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Thursday, August 05, 2004

The Tudung Issue Revisited

It is just unfortunate that in a multi-cultural society and developed nation like Singapore, there are still many educated individuals who cannot differentiate religion and modernity. These people, sadly, are naive, trapped and enclosed within their own wishful boundaries of modern ideology.

Let me state for a fact, that a Muslim woman who puts on the tudung does not reflect backward mentality & that a Muslim woman who does not wear the tudung does not necessarily reflect modernity.

I am not trying to defend the covered Muslim women just because I am a fellow Muslim, but rather, I am trying to prove the backward ideology behind such thinking of equating appearance to mentality. As a matter of fact, my immediate family does not put on the tudung, and neither does my loved one.

Modernity stems from one's point of reference. If you determine the Westerners as your point of reference to modernity, then naturally your conclusion will be that covered Muslim women are backwards. Why? Because you associate the non-tudung Western women to the bustling Western economy ie. modernity.

Try shifting that point of reference to developed Muslim countries whose top surgeons, doctors, lawyers, etc do put on the tudung. Then maybe and hopefully the light will shine and you will be able to see that modernity does not equal to no-tudung.

Being oblivious to the root of the matter is inexcusable. Living in a country like Singapore, you should be brave enough to step outside your comfort zone and challenge your very own idealogies. If Western countries such as Australia can accept the tudung - their people acknowledging that what one wears does not reflect one's mentality as well as intellectual capabilities, then why can't some Singaporeans be more opened to such opinions??? I do not mean to be disrespectful but the very fact that an educated person cannot distinguish appearance, intellectual ability & mentality reflects the lack of 'modernity' in one's self.

Maybe the conclusion that you came up with stems from the fact that the Malay-Muslim community has not been very successful in terms of chasing material wealth. Hence our lack of ability to accomplish and accommodate the exchange-values of the capitalist system underlines your conclusion. I do not blame you for that, I partially agree. The Malay-Muslim community itself need to take partial responsibility.

To my fellow brothers & sisters, I sincerely encourage myself and you to strive for the best, and put ourselves in a position where others do not question our abilities. For only with power and respect can we bring about weighted changes to the unacceptable perceptions about our very own people, so that we will be able to educate the 'educated & modern' that the tudung does not equal to being backward and that wearing it can still mean success and modernity...

May Allah guide us.

¶ 8:08 PM

Posted by Wakatepebabun Kukuye