Whither the Malay identity

A FAMOUS entertainer, some years before her demise, requested that newspapers and TV stations not use any photos or visuals without her wearing the tudung (hijab). Those were her jahiliah (ignorant) days, she had said. She was not alone. Many Muslim ladies today dread their earlier photos without the tudung to be posted even among family WhatsApp groups.

Back then, Malay women were proudly manifesting their Malayness. They wore baju kurung, even kebaya. Just look at the golden era of Malay cinema in the 50s and early 60s. No one was wearing the tudung. Perhaps my mother’s generation was a lot less complicated. Yet I am sure they were no less religious then than women of today.