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Tudung or not to tudung, tolonglah I. Muslims in general, as amply demonstrated by the Malaysian government, are what we call 'sesat' lost and leaderless. Now the police force says that Muslims and non-Muslims policewomen must wear the tudung to look Islamic. But apparently nude-squats at one time were okay.

Sometime back, the Education Ministry ruled that it was not compulsory for female school children to wear the tudung. Hey, what is this? Different ministries have different types of Islam? The prime minister and the rest of the cabinet must come to a collective decision and once and for all issue a ruling that this so-called Islamic dressing is a personal issue.

If you look at the verse in that part of the Quran (24:31) about covering the woman's 'aurat', it only refers to covering of the bosom. This is obvious as the Arab women's dress at that time showed a lot of cleavage. However, many interpretations have sprung from that verse. For some, it is from the neck down, some from the top of the head, then face and eyes (hence the Taliban women who have fishnet veil over the eyes). Then it is extended to voice so women are to be unseen and unheard.

The modern Muslims, so as not to lose out in the fashion industry, have innovated but seemingly kept within the limits set by God. They have come out with various types of women's head-gears and ways of adorning them. They show off their prominent vital statistics in tight dresses (which are also supposed to prohibited) but keep their hair tucked under some designer tudung. One does not know whether to laugh or to cry.

My 'Muslim' friends please read Human Bondage in the name of God (Aidid Safar, Traford Publishing, 2005) and free yourself.

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