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‘It’s okay to spy on women who are showering,’ says salafist preacher

August 18, 2014

An Egyptian preacher made headlines on social media after he issued a controversial fatwa (religious proclamation) giving a man the right to peep on his future wife while she is showering before he marries her.

Usama al-Qawsi, a salafist preacher, confidently stated in a video that it is acceptable for a man to “hide” while watching his wife-to-be shower as long as his intentions are “pure.”

“If you were really honest and wanted to marry that woman, and you were able to hide and watch her in secret, see the things that she wouldn’t usually let you see before marrying her, then it is acceptable as long as your intentions are pure,” said the salafist preacher in a video.

“One of the Prophet’s companions did that. Some disapproved and told him: ‘How do you do that when you’re one of the Prophet’s companions?’ The Prophet answered: ‘If you can see something that would make you want to marry her then go ahead and do it.”

In Isam, women are forbidden to reveal parts of their body other than their hands and faces to males, except to their husbands and direct family members.

His provocative fatwa was quickly rejected by the Egyptian Minister of Religious Endowments Mohammad Mukhtar.

“This is what we say to him and the likes of him, where is the glory and masculinity in watching a woman shower?” Minister Mukhtar was quoted as saying.

“Would you allow this to happen to your daughter? If it was OK with you then it isn’t with the conservative, civilized Muslim and Christian societies – they disapprove of it. Besides, Islam preaches that modesty should be in our nature and all religions concur.”

Such allegations are not foreign to Egypt’s salafist community. Last June, during the World Cup, a Salafist preacher condemned watching soccer matches stating that it was unacceptable in Islam because it is a distraction and it “destroys nations.”

Yasser Borhami, one of the founders of main the Salafist movement in Egypt, stated that watching games is “a disaster that makes me very irate.”

Borhami explained that watching football matches distracts oneself from worldly duties and religious obligations, and is destined to ultimately lead to “the destruction of nations and peoples.”

Comments (10)

  1. Minymina says:

    Fucking loony should be put in an insane asylum. These people are the reason why islam has a bad reputation around the world. We already have a harassment epidemic in Egypt and it’s not helping that we have people like him around encouraging and trying to justify it with religion. Al Azhar should revoke his licence to preach and kick him out.

    1. Veronica Mendoza-Metwaly says:

      I so agree with you ^. Egypt needs fatwas that reinstate the integrity of Egyptian men (and women) not the other way around.

      Allah (swt) asks us, men and women, to guard our chastity and lower our gaze. A man, even if an imam, cannot supersede the words of our creator, bottom line. So whoever follows this ridiculousness is buying themselves a ticket to somewhere other than heaven.

    2. Veronica Mendoza-Metwaly says:

      …. and destroying the society faster than what the other imam said about football.

      I mean come on. Women are supposed to cover up in order to prevent men from looking at them in lascivious ways cuz they can’t control themselves and then this guy says spy on your future wife (the one you’re going to have sex with) while she showers as long as you’re pure in your thoughts. Really? So either men can control themselves or not….which is it?

    3. Drmgiver says:

      So you are saying men can’t control themselves?!

    4. Shankooty says:

      I agree. These fucker needs to be kicked out of the country and never allowed back in. We need to stop dealing with retards in Egypt that insult this religion.