Over the last few years, India has been travelling back in time and making regressive comments about the way that women dress in our society. The recent addition to this is a priest from Kerala who wants women wearing Jeans, T-shirts, Shirts and any piece of men’s clothing to be drowned in the sea. Jasmine P.K., on her Facebook Page, posted the video of the pastor saying that women use their bodies to arouse men by exposing themselves. He also said that women who wear men’s attire should be drowned in the sea with rocks tied to their bodies. The video posted by Jasmine was sourced from Shalom TV and after being posted on February 25 has gone viral on social media. But this video was actually posted on YouTube 11 months back.
The video roughly translates to:
“When I go for prayer meetings in some churches, especially during the Holy Mass, I feel like leaving because of some women who I see in front of me. I feel it’s better to kick them out of the church premises. They will wear jeans, trousers, shirt or T-shirts, and will have a mobile phone in their hands. They wouldn’t even tie their hair. They do this (to) get attention. I don’t know why these “things” best suited come to the church. Here’s my question to women – “Did the Catholic Church give you permission to wear what men wear?” Okay, let’s keep the church away. Did the Holy Bible give you permission?” He added, “Let me tell you what the Bible says. Men should not wear women’s clothes, women should not wear men’s clothes. If you do, you disregard god. Will you get mercy if you go against god and then act in the church as if you’re more devoted than your mother?
Many boys, after prayer meetings, come to me and say, “the moment we get out of the church we see women wearing half-nude clothes. We get aroused and slip into sin.”
Bible verses say, “those who provoke you into sin should be drowned in the depths of the sea, with a rock tied to their bodies.” If you [women] arouse men, you’re the best-suited attire for women is ‘churidar’, but these days, when Satan enters them, women throw away the ‘dupatta.’ They walk around without shawls.”
In the next part of the speech he says, “After Satan enters women, it alters churidar. After sinning, they come to me and complain that they are not getting married or they are being rejected in interviews. I was awkward to see a girl wearing an attire exposing herself when I went to bless a family.” He also added, “I saw a case where a girl was impregnated by her own brother and that the brother told him he couldn’t control himself seeing his sister wearing shorts and T-shirt. Will girls who provoke own father and brother by wearing such attire be welcomed by god when they come to the church?”
Well after the Mumbai Head Master’s comments about how women lose the urge to reproduce, these comments show how regressive certain parts of our country are. It also stresses on the need for change for women to be independent in our country.
