BEIRUT – A senior Iranian cleric says women who wear immodest clothing and behave promiscuously are to blame for earthquakes.
Iran is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, and the cleric's unusual explanation for why the earth shakes follows a prediction by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that a quake is certain to hit Tehran and that many of its 12 million inhabitants should relocate.
"Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes," Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi was quoted as saying by Iranian media. Sedighi is Tehran's acting Friday prayer leader.
Women in the Islamic Republic are required by law to cover from head to toe, but many, especially the young, ignore some of the more strict codes and wear tight coats and scarves pulled back that show much of the hair.
"What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble?" Sedighi asked during a prayer sermon Friday. "There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes."
That closing quote is the best: what can Iranians do to avoid being buried under the rubble? Could they relocate their population, update building codes or train for disaster? Nah! That would be ridiculous. What makes the most sense is to "take refuge in religion and adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes."
And you gotta love his logical tone:
1. many women do not dress modestly (FACT)
2. this lack of modesty leads men astray (ASSERTION)
3. the resulting adultery leads to earthquakes (CRAZY)
Q.E.D.
I really want to see this guy and Pat Robertson host a TV show together. It can be called Science Schmience! and will feature far more complicated explanations for natural phenomena than those offered by fancy, godless book learnin.
Reminds me of this old Onion magazine cover
