Muslim women must respect dress code

Accra, July 25, GNA - Women who dress indecently to the Mosque are now being turned away to ensure strict adherence to Islamic code, Mrs Alhajia Rahmat Muslim, Headmistress of the Ahmaddiyya Vocational Institute, said in Accra on Saturday.

Mrs. Muslim said the measure, which was started in the Wa Community and being replicated in Kumasi was to ensure the highest moral standard among Muslim women and to discourage indecent dressing especially among the youth.

Speaking at the 25th Ahamadiyya Muslim Women Associations National Conference at Ashongman near Accra, she said indecent dressing did not only constitute a sin but was also a way of swaying people's attention during prayers.

The conference under the theme "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" attracted women from Tema, Accra and Kasoa.

Mrs. Muslim said the Islamic dress code was not meant to bring any hardship on Muslim women but was rather to forestall indecency. She expressed concern about the dressing of the youth, which "is not pleasant" and asked Muslim women to dress decently to be role models, adding that, "as an identifiable group we must not be seen wearing tight clothes, which sought to attract the attention of men".

Mrs. Muslim reminded them of the rules of dressing in the Koran and urged the women to desist from "displaying our bodies to people, which should only be reserved for our husbands".

Mrs. Marian A. Tackie, Acting Executive Director of the National Council for Women and Development (NCWD), in speech read on her behalf she called on women to support the Accra Metropolitan Assembly's campaign to rid the city of filth.

She said, "the campaign should commence from our homes, family and community" adding "government alone cannot win the war against filth but needs all hands on deck."

"It is equally important that we keep our immediate surroundings and environment clean to forestall the breeding of mosquitoes and related diseases".

Mrs. Tackie cautioned women against slandering, backbiting and gossip, which retarded progress and urged them to be truthful, gentle and to adhere to the teachings in the Koran.

In speech read on behalf of Mrs Alhajia Sarah Bonsu, President of the Greater Accra Ahmadiyya Muslim Women's Association, asked them to pray for a peaceful election this year.