S'pore must not budge on headscarves

S'pore must not budge on headscarves

The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore

The tudung issue (the right of Muslim female students to wear
the veil in Singapore's schools) has strayed beyond the clear-cut
confines of administrative prerogative. It is a standing
Education Ministry directive that school uniforms common to
students of all faiths do not include extraneous items, like the
tudung. It should be a secular matter. But it is being cast by
some Malay/Muslim quarters as a religious article of faith. This
is not being helpful.

It is downright incorrect. On Monday, the school suspension
which Singaporeans wished could be avoided had to be imposed on
two Primary 1 girls as they continued to wear the headdress to
class. Their fathers have stood their ground on what they say is
a religious principle.

The government is no doubt alive to the possibility of the
dispute widening, and of the resentment it could generate among
the Malay-Muslim community. This does not make its firmness any
less justified. The government must not budge because it simply
is the right position to take.

No Muslims, and the followers of any other religion, are
denied anything but the fullest scope to practice their faiths.
Except where the observance of rituals harms the national
interest or public order, or could cause offense to others, the
freedom to choose one's belief is absolute. This is the only way
for multi-cultural Singapore. The tudung and any other forms of
religious adornment worn by Muslims anywhere, anytime, are
nobody's business but theirs -- except for schools, where the
government has made the reasonable case that overt cultural
manifestations should be minimized so that children can learn
about racial integration in their formative years.

It should not be hard for the most ardent Muslim parent to
accept the distinction. It is wrong for the fathers of the two
girls and the like-minded to regard the school restriction as a
denial of their beliefs. The sooner Muslims see the
administrative exclusion for what it is, the quicker can the
unwelcome distraction dissipate, as the Prime Minister says. He
has not foreclosed on the restriction being eased some day, when
such differentiations will stir no emotion in Singaporeans. This
ought to convince Muslims that the government is fair -- and also
serve as a reminder that reforms are best attempted through
consultation, not confrontation.

We have two additional points: One is that Muslim advocates
here should not make the mistake of drawing sustenance for their
cause from interfering Malaysians. They should keep the matter
Singaporean, one for the family to resolve. Those Malaysians need
to be disabused of the notion that their speaking out is in
defense of the faith. Singaporean Malay/Muslims should tell them
to butt out.

Second, nothing is gained by harping on the exception made for
Sikhs to wear the turban in school. Glaring contradiction it may
be but it is likely to recede as fewer Sikh children now wear the
headdress.

For now, it is best for the nation to move on -- and tackle
much graver problems like rising unemployment and making a living
in an increasingly competitive world.