Bangladesh: Wearing Jeans Un-Islamic; Other Religious Groups Disagree

From the Deccan Herald - December 29, 2008

Wearing jeans un-Islamic'

From Sanjay Pandey, DH News Service, Lucknow:

 After terming love as "un-Islamic", the Darul Uloom Islamic seminary in Deoband has said that Muslilms wearing jeans is a gunah (sin).

The seminary recently issued a fatwa (religious decree) against the wearing of jeans and transplanting and dyeing of hair in black.

These fatwas have been issued in response to three different queries, according to the Darul Uloom's Darul Ifta (department of fatwa). In response to a query on wearing of jeans by women, especially in cold countries in Western Europe, the seminary has made it clear that "jeans pants and shirts are against the shariat (Islamic rules)". "The physical structure (curves) of the body is reflected if one puts on a jeans. Wearing them by a woman is a sin", the fatwa said adding that it should not be put on by the menfolk also. "It is barred for men as well. Women, who want to look as men, are cursed", the fatwa went on to say.

On a query on dyeing one's hair in black, the fatwa said that any other colour other than black is permissible. "Use of black hair dye is un-Islamic", it said.

On another query pertaining to hair transplant, the Darul Uloom said transplanting artificial hair amounted to "cheating" and is therefore is "illegal". The clerics say that Islam very clearly separates what is right and what is wrong. "He, who does even after knowing that it is wrong, is the sinner", said a senior cleric. "Fatwas should only issued on religious matters and not social issues", said Maulana Yasoob Abbas, the spokesman of the All India Shia Personal Law Board. All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board chairperson Shaista Amber also echoed similar sentiments. "The clerics should confine themselves only to religious matters", she told Deccan Herald.