Tudung in the workplace guidance will help Muslim women, but needs to be clearly understood: Mufti
SINGAPORE – The new guidance about headscarves in the workplace published by the Islamic authority here will assist Muslim women who might be grappling with striking a balance between their job and religious obligations.
But work from religious leaders and community organisations is needed to ensure this new fatwa – or religious guidance – published on Tuesday (Oct 26) is understood well by the community, said Mufti Nazirudin Mohd Nasir.
Dr Nazirudin, Singapore’s highest Islamic authority, was speaking during an engagement session on the new fatwa that was published by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis).
Addressing healthcare sector representatives, community leaders and Islamic religious teachers, or asatizah, before the fatwa’s release, Dr Nazirudin said the guidance is not meant to be prescriptive. Rather, it is meant to help provide guidance on how to approach the issue of tudung in workplaces.
“This fatwa seeks to empower Muslim women to make informed decisions if they find themselves in a particular situation compared to other individuals,” he said.
The fatwa’s publication comes ahead of Muslim nurses being allowed to don the headgear from Nov 1, should they wish.
It states that while the tudung is a religious requirement, Muslim women may make adjustments to the attire where needed and this can be to comply with certain workplace requirements, such as dress codes.
The guidance, which was developed by Muis’s fatwa committee of senior Islamic scholars who decide on religious rulings here, said that nurses can comply with hospitals’ “bare below the elbows” policy. Typically, Muslim women here who don the tudung cover their arms from the wrist up.
It also touches on how Islam takes into serious consideration the context and circumstances Muslims find themselves in.
Dr Nazirudin said this is a “very delicate balancing act”, and the fatwa places the issue of the wearing of the headscarf in the larger context of socio-religious environments that are subject to prevailing work and uniform policies.
A lot of people may not be fully aware of the various principles and ways in which Muslims should conduct this balancing act.
He pointed out the importance of trying to understand the complexity of the situation, as well as the motivations of Muslim uniformed officers and the role they play in nation building.
The public service’s secular policy on uniforms stipulates that it cannot be tilted towards any particular religious beliefs.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his National Day Rally speech in August that while the policy on the tudung in the public healthcare sector will be adjusted, the policy for other uniformed services, such as the police and the armed forces, will not change.
PM Lee said this is because these groups are impartial and secular arms of the state that are armed and enforce laws here.
Dr Nazirudin said that the issue of the tudung in workplaces here has a long history, and acknowledged that public reaction to the change will be coloured by what has been discussed before.
He and the fatwa committee, which he chairs, kept this in mind as they did their consultations and put together the guidance.
But the work does not stop there, and the mufti gave his assurance that the fatwa committee and Muis will help the community understand the guidance and clarify any issues or concerns members might have.
He highlighted the important role stakeholders such as asatizahs, Malay/Muslim community groups, the healthcare sector and young people play in making sure that the fatwa is clearly understood.
The fatwa is an opportunity for education in the community, said senior asatizah Rohana Ithnin, who was at the engagement session on Tuesday.
Dr Rohana, who is also part of the fatwa committee, noted that the new guidance does not exist in isolation and that it can be understood, explained and contextualised together with other fatwas that already guide the community.
“Let us treat this as a form of learning, take this opportunity for discussion, and we can solve these challenges together,” she said.
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