A family divided in search of religious freedom

comments     Arfaeza A Aziz     Published     Updated

The Singapore government's policy to ban Muslim schoolgirls from wearing the tudung (headscarves) has split one family between two continents in search of freedom to practise their religion.

In order to ensure that six-year old Nurul Nasiha (photo) gets basic education without having to remove her tudung , her father Mohamed Nasser Jamaludin has sent her to study at the King Khalid Islamic College in Sydney, Australia.

Her mother Juliana Mohamed and two other siblings are with her.

To defend his constitutional freedom to practise his religion, Nasser has opted to remain in Singapore with his 10-year old son to pursue the civil suit that he has filed against the government for breaching the republic's constitution.

"All this is because there is no freedom to practise Islam in Singapore. So we have to go elsewhere for it. At the same time I want to win this case so that I can bring my family home to lead a normal life like other Muslim families," he told malaysiakini in a telephone interview yesterday.

The inflight service officer also said he plans to remain in Singapore until his suit is disposed of. Three other parents have joined him in filing the suit.

Schoolgirls suspended

Nasser was thrust into the limelight after he and the other parents challenged the Singapore government's directive to principals not to allow Muslim students to wear the headscarf during school hours.

Nurul, Siti Farwizah Mohamad Kassim and Khairah Farouk were suspended after they were deemed to have flouted the official ban. The girls, who attended three different schools, all started their first year of school in January.

The parents have since have engaged Malaysian senior lawyer Karpal Singh, who will represent them pro bono (free of charge). The hearing is expected to begin soon with an application for the lawyer to be admitted to the Singapore Bar.

"We were told that we might face difficulty in getting Karpal admitted, but we are hoping for the best. We hope to win because we have a good case," Nasser said.

"The government had clearly breached the constitution which states that it must promote, safeguard and protect the religion of the Malays, which is Islam. Therefore when the state imposed the ban, it breached the constitution."

Slim chance

Asked if he was confident that he would receive a fair trial, Nasser said he has some confidence in the judiciary.

However, he admitted that his chances of winning would be very slim if the government interferes with the judiciary.

Asked if there was a possibility of any such interference, he said:" I don't think I should answer that. But you can look at the past cases and judge for yourself. Still, I am hopeful. I want to bring my family back to Singapore and lead a life like other Muslim families."

And what if he loses the case?

"I will make it known to everyone that Singapore is an undemocratic state and that it discriminates against Muslims. It claims to the world that it practices democracy and meritocracy.

"The government claims to respect all races and religion. But in actual fact, it doesn't. The government does not practise what it preaches."

He alleged that discrimination and practice of double standards against the Muslim community are blatant and rampant especially in the education sector.

"For example, in Christian schools students study the Bible and go to the chapel to pray. In a madrasah (Islamic school) we have a similar system as we study the Quran and pray. Despite this similarity, Christian schools get full financial support from the state but the madrasahs do not. Why?" he asked.

'Unequal treatment'

He said in 1999, the government almost closed down madrasahs citing the need for racial integration. However nothing was said against Christian schools and the SAP (special assisted programme) to promote Chinese cultures and Mandarin-language schools.

"We have nothing against other religions or races. We respect other ethnic groups and their faith. The problem lies with the government alone. Why don't they treat all schools as being equal?

"If they (non-Muslims) can wear the crucifix and turbans, why can't our daughters wear

tudung to school?"

Attitude of representatives

Nasser claimed that such discrimination has been worsened by the attitude of the republic's Mufti (head of Muslim affairs) and Muslim MPs, whom he described as "puppets of the government".

He said the Mufti and the MPs should represent the interest of Muslims in Singapore, Instead, they have allegedly defended the government's policies even if these are contrary to Islamic teachings and values.

"That is why we wanted the Mufti's post to be an elected, rather than an appointed one. The Muslim Malay MPs are more concerned about preserving ronggeng and dondang sayang (performing arts) over more important issues," he added.



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