Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Leave Sania alone

It is unfortunate that Muslim clerics are targeting Sania Mirza for wearing a short skirt on the tennis court. Thank god India does not boast of a Muslim swimmer of international acclaim.

S.G. Sriram Ragav,
Neyveli, T.N.

It takes immense grit and determination to achieve what Sania has achieved. She needs all the encouragement from her countrymen and not fatwas. Says Khalil Gibran on clothes: "Forget not that modesty is for a shield against the eye of the unclean."

Richa Joshi Pant,
Dehra Dun

The gifted player is not playing a role in a film but exhibiting her tennis skill, which is par excellence. So it is her game that should matter, nothing else. It is her right to dress in a manner that helps her agility on the court.

B.S. Selvakumar,
Vellore, T.N.

Dress code for Muslim women is enshrined in the Koran. Therefore there is no reason to decry the clerics. It is a matter to be settled among the followers of Islam in India.

As it is, there is a lot of misconception, even ignorance, among non-Muslims about Islam. Let not others aggravate the issue by passing judgment on what they do not necessarily know.

V. Janakiraman,
Chennai

It is well known that the apparel of women tennis players has more to do with reasons other than just comfort. The Muslim clergy have done nothing wrong in criticising Sania's dress on court.

Syed Sultan Mohiddin,
Kadappa, A.P.

I do not think the clerics are wrong. Many have suggested alternatives for Sania to consider. Before we invoke the secular card, let us not forget that Muslims opted for personal law in our country in civil matters. Obviously it is difficult to have the cake and eat it too.

Koti Sreekrishna,
Mason, Ohio

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