Many Muslim and non-Muslim writers in Malaysia have asked that the tudung (head scarf) ban on Muslim school girls in Singapore be lifted. They centred their arguments on the rights of a minority group without regard to the impact that the tudung is creating for the image of Islam.

Some appeared sincere in their convictions while others have a social agenda all of their own hostile undergraduates of that university.

The professor, an African of Pakistani descent, who now heads a famous Islamic think-tank in London, was further exasperated by Malaysian mini- telekung students enquiring his opinion on whether they should cover their faces leaving only the eyes to be seen.

Privately, he lamented the loss of aesthetics for the Malays who have abandoned their then famous elongated cover, the selendang (shawl), known for its beauty and elegance worldwide. Some even discarded the baju kurung (traditional Malay costume), the Malay national costume, opting for a more Arabic look, the jubah (robe), worn by Middle Easterners in their attempt to appear more Muslim than others.

Given the rather rural location of my university and its seclusion from the rest of the world, one cannot blame the American undergraduates since their thoughts and minds have largely been shaped by the Western media and their inherent belief in the superiority of the Caucasians as propagated by their community.

One need not be a brilliant social scientist to deduce that a religion which has never enjoyed a positive image in the West, especially US, must surely now be viewed as the ultimate enemy of the West right after the Sept 11 suicidal attacks on two important American symbols, the World Trade Center and Pentagon where people of many nations perished.

Given that the western media have largely influence the opinions and mindsets of the rest of the world, we cannot expect the non-Muslim world not to fear Islam now let alone the rise of radical Islam in their countries in the aftermath of the Sept 11 attacks.

Muslims must acknowledge that non-Muslims have become really fearful of Islam as it sees it as a religion that has gone berserk and its many manifestations which include physical forms like headscarves, skull caps and robes, are a stark reminder of the highly repressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

While Muslims, feeling more marginalised than ever after the US attacks on Afghanistan, yearn desperately to assert their presence in this world by controlling their women folk and children in various forms, such as dictating what they should wear, they can ill-afford to be insensitive to the feelings and perceptions of non-Muslims in their respective societies.

Wearing Malay costumes is a step in the right direction to good public relations since Malays are known as gentle and tolerant Muslims throughout the world. Perceptive and sensible Muslim women in the West have taken off their garb and adornments which make them easily identifiable as Muslims to escape persecution.

What Muslims need to do is strategise a public relations programme to continuously restore their image while excelling to become admired and respected citizens of their countries.

Hence, all the hullabaloo and very recently, the protests outside the Singapore High Commission in Malaysia on the tudung ban for a few pre-pubescent Singaporean Muslim school children in the republic, further reinforces the image of intolerant and potentially militant Islam on the rise in both Singapore and Malaysia.

Though some claim that this issue will give rise to further discontent of a fringe minority, the fringe minority must remember that their defiance of what is not religiously mandated by Islam, elicits no sympathy from the majority whom they have to interact with on a daily basis.

The need to be different and be easily identifiable as Muslims cannot and must not precede sensitivity towards the fear of the majority during these precarious times.

It is indeed ironic and very sad that the intended headscarf, which is based on the concept of privacy in Islam to ward off unwanted attraction, has attracted untold negative coverage on the religion thanks to the bickering between politicians of two peaceful nations, political opportunists who see it as a platform to exploit for their own gains, and the portrayal of Islam as a religion of travesties by Muslims who do not really understand their religious priorities.