As opposed to the Malaysian newspaper Sinar Harian’s claims that regular gym goers, or mean wearing branded clothes and sporting beards are to be seen as ‘gay’, the Arab world believes the ‘gay’ tendencies start with the Malaysian custom of wearing ‘silky’ clothing.
The belief extends to men who use gold as this is said to be another tendency to ‘effeminate’ the males, said news agencies.
And they are not just ‘Arabian beliefs’, though Malaysian Muslims would refer them to their origins which is from Arabia, yet these beliefs are actually ‘Islamic’ beliefs.
There are collections of traditions containing the sayings of the prophet of Islam known as Hadiths. In one of them, it is stated that silk and gold are created for women.
Some of the Islamic scholars say Islam forbids men to wear silk and use gold chains or gold rings as they may lead to a show of pride, to showing off and self-admiration.
Some said that it was forbidden because when it touches the body, it makes a man effeminate and goes against his masculinity and manliness.
The newspaper’s ‘code’ sparked anger in Malaysia in particular but also some hilarious comments from Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
The backlash against the newspaper was heightened by the comments from a popular Malaysian youtube star Arwind Kumar came out to criticise the article. (see video above)
Some said they were half-gay since they were not regular gym goers, or they were gay when they occasionally wear tight shirts, sparking even more hilarious comments from social media users.
The backlash against the newspaper was heightened by the comments from a popular Malaysian youtube star Arwind Kumar came out to criticise the article.