THE HIJAB BAN Part 6 Remember: Malay MPs Supported the Ban

Jun 17, 2025

Transcript:

Almarhum Ustadz Abu Bakar Hashim once told me that the first time a hijabi came to him for help…was in 1972. More than 50 years ago.

Why has it taken so long?

Because even as we criticise Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP for banning the hijab, remember that the PAP Malay MPs supported the ban

And they tried to discredit those who tried to help our sisters

Yaacob Ibrahim, as Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs, said wearing the hijab was “very problematic”.

Zaqy Mohamad, when a petition was launched in 2013 calling for the hijab to be allowed, accused the initiators of “astroturfing”...faking public support.

Yatiman Yusof once told me: If Singapura allows hijab in schools, “in 25 years we will kill each other.”

Masagos Zulkifli, as Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs, rejected even allowing nurses to wear the hijab.

Save for the practices that we inherited as a legacy from the British government, our uniform policy in the public service cannot be titled towards any religious beliefs. Any particular religious belief.
My Masagos added that: “The wearing of tudungs will also raise a very visible religious marker that identifies every tudung wearing female nurse or uniform officer as a Muslim”.

So when people ask why has it taken so long to resolve this?

The answer is simple.

The very people we expected to defend our sisters are the ones standing in the way.

#meritocracy #islam #singapore #hijab