Woman Firing Sister-in-Law As Bridesmaid Over Bachelorette Request Slammed

A 28-year-old Muslim woman has recently turned to Reddit for support following a row with her husband's sister about her bachelorette party rules.

The post shared by u/Comfortable_Clothed explained: "My husband's sister, 24, is getting married and asked me to be a bridesmaid, which I am thrilled to do. We have chosen a modest dress that I can wear with a hijab, and there are no qualms on that front.

"The issue comes with her bachelorette party. She wants a Vegas-themed party and all the girls must wear bikinis in coordinating colors. Now, I wouldn't mind this if I was just in the company of women, but I cannot show my body off in front of men, and two of the bridesmaids are my SIL's (sister-in-law) gay best friends [aged 24 and 25]."

A hijab is a headscarf that is often accompanied by non-revealing clothing. Muslim women choose to wear the hijab and cover up in public to "reflect their personal devotion to God," according to The North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies.

She wrote: "These two guys are lovely and I have absolutely no issue with them, but I cannot wear a bikini in front of them. I tried to compromise with my SIL and wear something modest, but still in the color scheme, but she says I am being homophobic and ruining the vibe of the party. She said if I can't wear a bikini, then I shouldn't bother being a bridesmaid at all."

At the start of the post, the woman states she was not "raised" as a Muslim, but converted later in life and her husband is an atheist.

The woman states her mother-in-law, 62, has voiced her opinion and accused her of "driving a wedge in the family over nothing." And questioned why she won't wear the swimwear as she used to wear bikinis prior to converting.

"[She said] I can set aside my 'ideas' for one night. She said that they don't count as men under the Muslim definition because they are gay and won't look at me 'like that,' and I am purposefully being difficult," added the woman.

Since originally posting on September 12, the woman has answered multiple questions, she states: "I choose to veil and dress modestly because of my personal dedication to my religion. I will not put that aside because of some loophole."

She also explained she was willing to attend the party, despite it being forbidden or proscribed by Islamic law.

"I understand that drinking, gambling, etc. are all haram (forbidden) practices. While I do not partake in any of these myself, I cannot control what other people do and I was not involved in deciding the theme.

"I would have been happy to attend sober and not partake in haram activities, which the bride also knows about. While I can understand this may make me seem like a spoilsport, the bride had no issue with this. The bride's only issue has consistently been that I am not wanting to wear a bikini, despite the fact that her friends have no sexual interest in me."

Psychiatrist Carole Lieberman discussed the post, which has 7,000 upvotes, with Newsweek. And her response may surprise you.

She said: "It is unreasonable and hypocritical for the poster to insist upon not wearing a bikini in front of gay men. In the Muslim religion, as she knows, the reason for women having to cover themselves with their clothes is to not attract men's lustful gazes and thoughts.

"Obviously, these gay men would not have lustful gazes or thoughts towards her, even in a bikini. This is not just a 'loophole.'

"The poster is using this opportunity to get attention for her religious beliefs from her sister-in-law and the other guests.

"However, the bride to be should not have uninvited her from being a bridesmaid and from the wedding. She should simply have uninvited her from the bachelorette party if she wouldn't wear a bikini like all the other bridesmaids."

So far, the clip has racked up over 3,000 comments, many of which side with the original poster.

One comment has 28,300 likes, it said: "[To be honest] I even think your religion is beside the point. You don't want to wear a bikini. No matter the reason, you are NTA (Not The A******) for saying no. The idea that just because someone is getting married means they get to dictate every little detail is crazy to me."

"I'm not religious, just a chubby woman. I would absolutely refuse to wear a bikini for anyone, under any circumstances. SIL is very much the a******," wrote another.

Newsweek reached out to u/Comfortable_Clothed for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

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