MUSLIM women’s rights activist Sahira Nasih slammed a senior cleric yesterday for issuing a religious decree saying that Muslim women should not watch men playing football.

Nasih, an activist in the northern city of Lucknow, responded to Mufti Athar Kasmi’s sermon last Friday, arguing how ridiculous it is to stop women watching sports because the men are “playing with bare knees.” 

“It implies that Muslim women should not watch any athletic event, tennis matches or swimming championships. How it can be immoral for a woman to watch men playing sport?” Nasih said.