What a woman might be wearing is irrelevant. You can sexualize anything, no matter how much you cover up. I’m sure that there are some in Afghanistan who find the burkha alluring, if only because you DON’T know what’s under there, and so your imagination can go wild.

Obviously this councilor lady has a very dim view of men. She seems to think that men can’t control their desires. Well, men (and women) have to – the world is filled with temptations of all kinds. Mercedes Benz, anyone?

IMPORTANT QUESTION: Since Migara refers to the Press Card, may I ask: how many journalists holding the Government Press Card belong to publications that have membership in this ‘Editors’ Guild’? Perhaps this would help clarify things about criteria for recognising journalists!

” Now, there are young boys and priests here and when they see you dressed like this, you give them temptation. And that is not good for you”.

She has missed out a few things I guess and she may have sounded better if she said ” Now, there are young boys, oldmen, young girls, women, third genders and priests, doctors, lawyers engineers and what not here and when they see you, they may get turned on.”

Ok. So what is wrong with turning people on? And what is wrong about getting turned on?

People are sexually attractive and people do get sexually attracted and people do use their sexual attractiveness to their advantage. And yes, some people are more sexually attractive than others and they may be at an advantage. I do not think that the response to such an advantage is to ban sexual attractiveness.

So what was this counseler getting at that made the journalist get so mad at her?

Perhaps she was a nasty old crone who whatever she may have said actually meant something like “Those who tease cockerels get pecked”…

David,
When you say ‘a mild hold’ I think we must be talking about different things. I realise the fundamentalist religious movement in the USA is hugely influencial. However, and here’s the parallel, I don’t think they publicly campaign that entire races should return to where they came from (eg. that the Native Americans are better off in Canada?), that the country belongs to Christians by *devine decree* as written in ancient writings, or publicly demonstrate a political mentality which goes counter to the purpose and ethos of their very existence. To that add the fact that – and something like this will never have happened in SL under the religious political right – the current President of the USA is of African-American origin with a Muslim name … no I don’t think we’re talking of the same thing. The attitude of the religious fundamentalists in the American bible-belt has not fueled a major civil war costing tens of thousands of lives of Americans.

However, I too agree Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with beautiful people, and with beautiful weather. Which is why this is so sad.

(Apologies to Gypsy gain)

Pearl – Well said.

This was an event that I was covering with a television crew as a journalist. I had stated that in the letter. And also that there were priests and nuns – all of whom treated me with the utmost respect – but that it was not in a church.

I am NOT describing my outfit to anyone – that is simply ridiculous and takes away from the whole point of this letter. I have already stated that I was dressed as I always do – for work. That should be enough.

This article was not meant for publishing – it was sent to her first and foremost and if context is lacking, it is because she knows very well what I am talking about. And in the end, that is what matters. When I was asked if this could be published, I provided a few hurried paragraphs of the events that led to the letter and I think that is sufficient.

In the end, this has nothing to do with religion or even feminism – it is simply about the right of a professional to go about his/her business and not be questioned so rudely based on what they were wearing.