec 06, The Star and 4 Dec 06 International Herald Tribune) I'm still wondering how come an international newspaper could have reported this issue 1 day earlier than a Malaysian newspaper???????
Tags: Kelantan, Kota Baru, Muslim, Non-Muslim, Indecent, Dressing, Clothing, Dress Code