No ruling that non-Muslim students cannot wear baju kurung, says Muhyiddin

Jan 23, 2015

KUALA LUMPUR: Schools were warned on Jan 15 not to come up with rules that are not in line with the Education Ministry’s directives, following a case in Kuala Lumpur where a non-Muslim student was barred from attending class because she was wearing a baju kurung.

Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that no rules have been issued to any school administration barring non-Muslim students from wearing the baju kurung.

“Schools don’t enforce rules that are not orders or regulations that can cause other problems,” the deputy prime minister said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

According to reports, the Sarawakian student was told by the authorities of a school in Cheras that she would have to wear a pinafore instead of a baju kurung as she was a non-Muslim.

The Form Three student was sent home for failing to comply with the school ruling that only Muslims were allowed to wear the traditional Malay costume.

Muhyiddin said there was nothing wrong with non-Muslims wearing the baju kurung as the traditional Malay dress for women was regarded as a national dress.

He urged the school concerned, SMK Seri Mutiara in Cheras, to rectify its dress code to avoid turning the problem into a racial one.

“I don’t think it is right. The ministry will ask the school to correct this because a matter like this has now become construed as a racial problem.

“We don’t want to make it racial. It may just be a misunderstanding or a decision made that is not in line with the ministry’s stand,” Muhyiddin said.

The Form 3 student, Britney Nicole, is a native Lun Bawang from Sarawak and was reportedly barred from entering the school because she had broken its dress code that said only Muslim girls could wear the baju kurung. --The Malaysian Insider