PETALING JAYA, July 31 -- While  praising the government’s stance in prohibiting Muslim women from taking part in beauty pageants, PAS Youth has questioned its “double standard” in not adopting the same stance for Muslim men taking part in bodybuilding competitions.

Stating that the Islamic religious council should take a “wider angle” in terms of enforcement instead of focusing on beauty pageants alone, Federal Territory PAS Youth information chief Yusapiza Yaacob said the religion also prohibits the exposure of the aurat by men.

“The ban on exposing the aurat for women is the same as exposing the aurat for men, what more if it is for public viewing and contest,” he said in a statement.

“Let us not place aurat restrictions merely on women. The Islamic religious council, muftis and others should be firm in carrying out syariah obligations without prejudice.”

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Yusapiza was referring to the dropping of  the four Muslim finalists from the Miss World Malaysia 2013 pageant to avoid contravening a 1997 fatwa barring Muslim participation in  beauty pageants.

He said that in Islam, aurat for women referred to the whole body, with the exception of the face and palms, while for men, it referred to the part sof the body between the navel and knees.

He said bodybuilding was not different from beauty pageants as both required clothing which exposedthe aurat and was viewed by the public, with men having to adorn “nothing but underpants” when competing.

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“Why is there a double standard between the two competitions?” he asked.