'Rape victim' defends besieged Australian cleric

SYDNEY (AFP) - The backing of a woman who described herself as a rape victim Saturday took some of the heat off Australia's embattled top Muslim cleric, under pressure for saying scantily-clad women invited sexual attack.

Cindy Taylor said Sheik Taj Aldin al-Hilali had not intended to justify rape by comparing immodestly-dressed women to "uncovered meat", comments that sparked calls from politicians and some Muslic leaders for his resignation.

"He's a wonderful man and his analogy certainly did not justify the act of rape," said Taylor, who said she had twice been raped, although no-one had ever been charged.

"He was not being politically correct. But he's not a politician, he's a philosophical leader," she said outside Sydney's Lakemab Mosque, where police and journalists outnumbered a small gathering of around 100 Muslim worshippers.

Taylor, who said she was raised a Christian and had developed an interest in Islam, said she understood what the imam was trying to say, and urged Australians to be more open-minded.

"He believes that the act of rape is one of the worst capital crimes in Islam," she said.