Wearing the tudung has become increasingly important for the Muslim community. Over the last few decades, more Muslim women in Singapore have worn the tudung, both in social settings and workplaces.
The government fully understands the desire of more Muslim women to wear the tudung. But we are cautious about how non-Muslims will react to the visible change, and how that could affect relations between the communities.
Generally, the Muslim community has understood and accepted the government’s stance on the tudung, and the reasons behind our policies.
I told the Muslim leaders in 2014 that government policy in the healthcare sector was not set in stone. Since then, the government has been watching the situation closely. We observed that by and large, interactions between the races remain comfortable. Specifically in hospitals, some of the non-uniformed staff do wear the tudung, and we saw that their relationship with patients and colleagues was alright
So a few months ago, I met Muslim leaders again and thanked them for their help managing this sensitive issue all these years. I told them we were now ready. We would prepare the ground, and tee up for a decision by the National Day Rally.
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