Songkok issue

Posted on January 13, 2008
Filed Under Malaysian News |

When Malaysians see a person wearing a ’songkok’, what is the first thing that comes to your mind regarding his race and religion? Malay and Muslim, right? Or if the person obviously doesn’t look Malay, then that person is of some other race but still a Muslim.

I just read a letter sent to Lim Kit Siang by a parent relating the compulsory use of the ’songkok’ by prefects at the son’s school.

This parent highlighted some interesting issues if the use of the ’songkok’ is forced on non-Malays and non-Muslims. The following are his words.

I think this parent has some valid questions to the issue relating to the compulsory use of the ’songkok’. I see no reason for the wearing of a ’songkok’ at a non religious educational institution.

There is a troubling trend in Malaysia namely, the Islamisation of the culture, as well as the forced domination of the Malay culture upon the non-Malays. The action of a co-ed school where the male and female students are separated comes to mind.

In the early eighties when I entered UiTM, I was one of three non-Malay and non-Muslim female students. Every one of us had to put on a head scarf and a baju kurung which are both a female Malay Muslim dress. If I had not been that timid, I would have objected strongly and refused to wear the outfit during orientation week.

I don’t want to sound pessimistic but when issues like the banning of the use of ‘Allah’ by non-Muslims, the fatwa against the building of a statue of a Chinese deity, the forcible wearing of the ’songkok’, the slapping of female students for not wearing the tudung to school despite it being after school hours, the confiscation of Christian books (according to a Malaysiakini report), and the demolition of Hindu temples, I cannot help but be pessimistic about the future of a multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia.

It is not the Malaysia I remember when I was in kid in the sixties and seventies.

Update: Via Lim Kit Siang’s blog dated Jan 15, 2008 - The songkok is not compulsory for the prefects for whatever function and duty as confirmed by the school principal.

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Comments

5 Responses to “Songkok issue”

  1. Raj on January 13th, 2008 5:38 pm

    This was started by the Prime Minister himself when he made it compulsory for all policewomen to don the tudung. Now it is seeming through all other institutions like cancer.

    Since the sikhs will not want to remove their turbans for the songkok [ unless you expect them to wear the songkok on top of the turban ], and since there is a sudden craze to make everything uniform, I suggest all males use the turban at all times.

    This way we can achieve uniformity

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  2. Moronic Little Napoleons « Aarvidi’s Weblog on January 13th, 2008 7:48 pm

    [...] January 14, 2008 at 11:48 am · Filed under Religion Muslim ·Tagged Maidin, non-Muslim, Religion, wear songkok Read the comments of Simply Putri as it appeared in Malaysiakini: [...]

  3. Nightwing on January 13th, 2008 9:24 pm

    Are they for real?

    I think it is a sistematic slow and steady trend of making future generation thinks …everyone is the same in MALAYsia.

    Reminds me of Indonesia…where those who born there do not have Chinese names…although they are chinese. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Indonesian

    Rudy Hartano Chinese name is Nio Hap Liang. http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6041

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_Chinese_Indonesians

    Alan Budikusuma, badminton star and 1992 Olympic gold medalist
    Angelique Widjaja, Tennis athlete
    Ardi B Wiranata, badminton star
    Chris John, Boxing world champion (WBA featherweight, 2003 - present)
    Christian Hadinata, badminton star
    Felix Sutanto, sea games swimmer
    Ferry Sonneville, badminton star
    Hendrawan, badminton world champion
    Hermawan Susanto, badminton star
    Liem Swie King, badminton legend
    Rudy Hartono, badminton legend, 8-time winner of the All-England Cup
    Ronald Susilo, badminton star based in Singapore
    Richard Sambera, swimmer
    Susi Susanti, badminton star and 1992 Olympic gold medalist
    Suwandi, tennis player
    Tan Joe Hok, Indonesia badminton legend
    Tjun Tjun, badminton star
    Wynne Prakusya, Tennis athlete
    Candra Wijaya, badminton star and 2000 Olympic gold medalist with Tony Gunawan for men’s doubles
    Tony Gunawan, badminton star and 2000 Olympic gold medalist with Candra Wijaya for men’s doubles
    Eng Hian, badminton star

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  4. mowdogg on August 26th, 2008 8:20 pm

    Hei everyone…
    I came about this songkok issue and as a Muslim who is right now beginning to learn about Islamic History, as we know it, Non-muslim are not allowed to imitate the way muslim dress and this same goes with Muslims. That such law was assigned by Caliph Omar when he conquered Jerusalem in order to preserve the culture of the Non-muslim inhabitants that were staying in Jerusalem….

    But that’s a different story in malaysia where non-Muslim are forced to wear tudung and songkok which pretty much contradicts the earlier Muslim law and pretty much a huge discrimination upon non-muslim in malaysia. I know whats wrong with malaysia…

    you see, songkok is not an islamic obligation…
    But instead, it is a praiseworthy act in islam..
    it’s not called songkok, but instead any piece of cloth or piece of hat that covers your head… Even chinese Muslim can have their own headcovering if I am not mistaken…
    A good example, Emerald Cheng Ho, who dress in full Chinese traditional attire, but is a Muslim himself…

    yes, tudung is obligatory upon Muslim women, but nobody has the right to force a women to wear it… Only their parents have the right to eductae their daughters to wear it….

    however Non-muslim women.. hahaha…. where on earth did Non-muslim women wear tudung during the caliphate times ? No, they don’t… Even if the non-muslim did wear veil or tudung in Arabia back those days, it was just culture of the local tribes. And by enforcing something that you’re not obligated on is just disguting… Now dats the malaysian goverment.. I dun have anything against the malaysian people….

    However, songkok is even not part of the original malay culture… It was brought in by the Indian Muslim traders and Turks…. and of course, we know well our ex-PM Tun Dr mahathir was an indian muslim himself who disguise under the constitution under the name “malay”. yes, tudung definitely should not be enforced towards non-muslim and doing so is a disgusting act….

    anyways, there is no such thing called “Ketuanan melayu” because there are still many poor malays in rural area who doesn’t get benefit from the goverment… Same goes with the orang asli… However, the ones that are enjoying NEP and hak “bumiputra” are those “Rojak (mixed raced who happeend to be Muslim and automatically become “malay” under the constitution) aristocrats , dat, dtain and rich people….

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  5. Puteri on August 28th, 2008 10:01 pm

    In Malaysia, a non-Malay can become a Malay if he/she speaks Malay, is a Muslim, adopts the Malay culture etc - that is what is defined as Malay in Malaysia.

    As to forcing non-Muslim/Malay to wear the tudung and songkok, it is the ketuanan Melayu forcing their supremacy on the non-Malays/Muslim. I was the victim of such supremacy .. forced to wear the baju kurung and the tudung for 2 weeks during orientation at that all Bumi institution … you know which one I mean. And for one whole year I had to put up with a picture of myself wearing the tuding in my student ID card. Grrr. I wished I had been more outspoken back then!

    But the reality in Malaysia is that, the non-Muslims is still sometimes required to cover their head, say for e.g. when mengadap the Agung or some such royalty. True?

    [reply this comment]

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