KUALA LUMPUR: Non-Muslims must dress modestly to protect their dignity and to be respected by all religions and civilised nations, said Pas president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.
Hadi's remarks came after a 35-year-old woman was fined by the Kota Baru Municipal Council on Sunday for being "indecently" dressed in a pair of shorts at her shop in Jalan Merbau.
"They should not be so liberal that there is no shame like 'senseless animals' and dishonour, which are sweeping Western countries now," said Hadi, who is Marang member of parliament, in a post titled "Minda Presiden Pas" on his official Facebook page yesterday.
Earlier, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said there could be serious consequences for tourism in Kelantan if more women were fined for wearing "indecent" clothes.
The woman, clad in a pair of shorts, was found to have breached Section 34 of the council's Business and Industrial Trade By-Laws 2019.
Council president Rosnazli Amin defended his enforcement officers' action, saying the by-laws had existed for a long time and that many locals, including non-Muslims, understood them.
Tiong urged Pas leaders in Kelantan to learn from Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia that have developed their tourism sector without denying the rights of people of other faiths.
Tiong said Articles 3(1) and 8 of the Federal Constitution stated that non-Muslims were free to practise their religions and protected from discrimination.