With yesterday’s revelation that the government has been discussing the possibility for nurses to wear the tudung since last year, the Internet has exploded with everybody (and their pets) chiming in with their own take.
Here’s mine.
Why is this such an issue?!
I don’t see why it has to be so politicized or made into such a big hoo-hah. The tudung is a must for Muslim women according to Islam. Tudungs are allowed in a ton of other jobs, so why not for nurses as well?
Oh it’s a uniform you say, everybody has to look the same. Uniformity…it’s right there in the word!
I see where you’re coming from.
I ask you this as a counterargument; why are Sikhs allowed to wear their turbans in uniform?
Isn’t it too a form of religious headwear?
I’m not saying this as a supporter of the tudung debate, I’m saying that I’d be for other religions to don their religious headgear in uniform too. If there are Jews in them and they want to wear the Yarmulke or the Kippah, go right ahead!
I’d be ok with that too, despite the stereotype that Muslims and Jews don’t get along. That might be true in the Palestine or Israel maybe, but in Singapore, nobody cares about what your religion is. I mean that in the nicest possible way.
Hell, wear crucifixes or other religious paraphernalia too! I don’t mind one bit.
As long as it doesn’t stop you from doing your job, I don’t see why a person’s religion has to have any impact on me. After all, Singapore is an inclusive society!
Now I’m not saying that tudung should be allowed for other uniformed vocations too, as that will have to be a separate debate. What I’m saying is that nurses should be allowed to wear the tudung or hijab IF they want to.
From a completely neutral standpoint, it’s high time this issue’s resolved.
If nations like Canada, New Zealand and the US (and more!) can allow the hijab in their uniformed services, why does Singapore, which prides itself on racial harmony, still forbid it? In fact, Muslims aren’t even asking for every uniform to allow the tudung, only nurses!
It’s not only laughable, it’s hypocritical.
There are Muslims who have been championing this cause for years, despite being told no and given a multitude of reasons why. They’ve taken it in stride and have kept on trying to change minds, always through peaceful and legal channels. I guarantee you that this probably wouldn’t have been the case for many other countries.
If nothing else, this shows what a pillar of community the Singaporean Muslims are. They are a credit to not only Islam, but to Singapore itself. After all, these are the people who were born here, grew up here and are now working here.
They know Singapore and how fragile our racial harmony is and rather then ape protests or hold violent demonstrations when they don’t get what they want like other countries, the Muslim community here worked with the authorities.
With other important issues like LGBTQ rights and climate change on the horizon, wouldn’t our energy be better spent on them than being against somebody wearing a tudung at their job?
Besides, the decision to allow Muslim nurses to wear tudung has been met with wide acceptance by other races and religions.
Chinese or Indian…it doesn’t matter. They’re don’t think it’s an issue at all! So why not just throw the nurses a bone and let them have it their way? Psychologically, it would also be a boon! After all, if you’re happy, don’t you perform better?
Wouldn’t that be great for everybody?