Women's groups react strongly to street preacher

TORONTO - A law forcing women to dress conservatively to prevent sex assaults would “push the blame onto victims,” women’s groups said Monday. Calling Muslim street preacher Al-Haashim Kamena Atangana’s proposal of changing Canadian laws to require women to cover themselves “offensive,” the executive director of Nellie’s said how a woman dresses has nothing to do with sexual assaults. “I would like to find out the stats in the Muslim countries,” said Margarita Mendez, who heads the abused women’s shelter in Toronto.

“The issue is the violence against women, power and control and it has nothing to do with how women dress. I find his views very oppressive and it’s blaming the victim when we don’t have control over men who are abusive.” Atangana has been criticized since he publicly announced his views Sunday for women to have a “dress code.” The preacher also commended Const. Michael Sanguinetti for advising a group of York University students last year women should avoid “dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/07/16/womens-groups-react-strongly-to-street-preacher

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/07/16/islamic-street-preacher-runs-website-with-links-to-writers-known-for-hate-speech