KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 — Joining hands today, federal Opposition lawmakers from PAS and Umno called on the Pakatan Harapan government to introduce a policy to protect the “modesty” of Muslim women at their workplace.
The MPs from the two Malay Muslim parties said there is a need to create a policy that upholds the constitutional right of Muslim women to cover their “aurat” while at work.
“The right of women to protect their modesty should be protected via policy by the government because it is in line with the Federal Constitution,” PAS’s Rantau Panjang MP Siti Zailah Yusof said in a news conference at Parliament here.
She was backed by Kuala Kangsar MP Datin Mastura Mohd Yazid, Wanita Umno chief Datuk Noraini Ahmad and accompanied by a host of other PAS lawmakers.
“Aurat” refers to parts of the body that should be covered from being seen by the opposite gender.
In Malaysia, this has most commonly been translated to mean covering the hair for Muslim women, which has resulted in widespread use of the tudung or headscarf in recent years.
Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah refuted part of Siti Zailah’s statement, after the latter accused her of blaming sexual harassment cases on women.
Maria explained she was targeted following an exchange in the Dewan Rakyat that she had with Siti Zailah on Wednesday evening, after the latter suggested the uniform of air hostesses could cause sexual harassment.
“My view is, it is not the clothes that causes sexual harassment, and you cannot use the attire as a reason for sexual harassment, that was what I said,” she said.
“Secondly, the debate was concerning airline services, which then shifted to the issue of aurat,” she explained.
Maria then elaborated, saying she was not against anyone wearing clothes that concealed their aurat, or those who opted to don the hijab.
“What I said was that it is really up to them to wear the hijab, but do not use the fact of [someone] not wearing [it] as a reason for sexual harassment.
“That was all I meant, I did not say I objected to people wearing the hijab. I think this statement has to be corrected by Rantau Panjang,” she said, referring to Siti Zailah.
