I was browsing Reddit this morning when I read a post titled, "New Saudi Fatwah - baby girls must be veiled to stop sexual assault". My first thought was, "Wait - Saudi Muslims have a child rape problem?"
The article goes on to describe Sheikh Adbullah Daoud's recommendation that baby girls be wrapped in a burka to stop them from being sexually exploited.
In a TV interview on the Islamic Al-Majd TV, which seems to date back to mid-last year, Sheikh Abdullah Daoud, stressed that wearing the veil will protect baby girls. The Sheikh tried to back his assertion with claims of sexual molestation against babies in the kingdom, quoting unnamed medical and security sources.
Recently picked up on social media, sheikh Dauod’s statement prompted wide condemnation from his fellow Saudis on Twitter. Some tweeps called for the Sheikh to be held accountable because his ruling denigrates Islam and breaches individual privacy.
Source: "Burkas for Babies": Saudi cleric's new fatwas causes controversy by Mohammad Alyousei
There are nutballs in every religion (and most political movements). Sheikh Adbullah Daoud is a nutball. His words damage his faith and also casts Saudi Arabia in a worse light than it already is. I put him in the same camp as Pat Robertson. A man who speaks religious nonsense.
I understand his intentions. He wanted to protect children from rape and sexual abuse. He extended that only thing he knows that works to children without realizing his words highlighted his ignorance. The real problem and the potentional solution can be found be looking at the perpetrators and establishing real accountability.
The most popular comment on Reddit says it all, "They should issue a fatwa about not raping babies…"
