To Wear or Not to Wear

The New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur

Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 08:25

Tudung a must for women cops at functions

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With immediate effect, all policewomen will have to wear a headscarf at official functions.

The surprise directive was made by the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar recently.

The New Straits Times understands that all policewomen taking part in the 199th Police Day celebrations parade on Saturday will wear the headscarf.

Bakri told the NST that the change was introduced for the sake of uniformity. He said that those wished to remove the headscarf after the parade may do so.

"It is for every woman officer to wear during the parade. It is not compulsory during other occasions but Muslim personnel are encouraged to wear it at all times.

"If they choose not to wear, it is not a disciplinary offence."

This directive has caused some concern among non-Muslim personnel. They say that the wearing of a headscarf carries a different connotation in some cultures and religion.

For example, Sikh women usually wear a head cover when attending prayers and funerals.

The directive states that policewomen can only wear headscarves of two colours - blue and off-white.

The off-white scarf is for traffic policewomen.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Dewan Rakyat yesterday: Nazri accuses Kok of ‘hatred for Islam’
Reports by Leslie Andres, Shamini Darshni and Ranjeetha Pakiam

March 28

AN Opposition MP was yesterday accused of "hatred for Islam" during a clash with a minister over the directive for policewomen to wear tudung during parades.

It started when Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh) told Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Nazri Aziz that the directive had violated human rights.

Nazri disagreed, saying the directive concerned uniformity.

This could be seen from the fact policewomen were not compelled to wear the tudung except when taking part in parades.

"It is not going against human rights, it is a matter of uniformity. For instance, parliamentarians wearing the Number One uniform are required to wear a songkok, even though they are Chinese or Indians.

"These people still remain Chinese or Indians and have not converted to Islam. Yang Berhormat (Kok) only shows her hatred for Islam when she brings this subject up," he said.

Kok did not take the remark lightly and demanded that Nazri retract it. She also called the Chair to make a ruling but Deputy Speaker Datuk Dr Yusof Yaacob said it was not necessary and ordered the proceedings to continue.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Local News: PM: Tudung compulsory for police parades

Posted by: azlan on Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 07:28 PM

Kuala Lumpur- Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah has made it clear that it is optional for policewomen to wear the "tudung" or headscarf while performing their daily duties but the tudung is compulsory for those taking part in official parades.


He was commenting o­n the circular issued by the Inspector General of Police, requiring all policewomen to wear the "tudung" or headscarf at official functions, which has attracted debate in the Dewan Rakyat.

On Cabinet's decision to allow government doctors to work part-time in private hospitals or clinics as locum, Dato’ Seri Abdullah said the decision has been made and he does not propose to change it.

The decision was announced by Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek yesterday.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Saturday March 25, 2006

Meeting with PM over tudung ruling

By SIMON KHOO and JANE RITIKOS

KUANTAN: A private meeting will be held with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi over a circular compelling all policewomen to wear headscarves at official functions.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow said there appeared to be some confusion in the circular issued by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar.

“In my understanding, non-Muslims are given the option whether or not to wear tudung. This is in line with the Government’s policy,” said Fu.

“However, the wording of the circular appears to be contradictory and needs further clarification,” he said.

Fu added that he and the other Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum would discuss it with Abdullah, who is also Internal Security Minister, for a decision and a directive on the issue.

In making the order for policewomen to wear headscarves, Mohd Bakri had said it was for the sake of uniformity.

The ruling reportedly made non-Muslims unhappy, leading to a shouting match between government backbenchers and Opposition MPs over the issue in Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

In Kuala Lumpur, Johari said the wearing of headscarves was only for official parades for the sake of uniformity.

“It is only compulsory for those taking part in such parades. It is for them to look nice and uniformed,” he said, adding that the ruling did not apply to the 199th Police Day celebration yesterday, as it was “just a gathering.”

Johari said at other times neither non-Muslim nor Muslim policewomen would be compelled to wear headscarves.

“There is no compulsion, not even for Muslim policewomen. But if they want to wear, it is good,” he said.

On concerns raised by certain parties that while it was not compulsory to wear tudung, those who chose not to might be intimidated, he said: “The directive is very clear that it is only for parades.”

Meanwhile, Gerakan Youth described the directive as shocking, saying it contravened religious rights and violated the Constitution.

“The headscarf should not have been imposed on uniform units in this country,” vice-chairman S. Paranjothy said, adding that the police force was a uniformed body and changes should not be made at its whims and fancies.

I remember when I was forced to wear a headscarf during orientation at ITM, Shah Alam many years ago. As you all know ITM is an all bumi institution but then again not all bumis are Muslims. I hated wearing the headscarf and being forced to wear the baju kurung. I only had one pair of baju kurung, and the orientation lasted for 2 weeks. So can you imagine, what else I had to wear during the orientation because the baju kurung was hanging on the clothesline?! If anyone made me do the same thing today, that person would get a good piece of my mind! What galls me most was that my student ID card had a picture of me wearing the headscarf, and I had to carry that card with that ridiculous picture of me for a year! I looked like a turtle with it's neck sticking out! Grrrr!

So I am disappointed that the PM has endorsed the IGP's directive to make all police women, whether Muslim or not, to wear the tudung .... only at official functions ... later that "official functions" became "only during parades". So which is it now? Doesn't it seem like back-pedaling on the part of the IGP?

As for Datuk Nazri Aziz, it was a cheap shot for him to calll MP Teresa Kok's objection to the wearing of the tudung by the non-Muslim police women as "hatred for Islam". This kind of rhetoric from a Muslim minister is not helpful to the discussion. This only implies that any objection to anything that has to do with Islamic practises that affect non-Muslim as being anti-Islam. How else can a member of parliament who was elected by her constituents speak on behalf of her constituents if she is shut up every time she raises objections?

As for the songkok reasoning, Datuk Nazri shows his ignorance. Isn't it true that to be a Malay is to be a Muslim? And in Malaysia Muslim women wear the tudung as part of their adherence to their religious beliefs, and when a non-Muslim woman is made to wear the tudung is it not her right to object to it? I think the male MPs have accepted the fact that the songkok is part of their official uniform, but the tudung has never been part of the police uniform. The directive by the IGP is just that, a directive. There were no amendments to the official police dress code, and therefore the directive to wear the tudung, under their cape, I presume, just so the police personnel look uniform during a parade is only a preference by one IGP.

Today, the wearing of the tudung is a directive, tomorrow same said directive could be the law. Isn't it any wonder that non-Muslims feel like they are being forced to abide by the laws of the Muslim majority?