Somalia – Muslim Women Caned For Wearing Bras

Ladies, what would you say if the law of your country says that you are guilty of causing deception if you wear your everyday bras?  And what if the law says further that you can be whipped or caned publicly for this offense?  That’s what’s happening in Somalia nowadays.

A Reuters report just caught my attention.  Al-Shabaab (“Youth” in Arabic), the hardline Islamist group (believed to be a Al-Qaeda proxy) which controls most of south and central Somalia and has rigorously enforced Sharia law is doing just that. This is the same group that recently amputated the hands and limbs of 3 robbers.

Now residents of north Mogadishu are saying that masked Al-Shabaab gunmen are going for women with firm breasts and accusing them of violating Islam by causing a deception because of the bras they wear. Exactly how they determine what is a firm breast is not stated.  And there is no trial before a Sharia judge to determine this.  There is no legal counsel for the accused, and no recourse to a higher court to overturn the mob justice.

Now what is the punishment?  First the Muslim ladies caught in this manner are summarily pronounced guilty.  Then masked men from the Al-Shabaab group will caned them publicly.  But this is not the end of the punishment.  After the public whipping, these Muslim women are then ordered by these masked Al-Shabaab men to remove their bras.  Is this humiliating enough for the Muslim women?  Not quite, there is more.  After removing their bras, these women have to shake their breasts. 

So what is required under Sharia law according to Al-Shabaab? Halima, a resident of north Mogadishu said: “They are now saying that breasts should be firm naturally, or just flat.” In other words, Muslim women just cannot make their breasts firm through deception by the help of bras designed for firming the breasts. To do so is to violate Islam (Sharia law).

Think about it.  Is Al-Shabaab right in saying, effectively, that Sharia law prohibits Muslim women to wear bras, because “breasts should be firm naturally, or just flat”? And what does it say when Al-Shabaab group is itself the prosecutor, judge and executor of women in Somalia caught wearing bras to make their breasts firm? And where is the due process of the law when the accused are not charged in the Shariah court, not represented by Shariah lawyers, not given the right of defense, and not given the right to appeal a judgement? Are Muslims women being discriminated under Sharia law practised by Al-Shabaab?

Earlier post

Somalia – 3 Men Amputated Under Sharia Law
How Muslim Countries Deal With Human Rights And Discrimination Against Women