Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) - Bright lipstick and high heels will be prohibited for Muslim women in Malaysia, to "protect their dignity and shield them from sexual aggression". The rule was issued by the municipal council of the city of Kota Baru, in the northern part of the country, administered by an Islamic-inspired party.
According to the news released by the agency Bernama, the municipal authorities have ordered the female employees of restaurants and other businesses not to put on "heavy makeup and noisy high-heeled shoes". A pamphlet explains that the ban is aimed at "preventing rape and protecting women's dignity and morality". Officials of the city administration did not want to confirm the news. One anonymous female employee says that she knows about the new norms, but doesn't know if they are being enforced.
Kota Baru is the capital of the state of Kelantan, governed by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, which is trying to have sharia law introduced for Muslim citizens. A directive is already in effect in the city that requires women to cover their heads with veils that cannot be transparent, to wear long-sleeved garments, and not to go out without socks: fines for violations go up to 500 ringgit (150 dollars ).
A majority Muslim country, Malaysia boasts a tolerant, multi-ethnic tradition. The constitution guarantees religious freedom, but the presence of Islamic tribunals besides civil ones has repeatedly brought into question the effective respect for religious freedom and state secularism.