Following on from the imams as lifesavers and imams as firefighters call, comes a new call from south west Sydney for Muslim women — specifically “hijab-wearing women between the ages of 17 and 26″ — to enlist in the army in order to “prove” they are part of the national security solution. The suggestion comes, this time, from the president of some sporting club in Lakemba. The Australian reports:
YOUNG Australian Muslim women will be targeted to join the Army Reserve and prove they are part of the national security “solution”.
The plan by Sydney Muslim leader Jamal Rifi - which has been welcomed by the Australian Defence Force - is designed to break down barriers between Islam and mainstream Australia. It also aims to revive an element of Islamic culture that saw men and women fighting “side by side” during the days of the prophet Mohammed.
Dr Rifi, president of Lakemba Sports and Recreation Club in Sydney’s southwest, said he wanted “hijab-wearing” women between the ages of 17 and 26 to become reservists and would soon begin promoting the idea to Muslim parents on Arabic and Islamic radio networks to urge them to let their kids join.