Kerala: Priest wants jeans-wearing women drowned with rocks tied to their bodies

In a video from Shalom TV, which has now gone viral, a pastor from Kerala says women who arouse men by wearing jeans and ‘men’s clothing’ should be drowned in the sea with rocks tied to their bodies.

In the video, uploaded on February 25, the unnamed priest speaks in Malayalam on the societal ills caused by women wearing “half-nude” clothes such as jeans, T-shirt and shirts that arouse men. Not surprisingly, he had nothing to say about the semi-nudeness of men’s traditional clothing, such as lungis and being shirtless, perhaps because he assumed ‘good, traditional’ woman have no sexual urges.  

A report in IndiaToday.in translates his rabid sermon: “When I go for prayer meetings in some churches, especially during the Holy Mass, I feel like leaving because of some women who I see in front of me. I feel it’s better to kick them out of the church premises. They will wear jeans, trousers, shirt or T-shirts, and will have a mobile phone in their hands. They wouldn’t even tie their hair. They do this to get attention. I don’t know why these ‘things’ come to the church.

“Here’s my question to women: Did the Catholica Church give you permission to wear what men wear? Okay, let’s keep the Church away. Did the Holy Bible give you permission?

“Let me tell you what the Bible says. ‘Men should not wear women’s clothes, women should not wear men’s clothes. If you do, you disregard God’. Will you get mercy if you go against God and then act in the church as if you’re more devoted than your mother?”   

In the tradition of other habitual misogynists and sexist men shielding themselves behind religion, the priest rested the onus of the male piety and righteousness on women.

“Bible verses say, ‘Those who provoke you into sin should be drowned in the depths of the sea, with a rock tied to their bodies’. If you [women] arouse men, you’re the sinner.”

While the pastor could be brushed aside as inconsequential, the TV’s YouTube channel is about to touch 20,000 subscribers. It would be optimistic to assume that these followers will sift and discern harmful, hate-mongering speech from spiritual advice. 

Lest we forget, Kerala recorded 2,568 rapes in 2016 and such view from a spiritual guide will only add to the sanctioning of violence against women. Several colleges in the state, and in neighbouring Chennai, have introduced rules that regulate women’s clothing and jeans are the favourite target. 

The priest  had more advice on the details of feminine fashion: “The best suited attire for women is churidaar, but these days, when Satan enters them, women throw away the ‘dupatta’. They walk around without shawls.”

Descending into an utter hate speech, the priest then accused women of tempting their brothers and fathers, and absolved rapists of “such” girls saying they were “provoked”.