On eye-poking dress codes, parades

Who decides when something becomes an offensive sight to the beholder?

WAS I “poked in the eye” by a bunch of men dressed as pretend religious warriors? I am referring to that parade at PAS Youth’s Himpunan Pemuda Islam Terengganu in Setiu on Friday.

At the event, the participants came up with creative displays, such as a plane replica, a carnival train, a cosy hut on a motorcycle sidecar and a waving Lego-like character.

But one group decided to dress in mock armour, helmets and wield swords, bows, spears and shields, reminiscent of olden-day Islamic warriors. Trailing behind them, mounted on a truck, was a huge replica of the zulfiqar, considered to be the greatest sword in Islamic history.

The sight of these wannabe soldiers exploded in controversy as it raised the question as to what the group was trying to convey.

Lawyer Norman Fernandez, for example, said the participants seemed to resemble the Taliban marching into Kabul and the “Islamic State-like parade” had elements that threatened the public’s peace.

Even PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari told a news portal that he found the spectacle “strange”.

Both Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar criticised the display of militarism as something that could cause public anxiety and racial disharmony.

The interesting thing to me is that while this may be another faux pas by PAS, there are ameliorating factors to it and surprisingly unintended positives.

As a non-Muslim Malaysian, I am gladdened to see Muslim leaders expressing concern that such a scene could affect non-Muslim sensitivities. Furthermore, the police are investigating the incident. Such responses are rare indeed and much appreciated.

The parade was also not held on a public street but at a private place, the Bari Indah Beach Resort.

The videos on social media showed it was indeed a noisy affair, mainly caused by the huge number of motorcycles involved.

But as far as I could tell, no one was chanting “death to the infidels” or some such incendiary, violent war cries.

If that had happened, it would really be alarming as the intent would be loud and clear. It would also recall that unfortunate incident in 2016 when the mufti of Pahang, Abdul Rahman Osman, declared anyone he deemed as opposing Islam as kafir harbi, a term specifically reserved for those who wage war against Muslims and therefore can be “legitimately” killed. To hear a mufti use the term was chilling because it was as good as sanctioning violence against non-Muslims.

I was also appeased by what PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said: The dressed up men were no different from Chinese opera actors.

This is an outright admission that the Youth members were imitating an art form of a community that the party has repeatedly viewed with suspicion and treated with intolerance.

And I am truly delighted with Terengganu PAS Youth chief Harun Esa’s defence on Facebook: That those guys are just like cosplayers who take part in competitions that are held all over the country by dressing up like favourite superheroes and their weapons.

We should take PAS’ acceptance of cosplaying as welcome news since the party seems to hate anything that smacks of fun and of foreign origin, like concerts and festivals. Cosplayers dress up not just as superheroes but also as characters like gods and villains from fantasy online games or anime.

So was I poked in the eye by PAS Youth’s declared cosplayers? Not really. On closer inspection, they looked like guys who just wanna have fun by dressing up as ancient defenders of their faith, even though they looked more like the Ku Klux Klan than the Rashidun army.

I have used this eye-poking reference because it is the literal translation of the Malay idiom, menjolok mata – “poke the eye” – and not “eye-catching”.

As I have explained in a previous column, eye-catching is a positive term but not eye-poking, as the latter means to see something that is extremely hurtful or offensive.

This PAS parade shows non-Muslim eyes can also be poked, but in Malaysia, eye-poking is very much an affliction affecting mostly Muslim males and has to do with how they view female dressing.

Dress codes in public institutions enjoin women to dress modestly so as not to menjolok mata and over the years, there would be a hue and cry whenever an incident of a woman being denied entry based on her dressing was made public.

The spotlight is on the issue again because of the latest incidents that happened in quick succession. One case took place in the Kampar hospital where a young woman sought emergency treatment and another at the Kajang police station where another woman wanted to report an accident. Both were barred because they were wearing above the knee shorts.

What has raised eyebrows is Police Inspector-General Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani’s defence of the dress code as being in keeping with the Rukun Negara’s fifth principle of Kesopanan Dan Kesusilaan (Courtesy And Morality).

So the inference is that to show one’s knees is akin to being discourteous and immoral.

But former IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan disagreed, saying the police cannot stop anyone from entering the police station based on the person’s attire.

That seems reasonable. After all, people who go to the police station are often victims of crime and probably too traumatised to worry about dress code compliance. Besides, when the police raid entertainment outlets and arrest foreign women working as GROs who are usually dressed in sexy, knee-baring clothes, are they allowed to go home and change before they are taken to the police station?

While Kampar hospital director Dr Khairul Azha Azam said the staffer concerned was reprimanded for his action, it’s shocking that a medical officer who should be very familiar with the human anatomy is offended by the sight of thighs and knees.

The third case involved a 60-year-old woman who was denied entry to the second floor of the Pasir Gudang City Council on Feb 15 by the security guard for apparently wearing a “see-through” dress.

From the photo taken of the woman from the back, it appears her calf-length dress is lined, or double layered, but perhaps only down to the thighs so perhaps the outline of her lower legs may be seen against a back light. Is that what constitutes “see-through” to the guard?

I am in no way advocating for the complete abandonment of propriety and modesty and I firmly believe most Malaysians of all races know how to dress appropriately for the occasion (like a job interview, graduation, wedding or funeral) or place (like houses of worship and palaces).

But to me, dress codes, like slogans and mission statements that the government and private sectors come up with, should only apply to the public servants and company staff. They should be the ones to dress appropriately as their appearance reflects on their work attitude and professionalism. Think of how air stewardesses are always neatly dressed and well groomed.

The same goes for that fifth principle of the Rukun Negara.

Those who are paid by taxpayers’ money to serve the public should do their job with the greatest courtesy and adhere to the highest standards of morality.

They have no right to cosplay as mini-Napoleons to intimidate and inconvenience citizens.

The views expressed here are the writer’s own.