An online petition is making the rounds, seeking to petition the G to allow Muslim women working in “frontline” jobs – such as nursing – to wear the hijab.
Once the petition reaches the targeted 20,000 signatures, it will be delivered to several key people in the G including, among others, Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Acting Minister for Manpower, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin and CEO of MUIS, Mr Abdul Razak Hassan Maricar.
At the time of writing, most of the signatories seem to be local Malay-Muslims based on the names provided.
This is not the first time that the wearing of headcoverings for Muslim women have come up as an issue in Singapore. It brings to mind the tudung controversy that took place in February 2002 when four girls were suspended from primary school for wearing the tudung.
When the issue broke out, the mufti said then that when confronted with a choice, Muslims should prioritise an education over wearing the tudung (The Straits Times, Feb 6, 2002). But that was about education, what about the workplace? Should Muslims prioritise their career over wearing the tudung?
The G, likewise, has stuck with the line that there are larger issues to prioritise than whether one should wear the tudung.
At the time, Member of Parliament, Mdm Halimah Yacob said: “Rather than continue to be caught in the tudung issue, Singaporean Muslims should focus on the bigger issues, such as how to uplift our community and how to make Singapore more competitive and socially resilient by participating in the ongoing debates in the Economic Committee and the Remaking of Singapore Committee.” (The Straits Times, Mar 12, 2002)
Then-PM Goh Chok Tong said: “It’s not a ‘never never’. But I want to build a successful multi-racial society first. If over time we are all comfortable, as we are with adults wearing tudung, then you will find that our own attitudes may change.”
The message from the G seems to be that Singaporean Muslims ought to turn their focus away from such religious strictures and towards national issues such as education and foster multi-racialism. Problem for the G is that the issue won’t disappear just because the G says so.
The issue cropped up again – this time with regard to Muslim nurses banned from wearing it – in a recent forum discussing an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) survey results on racial and religious attitudes in Singapore. Former Nominated Member of Parliament, Mr Zulkifli Baharudin said that it will probably be allowed in the future, although there must be negotiation and compromise between the Muslim community and the other members in society.
Perhaps, the online petition should be viewed as part of that process of negotiation and compromise. Except that creating online petitions is like arguing with the referee – it almost never works. But putting aside the question of effectiveness, the petition does raise a few key issues to ponder:
The ban on hijab for nurses is likely to deter Muslim women from applying to be nurses. At a time when Singapore is facing a shortage of nurses and actively hiring foreign nurses, the hijab ban seems unhelpful.
The focus this time is on nurses but are there other jobs that impose a hijab ban? News anchors, perhaps? The G’s stance on the wearing of hijab in the workplace has not always been clear. It’s still not clear why teachers and SMRT staff are allowed to don the headgear but nurses are not. These inconsistencies are a source of tension for the Muslim community in Singapore.
Once the petition reaches the targeted 20,000 signatures, it will be delivered to several key people in the G including, among others, Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Acting Minister for Manpower, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin and CEO of MUIS, Mr Abdul Razak Hassan Maricar.
At the time of writing, most of the signatories seem to be local Malay-Muslims based on the names provided.
This is not the first time that the wearing of headcoverings for Muslim women have come up as an issue in Singapore. It brings to mind the tudung controversy that took place in February 2002 when four girls were suspended from primary school for wearing the tudung.
When the issue broke out, the mufti said then that when confronted with a choice, Muslims should prioritise an education over wearing the tudung (The Straits Times, Feb 6, 2002). But that was about education, what about the workplace? Should Muslims prioritise their career over wearing the tudung?
The G, likewise, has stuck with the line that there are larger issues to prioritise than whether one should wear the tudung.
At the time, Member of Parliament, Mdm Halimah Yacob said: “Rather than continue to be caught in the tudung issue, Singaporean Muslims should focus on the bigger issues, such as how to uplift our community and how to make Singapore more competitive and socially resilient by participating in the ongoing debates in the Economic Committee and the Remaking of Singapore Committee.” (The Straits Times, Mar 12, 2002)
Then-PM Goh Chok Tong said: “It’s not a ‘never never’. But I want to build a successful multi-racial society first. If over time we are all comfortable, as we are with adults wearing tudung, then you will find that our own attitudes may change.”
The message from the G seems to be that Singaporean Muslims ought to turn their focus away from such religious strictures and towards national issues such as education and foster multi-racialism. Problem for the G is that the issue won’t disappear just because the G says so.
The issue cropped up again – this time with regard to Muslim nurses banned from wearing it – in a recent forum discussing an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) survey results on racial and religious attitudes in Singapore. Former Nominated Member of Parliament, Mr Zulkifli Baharudin said that it will probably be allowed in the future, although there must be negotiation and compromise between the Muslim community and the other members in society.
Perhaps, the online petition should be viewed as part of that process of negotiation and compromise. Except that creating online petitions is like arguing with the referee – it almost never works. But putting aside the question of effectiveness, the petition does raise a few key issues to ponder:
The ban on hijab for nurses is likely to deter Muslim women from applying to be nurses. At a time when Singapore is facing a shortage of nurses and actively hiring foreign nurses, the hijab ban seems unhelpful.
The focus this time is on nurses but are there other jobs that impose a hijab ban? News anchors, perhaps? The G’s stance on the wearing of hijab in the workplace has not always been clear. It’s still not clear why teachers and SMRT staff are allowed to don the headgear but nurses are not. These inconsistencies are a source of tension for the Muslim community in Singapore.
