With Hari Raya Aidilfitri arriving in less than a week, you might have already seen various banners getting unfurled in residential estates. You know, the ones involving local Members of Parliament (MPs) wishing their Muslim constituents Selamat Hari Raya.
Wearing traditional Malay costumes as part of their Hari Raya shout-out is pretty standard too, regardless of the politician’s ethnicity. But it was one particular image that had netizens raising their eyebrows: a banner with Dr Lee Bee Wah wearing both a kebaya and a hijab, the headscarf worn by Muslim women in accordance to Islamic standards of modesty.
On social media, reactions towards her outfit have been pretty mixed, though it’s clear that people have strong opinions about the MP’s decision to do so. Some, like award-winning multidisciplinary artist Bani Haykal, have brought up past government stances on disallowing women in certain jobs to wear hijabs.
throwback thursday amacam?
its fascinating, how is it since 2013, there hasnt been clear answers or revisions made transparent about nurses wearing hijabs eh?https://t.co/laHTwzqSUmhttps://t.co/uWIyXcArtZ pic.twitter.com/2R5xPtwWDN
— bani haykal (@fdbckfdfwd) May 15, 2020
Why does this rub the wrong way for Muslim women? Because, Muslim women who don on the hijab have been denied job opportunities. And here you have a non-Muslim politician wearing it while there are still structural discrimination in place. Just the baju kurung is fine. https://t.co/WLncqpsgQK
— mysara a. (@heymysara) May 15, 2020
Others questioned why the MP needed to have a picture of her in the hijab, bringing up issues of cultural appropriation.
whut. a kebaya or dress is ok (to me at least), but why on earth a hijab? bizarre
— Edward C. Yong ن (@infernoxv) May 15, 2020
I just wanna know like… has anyone in her team..like yknow expressed that this is weirddd?? Like putting aside everything else. Has no one questioned themselves with how WEIRD this is??? Like this is not normal..???
— timon-tea shahmalay (@Shahnenigans) May 17, 2020
I…. Don’t know how to feel. Is this appropriation?
— Danish. (@199thDan) May 15, 2020
Acknowledging the criticisms, the Nee Soon South MP explained that the kebaya-and-tudung combination is her usual outfit every Hari Raya, when she would visit the Ahmad Ibrahim Mosque.
“I normally wear traditional Malay baju with tudung to show respect for their religion,” she clarified in a Facebook post.
“In the initial years, it was the members of the Mosque who loaned me the baju and tudung. I have checked with the religious teacher and also the chairman of Ahmad Ibrahim Mosque, and they said that what I was wearing was OK.”
The MP added that the banner’s picture was actually taken during one of the occasions when she visited the mosque.
https://www.facebook.com/leebeewahpage/posts/3528281433852982
Past pictures of Lee celebrating Hari Raya with her constituents would show that it was indeed her standard outfit for several years.
https://www.facebook.com/leebeewahpage/photos/a.196413227039836/2837905896223876
https://www.facebook.com/leebeewahpage/posts/2150697728278033
https://www.facebook.com/leebeewahpage/photos/a.196413227039836/1764125940268549
Some of the MP’s constituents have also backed her up on her decision to don Muslim-wear.
she always celebrates with us at Ahmad Ibrahim and she is so understanding of our religion to don the proper clothes when visiting a mosque. I dont think doing the banner was on purpose and neither was her niat to rub people the wrong way lmao pic.twitter.com/M89TeJp8MU
— nak mati (@hiokhiokkontet) May 17, 2020
Still, discussion continues to rage on across social media on whether it was cultural appreciation or cultural appropriation.
ilyas@asiaone.com
