• PM Lee wrote a letter to Singapore's Mufti Nazirudin Mohd Nasir on the subject of Muslim women wearing tudung at some workplaces
• He said that as attitudes change, any policy change must be carefully considered and gradual
• The Government fully appreciates the growing socio-religious significance of the tudung to Muslim Singaporeans
• Dr Nazirudin had written to PM Lee earlier saying he welcomed the deliberations on allowing nurses to wear the tudung

SINGAPORE — In a letter to Singapore’s Mufti on the Government’s deliberations over nurses wearing the tudung or headscarf, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that any change must be carefully considered and gradual in order to be understood and accepted by all communities.

Mr Lee said that the “delicate balance” Singapore had reached in ensuring the nation’s religious and racial harmony was nevertheless a “dynamic” one.

“As younger generations of Singaporeans grow up and attitudes change, new issues and pressures arise. These must be addressed taking into account Singapore’s context,” he wrote in the letter dated Wednesday (March 31).

Carefully considered, gradual change would also ensure “the outcomes reinforce rather than weaken our religious and racial harmony”.

Mr Lee’s letter was in response to a March 27 letter from Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, Singapore’s Mufti or top Islamic leader, in support of the Government’s approach to the tudung issue.

On March 23, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said that nurses who wish to wear a tudung at work will likely be allowed to do so once the Government wraps up discussions with the Malay-Muslim community in a few months.

In his letter to Mr Lee on March 27, Dr Nazirudin said that the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) “warmly welcomes” the likely shift in allowing Muslim nurses to wear the tudung.

In his March 23 statement, Mr Shanmugam said that the Government’s position had been relayed during a closed-door discussion with senior religious leaders and members of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) more than six months ago.

His comments had come shortly after a parliamentary exchange earlier this month between Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (MP) Faisal Manap and People’s Action Party MP Masagos Zulkifli on the issue.

Mr Faisal had asked whether the Government would relook its position to allow Muslim women to don the headgear while working in uniformed services such as nursing. He said that the rule barring them from doing so has deterred many Muslim women from taking up such roles.

In response, Mr Masagos, who is the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, noted that this is not the first time the matter has been raised, and stressed that the Government’s secular stance has been consistently clear in policymaking.

In his letter, Mr Lee said that Singapore is one of the few countries in the world where different races and faiths live peacefully and closely together. He said that Singapore’s racial and religious harmony had been achieved through “mutual accommodation, compromise, and trust-building" by all communities.

Thanking Muis and the asatizah, or Islamic religious teachers, fraternity for taking part in government consultations on the issue of allowing Muslim nurses to wear the tudung at work in recent years, Mr Lee said that the Government is currently considering the matter.

“The Government fully appreciates the growing socio-religious significance of the tudung to Muslim Singaporeans, and the desire of some Muslim nurses to wear the tudung with their uniform if they wish to do so. We are presently considering how this can be done.”

In his letter last Saturday, Dr Nazirudin noted that Mr Lee had explained to the community before that the Government’s position on the issue was not static, and that the policy should evolve gradually over time.

“We are assured that the Government can see reasons why Muslim nurses can wear the tudung if they choose to do so and note that a decision will be made when discussions with stakeholders on this matter are concluded,” he wrote.

“With the review, we hope the Muslim nurses will find comfort and continue to excel in their professionalism.”

DECISION ON TUDUNG A COMPLEX ONE

Dr Nazirudin added that the Muslim community fully appreciates that that this is a “complex decision with many difficult and competing considerations” and said that it is difficult to manage the different expectations of various communities while maintaining a high level of trust and confidence among them.

He noted that many policies, including the functioning of institutions such as madrasahs and mosques, have been carefully considered and have supported the needs of the Muslim community. Dr Nazirudin thus said that he and the asatizah fraternity are supportive of the Government’s approach.

With regard to the tudung issue, Dr Nazirudin said the asatizah fraternity agreed that any policy change should be done sensitively without undermining Singapore’s social cohesion.

At the same time, asatizahs will continue to provide reassurance and offer appropriate guidance to those affected by any policy change, while respecting the choices of individuals.

“We also agreed that as social challenges become more complex, we must strive towards public discussions that are thoughtful and respectful, and driven by a desire to strengthen the common good and social harmony.

“In pursuing one step forward, we should not inadvertently take a few steps back,” Dr Nazirudin wrote.

In his response, Mr Lee thanked Dr Nazirudin and Muis for building Singapore’s racial and religious harmony and strengthening the trust between Singapore’s Muslim community and those of other religions.

“I look forward to working with Muis to strengthen social cohesion, and achieve progress for the Muslim community and all Singaporeans.”