Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz has criticised a policy which bars Muslim staff from wearing headscarves at the front desk of certain hotels.

“Is being naked better than wearing headscarves at the front desk?” he asked when the question was posed to him during a press conference in Parliament this afternoon.

He was responding to the Union Network International-Malaysia Labour Centre (UNI-MLC), which highlighted complaints received from hotel employees that their management does not allow them to wear headscarves at work.

Nazri described the policy as “disrespectful” and a form of discrimination.

“This is a form of discrimination as the (federal) constitution clearly states that there should be no form of discrimination,” he said.

UNI-MLC had said students in hospitality and tourism courses have also been instructed to remove their headscarves before going on internships or the company would not hire them.

As a result, some employees had no choice but to remove their headscarves during work before putting them back on after their shifts ended.

Malaysian Hotels Association (MAH) president Samuel Cheah, however, was quoted as stating that the uniform policy has been practised in international hotel chains for a long time.

Commenting on this, Nazri said MAH must prove that this was indeed the standard operating procedure practiced by hotels, particularly by international hotel chains.

“If that is indeed the standard operating procedure, then I think it is disrespectful.

“You should respect us when you come to our country,” he stressed.

Nazri, however, does not believe that such a practice is an international policy.

“I think the reason given by MAH is not valid,” he said.

Asked whether his ministry will revoke the licenses of hotels which practice such policies, Nazri said this falls under the purview of the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry.

“We are (only) responsible for giving a five-star rating or otherwise, and giving a five-star rating is not based on the uniform but the facilities available,” he said.