By Goh Chin Lian, The Straits Times, 23 Oct 2013
A MEMBER of Parliament has criticised the way in which some have tried to push for the wearing of the Muslim headscarf at the workplace.
Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad said an online petition championing the cause and which allows fake e-mail addresses to be used to show solidarity was the wrong way of engaging in public issues.
Criticising this practice of "astro-turfing" in a Facebook post yesterday, Mr Zaqy said there are legitimate and constructive ways to engage the Government, such as through ministers and MPs.
The petition's initiator has also chosen to remain anonymous.
It was started on Oct 12 on online campaigning site avaaz.org by a "Syafiqah K." and aimed to garner 20,000 signatures. It was taken down recently with only 12,405 signatures.
It was started on Oct 12 on online campaigning site avaaz.org by a "Syafiqah K." and aimed to garner 20,000 signatures. It was taken down recently with only 12,405 signatures.
Citing articles this week by The New Paper and Berita Harian on the issue, Mr Zaqy said it was unfortunate that the petition, after coming under the spotlight, had been withdrawn.
The chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Communications and Information added: "The initiator has not identified himself or herself. So no one knows who initiated it, or whether the response is real."
Astro-turfing, said new media watcher Carol Soon of the Institute of Policy Studies, adds to online clutter and noise. "It potentially distracts authorities and individuals who are genuinely concerned with an issue and advocating a cause," she told The Straits Times.
The headscarf issue was most recently raised at a forum on race last month. A polytechnic lecturer asked why nurses were barred from wearing tudungs, sparking a discussion on whether front-line officers in Singapore should be allowed to.
Astro-turfing, said new media watcher Carol Soon of the Institute of Policy Studies, adds to online clutter and noise. "It potentially distracts authorities and individuals who are genuinely concerned with an issue and advocating a cause," she told The Straits Times.
The headscarf issue was most recently raised at a forum on race last month. A polytechnic lecturer asked why nurses were barred from wearing tudungs, sparking a discussion on whether front-line officers in Singapore should be allowed to.
A committee tasked to collect feedback on the concerns of the Malay/Muslim community had also raised the issue in July.
The Suara Musyawarah committee, which Mr Zaqy cited as an example of how the community could engage the Government on such causes, pointed out that many girls coming out of madrasahs would work as nurses if they could wear the headscarf. The reason given for not allowing this is that tudungs are not part of nurses' uniforms.
The Suara Musyawarah committee, which Mr Zaqy cited as an example of how the community could engage the Government on such causes, pointed out that many girls coming out of madrasahs would work as nurses if they could wear the headscarf. The reason given for not allowing this is that tudungs are not part of nurses' uniforms.
Mufti criticises online vitriol over tudung issue
By Tham Yuen-C, The Straits Times, 29 Oct 2013
ABUSIVE language by netizens on the wearing of the Muslim headscarf in the public service was criticised by Mufti Mohamed Fatris Bakaram yesterday, as he came out in defence of his predecessor.
By Tham Yuen-C, The Straits Times, 29 Oct 2013
ABUSIVE language by netizens on the wearing of the Muslim headscarf in the public service was criticised by Mufti Mohamed Fatris Bakaram yesterday, as he came out in defence of his predecessor.
Singapore's highest Islamic authority said in a Facebook post that he had pondered for three days whether to weigh in on the issue.
He eventually did, out of concern over the "phenomenon of abusive and disrespectful language from some social media users".
"I am worried that it will be a culture that becomes entrenched in the community if it is not reproached and dealt with," he added.
The tudung issue was raised at a forum on race last month.
A polytechnic lecturer asked why nurses were barred from wearing tudungs, sparking a discussion on whether front-line officers in Singapore should be allowed to.
An online anonymous petition championing the cause was then posted on Oct 12.
It aimed to garner 20,000 signatures, and received only 12,405 before being taken down last week.
Former mufti Shaikh Syed Isa Semait then became embroiled in the issue, after being quoted in a Berita Harian article published last Thursday.
He said the petition could breed misunderstanding, and that one question to ask was whether all Muslim women working at the front line as nurses want to wear a tudung.
The petition may also not necessarily represent the wishes of all Muslim women, he added.
Yesterday, Dr Fatris said different approaches to pushing for the wearing of the tudung in public workspaces should be respected.
Different groups' actions were based on the same religious principle of allowing Muslim women to cover their modesty in certain public sectors.
"Whatever our inclinations, whichever side we are and whichever strategy we believe is effective, our objective is the same," he wrote.
"Everyone concerned about the tudung issue hopes the Government will allow Muslim women to cover their modesty without having to choose between not covering up at work or quitting."
It was also inappropriate for the media to ask his predecessor about the online petition since Shaikh Syed Isa was not active on the Internet and had not been following online discussion on the issue, he added.
Last week, Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad criticised the way the petition was organised, as it allowed fake e-mail addresses to be used to show solidarity with the issue.
Last week, Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad criticised the way the petition was organised, as it allowed fake e-mail addresses to be used to show solidarity with the issue.
Be constructive on tudung issue: Yaacob
By Robin Chan, The Straits Times, 1 Nov 2013
By Robin Chan, The Straits Times, 1 Nov 2013
THE debate over wearing the tudung in the public service needs constructive dialogue rather than abusive language if a solution is to be reached, the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs said yesterday.
In a Facebook post, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim criticised "abusive and disrespectful language" that some have used in online discussions. Personal attacks on two Muslim leaders, in particular, were completely uncalled for.
"They will not bring the discussions forward, much less solve any problems. Such behaviour reflects badly on those who engage in it," he said.
"Let us always treat each other with due respect, whether in our own Muslim community or when engaging those belonging to other faiths."
They were his first comments on the issue since a lecturer asked at a race forum last month why nurses were barred from wearing tudungs.
Media reports of the forum sparked a discussion on whether front-line public officers should be allowed to don the Muslim headscarf, or hijab.
An online anonymous petition championing the cause and aiming to garner 20,000 signatures was then posted on Oct 12, but received only about 12,000 before being taken down last week.
Media reports of the forum sparked a discussion on whether front-line public officers should be allowed to don the Muslim headscarf, or hijab.
An online anonymous petition championing the cause and aiming to garner 20,000 signatures was then posted on Oct 12, but received only about 12,000 before being taken down last week.
Singapore's mufti, Dr Fatris Bakaram, and his predecessor, Mr Shaikh Syed Isa Semait, were also criticised online for their comments.
Mr Shaikh said the petition could breed misunderstanding and questioned whether all Muslim women working at the front line as nurses want to wear a tudung.
Dr Fatris defended his predecessor, and said that different approaches to pushing for the wearing of the tudung in public workspaces should be respected.
Dr Yaacob, who is also Minister for Communications and Information, noted that Muslim women wear the hijab in many situations, including in Parliament, Singapore's highest elected chamber.
But some professions require uniforms which do not include the hijab, he said.
Police or military officers cannot wear or display conspicuous religious symbols on their uniforms or faces. Similarly, Muslim women in the police force are also not allowed to wear the hijab when on duty.
Urging patience and understanding, he said: "We need constructive dialogue to promote better mutual understanding of the diverse needs and requirements in our multi-racial and religious society. This process will take time, but I'm confident that we will find practical solutions if there is goodwill all round."
Urging patience and understanding, he said: "We need constructive dialogue to promote better mutual understanding of the diverse needs and requirements in our multi-racial and religious society. This process will take time, but I'm confident that we will find practical solutions if there is goodwill all round."
Dialogue over tudung best way forward
Editorial, The Straits Times, 21 Nov 2013
THE simple Muslim headscarf is such a fixture of everyday life in multi-religious Singapore that it would be wrong to turn it into a political issue. Non-Muslims are comfortable with Muslim women donning it on the streets, on public transport and at workplaces. Indeed, the tudung is worn in Parliament too. It is a matter of anguish, therefore, that the question of nurses not being allowed to wear it has generated so much controversy, with some turning abusive towards those with differing views expressed in online discussions. The tudung issue surfaced in 2002 over primary schoolgirls not being allowed to wear the headscarf in school. This time, it is over the usage by front-line public officers in general and nurses in particular.
The form of workplace attire depends on the nature of the job and the organisation. If it is a uniform, then, as the name suggests, it has to be uniform for practical and other purposes. Uniforms are visual representations of the organisation people belong to. Thus, the uniformed services present a "face" of the state in which members are objective and not distinguished by the wearing or display of conspicuous religious symbols.
Any big departure from such sartorial norms could affect the character and culture of the profession, and would be justified only if widely accepted. Clearly, the military and the police are professions where rigorous rules on uniforms should continue to uphold the reality and the image of Singapore as a secular state. Whether nursing is a profession where the rules could be relaxed is worthy of discussion, keeping in mind the need to ensure that all segments of society understand the reason for change and are comfortable with it.
What will not help is an atmosphere in which communal demands are presented as a zero-sum game, with groups using the social media to push culturally sensitive issues. This could become an invitation to other groups to advance their own interests and, perhaps, extreme attire or body markings. Such assertions could get out of hand. Politicising the problem is no less dangerous when key issues get obscured in the desire to score partisan points.
Hence, dialogue is the best way forward in the search for a constructive solution based on multi-religious understanding and accommodation. Such a dialogue needs to be set in the wider context of the many equally important challenges facing ethnic communities, without becoming overly seized by any one of them. While celebrating cultural differences, what is critical for the nation is the ability of all communities to find more things, rather than fewer, in common with one another in important spheres of public interaction.
Editorial, The Straits Times, 21 Nov 2013
THE simple Muslim headscarf is such a fixture of everyday life in multi-religious Singapore that it would be wrong to turn it into a political issue. Non-Muslims are comfortable with Muslim women donning it on the streets, on public transport and at workplaces. Indeed, the tudung is worn in Parliament too. It is a matter of anguish, therefore, that the question of nurses not being allowed to wear it has generated so much controversy, with some turning abusive towards those with differing views expressed in online discussions. The tudung issue surfaced in 2002 over primary schoolgirls not being allowed to wear the headscarf in school. This time, it is over the usage by front-line public officers in general and nurses in particular.
The form of workplace attire depends on the nature of the job and the organisation. If it is a uniform, then, as the name suggests, it has to be uniform for practical and other purposes. Uniforms are visual representations of the organisation people belong to. Thus, the uniformed services present a "face" of the state in which members are objective and not distinguished by the wearing or display of conspicuous religious symbols.
Any big departure from such sartorial norms could affect the character and culture of the profession, and would be justified only if widely accepted. Clearly, the military and the police are professions where rigorous rules on uniforms should continue to uphold the reality and the image of Singapore as a secular state. Whether nursing is a profession where the rules could be relaxed is worthy of discussion, keeping in mind the need to ensure that all segments of society understand the reason for change and are comfortable with it.
What will not help is an atmosphere in which communal demands are presented as a zero-sum game, with groups using the social media to push culturally sensitive issues. This could become an invitation to other groups to advance their own interests and, perhaps, extreme attire or body markings. Such assertions could get out of hand. Politicising the problem is no less dangerous when key issues get obscured in the desire to score partisan points.
Hence, dialogue is the best way forward in the search for a constructive solution based on multi-religious understanding and accommodation. Such a dialogue needs to be set in the wider context of the many equally important challenges facing ethnic communities, without becoming overly seized by any one of them. While celebrating cultural differences, what is critical for the nation is the ability of all communities to find more things, rather than fewer, in common with one another in important spheres of public interaction.
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