DPM Teo weighs in on hijab issue

SINGAPORE — Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has weighed in on the issue of allowing Muslim women to wear the hijab in the workplace, saying that the Government has the responsibility to balance “different community requirements” with the goal of maintaining social harmony.

“Every community, when it presses for its own concerns, must bear in mind how that affects other communities and how others might see it,” said Mr Teo in a statement released today (Nov 5).

“That is the reality of living in a multi-racial, multi-religious society that we all have to internalise.”

Last week, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim said that wearing a Muslim headscarf at the workplace would be “very problematic” for some professions that require their staff to be in uniform.

He then called for a respectful debate and urged the Malay-Muslim community to remain patient while he and his colleagues continued discussions with the community.

Mr Teo said that the Government supports what Dr Yaacob expressed in his statement. He said that while the Government understands community perspectives, “the Government also has the responsibility to balance all these different community requirements, and keep in mind what we need to maintain overall social harmony”.

The hijab issue was first raised at a forum on race in September, when a polytechnic lecturer asked why nurses were barred from wearing the Muslim headscarf and sparked a debate on whether front-line officers should be allowed to.

Mr Teo emphasised the need for give-and-take between communities. “We have been able to enjoy a peaceful and harmonious society, and also the many freedoms that all religions have in Singapore, because our communities understand the need to balance what each wants, and have been moderate and restrained in accommodating one another,” he said.

“I hope this will continue well into the future.”