“THE expression of my faith discomforts some Muslims while the expression of my tolerance frightens some non-Muslims.”
So apt was the description by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh as she deflected brickbats hurled at her for donning the selendang (head scarf) at a Monash University event during her recent trip Melbourne (she was part of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s entourage) as it was not a religious function.
“That I should not have to explain myself is the Malaysia we need to work on to promote unity,” she penned on her Facebook (FB) page. “I look forward to the day my selendang is no longer a contentious matter. I hope the above explanation clarifies.”
Delving further, the DAP Segambut MP explained that her modest dressing came about as she had to attend two back-to-back event last weekend (March 24) with the first being a visit to the Al-Taqwa College in Melbourne (main pic) where “the ladies were requested to cover their heads”.
However, the Monash University meeting was moved up because her entourage arrived early and Anwar decided to proceed straight to the meeting room upon their arrival at the hotel.
“Our schedule initially stated that after the visit to Al-Taqwa College, we would return to our hotel and meet the team from Monash University at 12.15pm,” elaborated Yeoh. “I thought I had about 15 minutes to return to my room and iron my hair to make it presentable. This is a five-minute process and I do this every day for work.”
As the Malaysian delegation was already in the meeting room by 12.05pm and with no time to fix her hair, the DAP assistant national publicity secretary figured out that it would be “more presentable to keep my flat looking hair neatly covered”.
“It was a simple decision and it grieves me that a decision based on my personal grooming preferences needs to be explained on my FB,” lamented Yeoh.
“I wear the selendang to respect my Muslim friends at their sacred places. I chose to keep my selendang on because I didn’t want to be late for the meeting between Monash and our PMr. Punctuality and protocol are very important to me. As a woman, I also do not want to appear in media photos with my hair looking messy and unkempt. Please respect my choice.”
Below are some of the feedback by netizens who reacted to her FB post which has since generated 3,800 likes, 380 comments and 92 shares at the time of writing: – March 8, 2024
