[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: Every day, before starting her shift at a Singapore government hospital, Farah removes her hijab, the Islamic veil she has worn since she was a teenager.
Although Muslim minority women are free to wear the hijab in most Singapore settings, some professions exclude the veil, and a recent case has sparked a new debate about diversity and discrimination in the workplace.
Now, Farah has joined a growing number of Muslims, who make up about 15% of Singaporeans four million, calling for the ban to be ended, with an online petition gathering more than 50,000 signatures.
“They told me I can’t work here if I wear the tudung,” Farah said, using the local Malay term for hijab, as she recounted her job interview two years ago for a position as a physical therapist.
“I felt a sense of helplessness, it’s unfair. Why has tudung become a barrier for us to look for work? “asked the 27-year-old, who used a pseudonym for fear of retaliation at work.
He finally accepted the job, but has to remove his headscarf every time he is at work.
Farah’s case is not a rarity.
There were protests last month when a woman was asked to remove her hijab to work as a promoter at a local department store.
Halimah Yacob, the country’s first president to wear the hijab, said “there is no room” for discrimination when asked for her opinion on the case.
The store reversed its policy, but many took to social media noting that restrictions on hijab use persist for some public officials, including female police officers and nurses.
Support
The hijab debate is not new in Singapore, a modern city-state that prides itself on its multicultural and multiracial origin.
The country is predominantly ethnic Chinese, many of whom follow Buddhism or Christianity.
In 2013, then-Muslim affairs minister Yaacob Ibrahim said that wearing a hijab in the workplace would be “very problematic” for some professions that require a uniform.
The following year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the hijab was about “what kind of society do we want to build in Singapore,” according to local media reports.
Singapore police and the Health Ministry did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Referring to the department store case, the Singaporean president said discrimination in the workplace was “disturbing” as it deprived a person of earning a living.
“People should be evaluated solely on their merits and their ability to do a job and nothing else,” Halimah wrote on her Facebook, which attracted more than 500 comments.
“During this Covid-19 period, when concerns about employment and livelihoods are greatest, incidents of discrimination exacerbate anxiety and people feel threatened,” he added.
Divided
The hijab has been a divisive issue for Muslims around the world.
Many Muslim women cover their heads in public as a sign of modesty, although others see it as a sign of female oppression and in the Middle East women face jail for avoiding it.
In Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province, unveiled women have been censored.
In Malaysia, Islamic authorities have investigated a book about Muslim women who refuse to wear the hijab.
But advocates for women’s rights in Singapore say they want Muslim women to have freedom of choice.
Such restrictions have hampered women’s job prospects, especially as the coronavirus pandemic has pushed Singapore into recession and companies are laying off, they say.
“Women should be able to practice their religion freely without having to choose between having a job or practicing their religion,” said Filzah Sumartono, a writer who helps run Beyond the Hijab, a website focused on Muslim women in Singapore.
“This problem in Singapore is only faced by Muslim women, it is a policy of strong discrimination against Muslim women,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Identity
Others urge consistency, noting that the turban (the hat Sikh men wear) is allowed at work in Singapore.
“Why the double standards?” Asked Nur, a Muslim law student who signed the petition posted online in June. She requested not to use her full name to protect her privacy.
The 22-year-old said that her mother and sister, who work as a nurse and in a private security company respectively, are prohibited from wearing a scarf at work.
She asked officials to explain the restrictions, saying that countries like Britain or Australia have changed tack, with disposable hijabs for nurses to tackle any hygiene issues.
“I accept that racial harmony is very fragile, but it is not just about recognizing that these differences exist and living with them. It is much more than that, ”said Nur, co-founder of Lepak Conversations, an online group.
“It’s about knowing these differences exist, accepting them and embracing these differences.”
Filzah of the Beyond the Hijab group said restrictions can make it harder for women to enter the workforce.
“Some women are not comfortable taking away a part of their identity just to earn money,” she said.
“Having to impose this difficult decision on Muslim women is unfair and unfair.”
