Alert: Mistranslation of Sheikh Hilali's Sermon or Why You Can't Trust Arab Translators

The 'official' translation of Sheikh Hilaly's sermon that's being widely distributed across numerous websites and blogs has a fundamental error, that also demonstrates why Arab translations can't be trusted.

Sheikh El-Hilaly's sermon referenced the Muslim gang rape cases blaming the women and describing them as uncovered meat. Hilaly argued that he was referring to adultery rather than rape and the translation, mistranslates him as describing adultery but when in viewed in context this translation is clearly FALSE. All blogs using this translation should be aware of that.

This is the official SBS translation.

"When it comes to adultery (rape), it’s 90 percent the woman’s responsibility. Why? Because a woman owns the weapon of seduction. It’s she who takes off her clothes, shortens them, flirts, puts on make-up and powder and takes to the streets, God protect us, dallying. It’s she who shortens, raises and lowers. Then, it’s a look, a smile, a conversation, a greeting, a talk, a date, a meeting, a crime, then Long Bay jail. Then you get a judge, who has no mercy, and he gives you 65 years."

"But when it comes to this disaster, who started it? In his literature, writer al-Rafee says, if I came across a rape crime, I would discipline the man and order that the woman be jailed for life. Why would you do this, Rafee? He said because if she had not left the meat uncovered, the cat wouldn’t have snatched it."

Hilaly's statements clearly cannot be referring to adultery.

1. The very next paragraph that continues his train of thought refers to a rape crime, not adultery.

2. No one in Australia (Long Bay) gets sentenced to jail for adultery. However the gang rape leader in Australia's notorious Muslim gang rape trial, did get sentenced to 55 years in jail.

The translation's use of adultery is yet another example of Arab translators trying to cover up for their brothers, as American intelligence agencies and the military have repeatedly found out. I don't have access to the Arabic original but it's possible that the term Hilaly used was a general one for immoral sexual conduct. This is likely to have been 'Zina' (similar to the Hebrew 'Znut') which is commonly used to refer to adultery but is in actuality (just as in Hebrew) a general term for immoral sexual conduct. Rape too can be referred to as Zina or 'Zina bil Jabr' ,'Forcible Immoral Sexual Acts.'

The translator here likely chose the common meaning of the term to obscure its actual literal meaning and thus the actual statement Hilaly made, which can be clearly seen from the context.

Beyond Hilaly's blaming women for rape and even declaring that men should be let off lightly for rape and women imprisoned for life (something that is actually in many Muslim countries, especially Pakistan under Hudood laws), Hilaly's other rants about Jews and Christians and women are just as revealing.

Muslims online typically talk about how much Islam respects Jews and Christians (People of the Book) and talk about how respectful Islam is towards women. In his sermon, Hilaly, Australia's top cleric said of Jews and Christians.

"Those atheists, people of the book (Christians and Jews), where will they end up? In Surfers Paradise? On the Gold Coast? Where will they end up? In hell and not part-time, for eternity. They are the worst in God’s creation."

He described women as 'uncovered meat' (Muslim women are presumably covered meat) and as 'Satan's soldiers.' A statement not likely to be reserved for non-Muslim women alone, since Mohammed told Muslim women that the majority of hell is populated by women.

Hilaly is not just some odd nutjob, as embarrassed Muslim leaders are trying to dismiss him as. He's Australia's top Muslim cleric and his words represent the true face of Islam.