Muslim Gymnast Faces Sexist Criticism For Leotard

Gymnastics and leotards go pretty much hand in hand, right? But according to TelegraphUK, incredibly talented Malaysian Muslim gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi has faced nothing but criticism from religious leaders and trolls for wearing a "scandalous" (AKA stunning) purple leotard while competing at the Southeast Asia Games. What they should be doing, though, is freaking congratulating this girl on her double-gold victory.

The critiques stem from the fact that, in Islam, haram is forbidden. A woman revealing her figure and "aurat" (thighs and genitalia) is considered haram, and after seeing Abdul Hadi's leotard, Malaysian Islamic Cleric Harussani Zakaria spoke out to a local paper and said, "Gymnastics is not for Muslim women. It is clear that exposing one's aurat and the shape of one's body is haram ... If Muslim women want to participate in gymnastics, they have to find outfits which cover the aurat and this, in turn, might not be suitable for the sport." Some think Zakaria's comment reeks of sexism and are speaking out to defend Abdul Hadi and her lovely deep purple leotard with bedazzled black and white details.

Khairy Jamaluddin, Malaysia’s minister for youth and sports, defended Abdul Hadi and her attire at a press conference in Singapore, stating, “I think this whole incident also smacks of sexism. Nobody has complained about … kinky Speedos, or Sazali (Samad) wearing tight shorts when he flexes his muscles but when it comes to gymnasts, suddenly it's a big problem.” Just like Iranian women fighting for the right to choose whether or not to wear hijab, the root of the leotard issue lies in sexism, not religion.

Amidst the controversy, Abdul Hadi has been shake, shake, shakin' it off T-Swift style, writing the below post to her (literally thousands of) supporters.

Clearly the girl has no regrets, nor should she have to. Fingers crossed scores big time at the olympics (and wears some seriously awesome leotards).

Image Credit: Farah Ann Abdul Hadi For Malaysia/Facebook; Getty Images; Giphy