APRIL 9 — As debate over the possible extension of the powers of Islamic courts rages in Malaysia, Singapore too has been, in its own way, debating the relationship between religion — particularly Islam — and the state .
No, it doesn’t seem likely the Singapore government is going to introduce hudud (the strict imposition of Islamic law) any time soon but there has long been some controversy surrounding the tudung and public service.
Last week, opposition MP Faisal Abdul Manap raised the issue of the ban on “frontline” public servants wearing the head scarf.
The ban applies to the police, members of the Armed Forces and nurses. The reasoning seems to be that the head scarf might interfere with their duties but also that it might be a barrier to racial integration, an officer wearing a tudung might be seen as partial to a particular community for example.
It must be noted, however, that teachers, back-office government workers — tax officials, for example, and doctors not performing surgery — can wear a head scarf so the full restriction only applies to a small number of public servants.
However, Manap asked the question as to why there should be any ban at all and for doing so was rebuked by government Minister Masagos Zulfiki who said “sensitive and deeply emotive matters” shouldn’t be raised in parliament but left to closed door committees.
The exchange between the two men is telling and relevant because it’s ultimately about much more than what Muslim women put on their heads.
It covers the authority of and role of parliament in Singapore, the matter of who should decide what women wear and where and of course the “small” matters of race/religion and race relations.
This is actually quite a fraught issue but I think there are three salient points:
1. Should matters pertaining to religion and perceived religious discrimination be debated openly in parliament?
The short answer is yes — where else can they be discussed if not parliament? But the government does have a point — these issues can be used for political grandstanding and provide a platform for ethnic nationalists.
However, the solution can’t be to sweep it all behind closed doors. Parameters for this sort of discussion might be acceptable and there might have to be a closed door component for fact-finding and research but ultimately the final say and discussion must be public and in parliament.
2. The idea of research and fact finding is also pertinent. What makes Manap and Margosa, both men, authorities on what Muslim women want to wear in the Armed Forces.
This is a debate that should be led by Muslim women, supported by independent research that indicates this is a genuine issue for that group.
Women armed with information should be the drivers here rather than men with obvious political agendas.
3. Race does lie near the heart of it and some of the defences offered for the tudung ban — that seeing the head scarf might make other races uncomfortable — are patently absurd.
It’s not for other communities to decide what Malay women should wear on their heads. All that matters is whether they can perform the duties they need to and if it will impede the functioning of the teams they work in?
Within those parameters I’ll add my own view on the subject; which is that the current policy is in fact nuanced. It’s not a blanket public sector tudung ban and I can see why it’s important for a solider to wear the same outfit as the other soldiers — that’s the essence of a uniform.
It is also important to ascertain if there is really interest in lifting the ban among Muslim women looking to join the Armed Forces or does this come from male clerics and politicians looking for control and mileage?
I think the answer may lie in true secularism: that religious symbols of any kind including crosses, amulets, should not be worn by those on duty — frontline policemen, Armed Forces personnel etc which prevents this seeming purely discriminatory.
Where the tudung on nurses is concerned, there is clearly some room for debate. I mean Florence Nightingale? The nursing profession was created by Christian women wearing head scarves!
And while there are some concerns about hygiene and fabric etc. I think there is a precedent all over the world and as a society we should be able to accommodate nurses with head scarves.
