I would like to comment on the letter by Amir Hamzah Amha entitled Paradise, lustful stares and the tudung .

As a non-Muslim I find his letter insightful as to the Hadith found in the Holy Quran. From what I understand from his letter, the Holy Quran is very strict on the matter of covering the aurat for both men as well as women.

I am sure Helmy Haja Mydin , Ushiv , Hamdan Ibrahim and Zainol Abideen too, have their points when commenting on this particular sensitive issue. As a neutral observer from the outside, I would like to make certain observations on the on-going debate about the tudung.

First of all, this issue about the 'aurat' and the tudung seems to be aimed at the lesser sex. What about the male folk? If I am not mistaken, they too, have their 'aurat' to cover. The 'aurat' of a man, if I am not mistaken, is from the navel down to the knees.

Watching Malaysian football, I can't help noticing the players showing their 'aurat' each time they score a goal. Some footballers don't even bother covering their thighs.

Obviously, the issue here is not about covering of the 'aurat' but in the enforcement of the Hadith. We can all talk and debate till the cows come home but if there is no active enforcement of the above Hadith, then all is in vain.

Some of you may condemn people like Siti Norhaliza or Misha Omar for not covering their 'aurat', but what have been done by the authority concerned? Nothing.

That is why I admire PAS - not Barisan Nasional - for daring to walk the talk. People like BN's Pirdaus Ismail, the former imam of the National Mosque, are now politicians but they do not make any attempt to stem this particular moral decay. It is no use talking and talking if in the end there is no will to change.

Referring to what Amir wrote, and I quote: 'Thus, Muslim women who go beyond this parameter, regardless of whether they are adorning the tudung or not, commit one of the many forms of sin. The constant portrayal of the 'aurat' will lead to their sins accumulating and Allah the Almighty shall give verdict, based upon his mercy in the hereafter, whether to admit this servant to Jannah or to the fiery depths of Hell for refusing to obey a command from the Supreme Creator.'

Indeed, this is most damning in that the non-obedient will meet with certain fiery death in Hell.

If the above is true, shouldn't the law be enforced to the hilt in order to prevent the ignoramuses from going to Hell? Countries like Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan come to mind as some countries that truly follow the teachings of the Holy Quran in this regard.

In conclusion, unless you are willing to go all out to follow the Hadith and the teachings of the Holy Quran, mere words will continue to fall on deaf ears as no real enforcement of the law is seen.

This precisely is what happening in our government. They have a lot of world-class law but third-world enforcement.