SINGAPORE -- As the controversy over the prohibition of wearing the Muslim headscarf, the tudung, in public schools in Singapore moves on to the next stage, a cardinal doctrine of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- noninterference in the domestic affairs of member countries -- looks set to be breached.
In this instance, observers can expect many Malaysians to criticize Singapore's handling of the controversy. It began last month when the parents of four Malay Muslim schoolgirls chose to have their daughters suspended from school, rather than conform to a regulation prohibiting the inclusion of tudung from public-school uniforms.
The parents said they strongly felt that a ban would compromise the Islamic dress code for their daughters. The Singapore authorities pointed out that a religious symbol like the such as the tudung could impede painstaking efforts to integrate Singaporeans of different races and faiths in schools, where youths' attitudes are shaped.