Nurses Will Likely be Allowed to Wear Tudung to Work After Govt Discussions End

When news emerged last year that a part-time promoter at a pop-up booth in Tangs was allegedly told to remove her hijab or tudung so she could work on the premises, residents were displeased, to say the least.

Even though Tangs changed its policy later on, the incident sparked a debate over why such rules exist, especially while working in uniformed services like nursing.

This was the question brought up by Worker’s Party MP Faisal Manap in Parliament earlier this month, saying rules barring Muslim women from wearing headgear has deterred many of them from taking up such jobs.

Masagos Zulkifli, the Minister-in-charge for Muslim Affairs, explained that uniformed policy cannot lean towards any particular religious belief, as patients should feel that they will get equal treatment regardless of race or religion.

Now, however, it appears the government has changed its stance.

Nurses Will Likely be Allowed to Wear Tudung to Work After Govt Discussions End

Unbeknownst to many, a couple of weeks after the Tangs incident last year, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said nurses who wish to wear a tudung or headscarf at work will likely be allowed to do so.

At the time, Mr Shanmugam was speaking at a closed-door discussion with senior religious leaders and members of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG).

Then, on Tuesday (23 March), he confirmed the government’s stance on the issue, saying the move can be finalised once it’s discussed with the Malay-Muslim community.

“I told you very frankly: We can see good reasons why nurses should be allowed to wear tudung if they choose to do so. I said this was being discussed internally,” he said.

“And after that, our view is, there is likely to be a change and we are also consulting with the community before we make a change.”

The authorities have also discussed the move with Muis (the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore) to get their views on the matter, Mr Shanmugam said.

The Nee Soon Member of Parliament (MP) said discussions with the community are ongoing and will take a few more months. Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong will also meet with Muslim community leaders.

“When the discussions are completed, the Government will announce its decision,” he said.

Issue Had Been “Discussed For a Long Time”

Ustaz Mohd Hasbi Hassan, co-chairman of the RRG, said this issue had been “discussed for a long time.”

He was pleased that the government was willing to change its stance on the matter, adding that more discussions with the Malay-Muslim community may be necessary to get a more concrete view.

In the meantime, be patient, Mr Hasbi advised. “To wait for good results, (we) must be patient.”

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