Sydney, Australia - Australia's top Muslim cleric has vowed to retire from religion and tape over his mouth for six months if an "ethical court" he proposed finds him guilty of inciting rape.
The Mufti of Australia, Sheik Taj Aldin al-Hilali, made the unusual pledge as he came under intense pressure to resign over comments comparing scantily-clad women to "uncovered meat" inviting sexual attack.
But he stopped short of stepping down from the post of mufti immediately, offering to go only if a better replacement can be found and invited the panel of imams that oversees the post to seek nominations for a new mufti.
The controversial cleric called for an "ethical court" to be assembled to decide whether he was guilty of denigrating women or inciting rape in a sermon that caused a divisive national religious row.
If the court ruled against him, Hilali said in a statement he would withdraw from religious activity and "place masking tape on his mouth in public for a period of six months" to "discipline" the offending feature.
The defiant Halili also denounced anyone who justifies the crime of rape as "ignorant, foolish and crazy", but maintained that his comments had been misunderstood and claimed he was the victim of a "misguided plot".
"Any person ... who justifies the crime of rape or encourages it under any circumstances or ... degrades Australian women for their dress, is nothing but an ignorant, foolish and crazy person who does not deserve to hold any position of responsibility, be it public or private, in Australian society," he said.
The cleric, under mounting pressure from media, politicians and some members of the Muslim community to resign, said he would also carry out 600 hours of community service for a women's cause as punishment if he is found guilty.
The "court," that he stipulated must be made up of an impartial judge, two lawyers and two interpreters, should listen to the sermon he gave at Sydney's Lakemba mosque before making up their minds.
"This court is to be given the role of listening to the ... lesson that was given inside the Lakemba Mosque," he said. "Impartiality and neutrality should be observed."
Riot police had turned out in force at the mosque and blocked surrounding roads Friday as Hilali's supporters gathered for what he had promised would be a "knockout" announcement on his future.
Officers with bomb-sniffer dogs checked the mosque, which has been covered in a large number of flowers by the sheikh's supporters.
But no violence was reported, even as Prime Minister John Howard repeated his suggestion for Hilali to step down as mufti a week after he took indefinite leave from preaching at the mosque.
Addressing hundreds of worshippers after Friday prayers, Hilali said he wanted the Australian Federal Imams' Board to seek nominations for the role of mufti as soon as possible.
"I ask the secretary of the Australian Federal Imams' Board to open the doors for nomination for any imam wishing to nominate himself for this position.
"This must be taken care of this week, and the board must be responsible for such a position in order that it be elected in a correct, democratic way and in accordance (with) the board's constitution," he said.
Howard meanwhile indicated he wanted Hilali to resign over his comments about women, warning failure to act could do lasting damage to relations between the Islamic and non-Islamic communities.
"I'm sure like me (the Muslim community) want to see it resolved. But it's not in my hands," Howard told reporters.
Hilali's mosque outing will mark his first public appearance since he was rushed to hospital suffering from chest pains a week ago as Muslim community leaders joined calls for him to quit amid mounting national debate.
Since then, Australian Muslims have been fighting back against what they called an hysterical attack on their community over Hilali's remarks, claiming the Muslim community was being unfairly targeted.