[AlAhram] Egypt's Al Azhar Institution said on Monday that sexual harassment was prohibited in Islam and can't be justified under any circumstance."Al-Azhar stresses that sexual harassment, whether a sign, verbal or physical, is a prohibited and perverted action," Egypt's biggest Islamic religious institution said.
Al-Azhar added that it followed recent incidents of sexual harassment in the media and social media, condemning how some may blame the clothes of female sexual harassment victims.
"Criminalizing sexual harassment should be absolute with no condition that justifies sexual harassment in regards to the actions or clothing choices of girls, which represents a misunderstanding of the nature of harassment as an attack on a woman's privacy, freedom, and dignity" the statement read.
Using examples from the Holy Koran and Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon Him) about how women should feel safe whether in their life or travel in Islam, al-Azhar attempted to raise social awareness of how harmful sexual harassment is.
Al-Azhar also called on media to avoid publishing any material that promotes or encourages sexual harassment.
The statement comes following a series of sexual harassment incidents recently in Egyptian society where some claimed the women and their attire were the reason behind sexual harassment.