16 Upfront
Upfront
To Cover or
Not to Cover
To cover or not to cover,
that is the question, asks
Su-Lin Chee
THE tudung or head-
covering—ever present in
today’s Malaysian society,
yet a touchy matter rarely
discussed across religious
lines. It draws a subliminal
boundary between those
who do and those who
don’t, dividing society as
much as other personal
choices like smoking,
vegetarianism and drugs.
These are individual
decisions to consume, yet
somehow have emotive
effects upon those on the
other side. The director with Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, Ivy Josiah, Wardina, discussion
moderator Rafidah Abdullah and others
Malaysian documentary
filmmaker Norhayati Kaprawi lifts the veil
on this taboo with her film Aku Siapa (Who
Am I), which recently premiered at Central
Market Annexe and HELP Institute.
The latter, which I attended, drew a full
house of excited women; the tension in the
air was discernible. The screening attracted
renowned figures like Datin Paduka Marina
Mahathir, doyen of women’s issues Ivy Josiah
as well as celebrities Datuk Sharifah Aini and
Wardinah.
This 50-minute documentary opened
with the experience of a Malay Muslim girl
who now aspires to be a fashion designer and several disappointed voices.
goes uncovered but spent her educational
years in a strict Muslim institution where she the film “tudung bashing” and professed
underwent pressure to wear the tudung.
Aku Siapa then delved back in time to
explore Malay Muslim women’s means of
presenting themselves over the decades.
Photographs from the early part of the 20 th
century through to the 50s, 60s and 70s
showed even the heads of wives of religious
leaders uncovered or loosely draped with a
selendang (shawl).
Director Norhayati inferred to the turning me. Just because I choose
point of popular trends to be in the 80s, as a
consequence of the 1979 Iranian revolution,
and with strong influence from Anwar
Ibrahim and his Angkatan Belia Islam
Malaysia (ABIM) movement.
The movie spoke to various religious
scholars and academics about their
interpretations of the Quran’s prescriptions.
Statements ranged from the “women must
cover everything up or they will be raped”-
type view of PAS spiritual leader Dato’ Nik
Aziz, to aurat (body parts to be covered)
being only the parts that Adam and Eve
felt ashamed of after eating the forbidden
fruit, to the idea that modesty was as much
wearing an attitude of modesty and morality
as a physical covering.
Overall, I found the film entirely
enlightening and objective. Director
Norhayati quoted interviewees rather
than narrated her own opinion and it was
fascinating to hear from elderly women
who had lived through the changing tide of
opinion.
Surprisingly then, the post-screening
question-and-answer session turned out
MALAYSIAN TODAY April 7-20, 2011
Documentary director Norhayati Kaprawi
mum, sister and aunt were wearing it and
actually started pressuring friends to wear Tudung, hijab, burqah,
it, though now she believes it’s a personal chador… wherein the
choice. difference?
Opined Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir
after the Q-and-A session: “I think it’s an While “tudung” is the common Malay
excellent documentary and it’s a question word for the head covering worn by
that needs to be addressed, the pressure that Muslim women, “hijab” is the Arab
women feel to cover up. Very often they don’t word literally meaning “curtain” or
know why and can’t quote the verse which “cover”.
A campaign asking women to cover the says so. They’ve been told that it’s required
chest with their hijabs by religion but when you talk to scholars, The chador or
they say there’s a diversity of opinion. Our chadar is more
people like to do a lot of things without really of an Iranian
TV host and author Wardina called knowing the religious basis for them.” style. It is a full-
What does Datin Paduka Marina think body-length
how after being a model who didn’t wear a about tudung-wearers feeling negatively semicircle of
tudung, the tudung liberated her. portrayed in the film? “I don’t think that was fabric that is
“Women [without meant to be done,” she responds. “Nobody is split open down
tudung] have to look saying that people who wear tudung are bad, the front, with
beautiful, sexy… I feel but it’s just giving voice to people who don’t a head-hole
as if those women in the wear tudung who have been told they must. in the top and
bikinis are oppressed… These people who feel offended should does not cover
In fact, I feel sorry for empathise with how we who don’t wear the the face. This cloth is tossed over the
you but you feel sorry for tudung feel because that’s how we are made woman’s or girl’s head, but then she
to feel 90% of the time. They are feeling this holds it closed in the front.
to cover up doesn’t mean just this evening!”
I’m an unintelligent Indeed, Aku Siapa, as its title The “burqa”
being.” suggests, seems to scratch the meanwhile
A 19 year old surface on what’s really a depth is usually
student meanwhile, of complex issues that make up understood to
admitted how she modern Malaysian society. From be the entire
started wearing the sexuality as part of identity, to enveloping
tudung at nine years cultural globalization, be it outer garment
old because her from the West or the Middle which
East, the film through this comprises the
engaging subject, lifts the hijab as well
veil towards more dialogue. as the loose
“We talk about the right body-covering
to wear the hijab in France (jilbāb), and
and Europe but I wanted face-veil
to highlight for once the (niqāb). The
Malaysian context, about the burqa thus
challenges that Muslim women covers the most out of all the styles.
face here,” explained Norhayati.
“My message is very simple. For
those who wear tudung, let’s not itu otak kamu [What’s pornographic is not
be judgemental about those who don’t my body, it’s your mind],” only to hoots of
TV host and author wear tudung. And those who don’t wear laughter and cheers from the audience.
Wardina before and after tudung, don’t feel so bad about it.”
deciding to wear the She quotes a bumper sticker she saw in For upcoming screenings, email
tudung lensasrikandi@ymail.com
Indonesia, “Yang porno itu bukan tubuhku,