[International] Ahead of Indonesia's National Day, Islamic Clerics Warn Against Men Wearing Women's Clothing During Celebrations
RtiTalk 小編5h ago
Although men dressing in women's clothing to play football has long been a part of Indonesia's annual National Day celebrations, the country's highest Islamic clerical body has warned that men must not wear "women's clothing" during National Day festivities.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), in the Southeast Asian nation, which is predominantly Muslim and has rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment, the influential Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) stated in a release that such acts are "haram," meaning forbidden in Islam.
Every year, Indonesians celebrate the nation's independence from centuries of colonial rule, declared on August 17, 1945, through various entertainment activities and parades on National Day.
In this vast archipelagic country, people participate in tug-of-war, sack races, shrimp cracker eating contests, climbing greased bamboo poles, and colorful float parades.
In some communities, men wear dresses and headscarves to play football, a tradition widely seen as cross-dressing entertainment rather than an expression of gender identity. Men also sometimes dress in drag for National Day parades.
However, the MUI stated in its release last week that "the increase in deviant behaviors such as male participants wearing women's clothing is considered to have led to violations of Islamic law and social norms."
This warning also applies to women wearing men's clothing.
Dede Oetomo, founder of the Indonesian LGBTQ rights organization GAYa NUSANTARA, told AFP that men wearing traditional women's clothing to play football or participate in parades "is a long-standing custom and part of the National Day celebrations in many communities."
He stated that the MUI's warning is part of an effort to "Islamize" many aspects of daily life, further marginalizing transgender women who "have been accepted in various regions of Indonesia for centuries." (Editor: Liao Yiting)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=225404
How does this article make you feel?
0 people reacted