Vell Paari: Refusing workers in headscarves discriminatory
KUALA LUMPUR: Refusing women wearing headscarves to work in hotels is discriminatory against the Muslim community in Malaysia said MIC.
MIC treasurer-general Datuk Seri S. Vell Paari said the statement made by the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) was akin to telling Muslim women to work elsewhere if they refused to adhere to the no-headscarf policy.
“I find the statement by MAH chairman Samuel Cheah Swee Hee irresponsible. May I remind Mr Samuel that Malaysia is a multiracial country and any form of discrimination against any religion will not be tolerated,” he said on Monday.
The ban on headscarves was unfair, he said, as these women were not allowed to work in five-star hotels just because of their religious requirements and beliefs.
Vell Paari urged Cheah to look at the country’s first point of entry, the airports, where Muslim women in headscarves work.
“Until now no tourist, upon seeing our women immigration staff wearing a headscarf, has decided to not enter Malaysia.”