KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Malay-Muslim women in Malaysia are particularly targeted for attacks on social media because of certain societal expectations, activists say.
UK’s BBC News reported that several Malaysian Muslim women faced abuse online, including those who did not wear the headscarf, who said their bodies were often scrutinised and that it was mostly Muslim men attacking them on the Internet.
“We are seeing a trend where Muslim women [particularly Malay-Muslims] are targeted in a different way, especially when it comes to how they present themselves,” women’s rights activist Juana Jaafar was quoted saying.
She reportedly said the ‘jaga tepi kain’ (minding your neighbour’s business) culture was commonplace in many conservative communities here, as well as the idea of “airing one’s dirty laundry in public” encouraged partly by Malay-language gossip sites.
“The religion doesn’t encourage the [‘jaga tepi kain’] behaviour. There are hadiths that talk about respecting privacy,” said Juana, who noted it was more of a cultural than religious issue.
DAP Socialist Youth executive committee member Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud told the BBC that local gossip sites have often insulted her clothes and appearance, something which she said her male counterparts did not experience.
“The female body is a constant battleground for men to argue [about]. A woman may be covered from head to toe, but someone will still complain that the covering is not baggy enough or long enough,” she was quoted saying.
Malay Mail Online reported last March five times Malaysian Muslim women were attacked online simply for being female.
