Women who wear jeans are to blame for earthquakes, terrorism

A Pakistani Muslim cleric has become an online discussion point after claiming that women wearing jeans are to blame for devastating
earthquakes, acts of terrorism and rising levels of inflation.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also leader of the junior party in Islamabad’s ruling coalition, said ‘immodest women’ are responsible for a whole host of recent disasters around the world.

The hardline politician – who reportedly described the Taliban as ‘our brothers’ – went on to compare women who do not fully cover their bodies in robes to weapons of mass destruction, before urging Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to carry out a military operation against women who wear jeans.

The comments made by Rehman – who leads the conservative Assembly of Islamic Clergy political party – were reported by the International Business Times, citing Pakistani news outlets.

The religious leader reportedly compared women to ‘sacks of flour’ and WMDs, adding that modern clothing is responsible for everything from earthquakes to rising inflation in the south Asian country.

‘The Taliban are our brothers and their angst against the state is justified. As brother Ansar Abbasi has so eloquently put in the past: TTP’s suicide bombings are just Allah’s wrath upon us,’ Rehman was quoted as saying.

‘And so there is a need to earmark and eliminate the real enemy of Pakistan: every woman who wears jeans,’ he reportedly added.