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.