UPDATE (6.10pm): A spokesperson from Go-Ahead acknowledges the message delivery and approach taken by the bus captain “must be improved”. They said they’re making every effort to ensure a similar incident will not recur.
You can read their statement below in full.
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Singapore is home to diverse cultures and religions, often blending together in a melting pot. Although not all cultural and religious practices are as known as others, we should always strive to understand other viewpoints and treat them with respect.
A woman recounted her experience on a Go-Ahead Singapore bus service on Saturday (30 Jan), and alleged that a bus captain shouted at her for not wearing her face mask over her niqab.
A niqab is a face veil that some Muslim women wear, usually with a hijab.
A Go-Ahead Singapore representative reached out to the woman following the viral Facebook post and apologised.
They also informed the bus captain that the way she wears her face mask is proper.
On Saturday (30 Jan) at around 11.47am, the woman boarded bus 12 along Pasir Ris Drive 6 when she was allegedly told “This one cannot wear” by the bus captain.
The bus captain was apparently referring to her niqab as a potential replacement for a face mask.
The woman then pulled aside her niqab to reveal her face mask, which she was wearing beneath.
She shared that she does this when approached by Safe Distancing Ambassadors or others during SafeEntry checks.
However, the bus captain allegedly then shouted at her, saying, “Put outside! Put inside who can see?”
The woman retorted that she’s still wearing a face mask. But the bus captain reportedly insisted that she should “put” her face mask outside where it’s visible.
The woman shared that she felt “humiliated” by the bus captain’s actions, which were done in front of her children and other bus passengers.
When she asked the bus captain who was it that disallowed her method of wearing her face mask, there was apparently no reply.
She then demanded an apology from Go-Ahead Singapore as a result of the incident.
In an update to the post dated 8pm on Saturday night, the woman shared that a Go-Ahead Singapore representative had reached out to apologise.
The bus captain had apparently said she normally sees people wearing face mask above the niqab. This was purportedly the first time she’d encountered the reverse.
But the woman asked the representative to look back at the CCTV footage for the “uncalled for” shouting.
Meanwhile, the representative apparently informed the bus captain that her way of wearing her face mask is proper.
The woman hopes that other niqabis won’t go through the same experience as she did.
Responding to MS News‘ queries, Go-Ahead said they are aware of the incident that took place on 30 Jan.
Below is their statement in full.
The bus captain concerned has been identified and she has explained that in ensuring mask wearing on the bus, she wanted to verify with the commuter on the use of a face mask upon boarding.
She understands that the requirement was met when the commuter displayed her face mask on and no further communication was necessary.
We acknowledge that the message delivery and approach taken by the bus captain in this instance must be improved and regret the upset caused. We are making every effort to ensure that there will not be a recurrence of this incident.
It would appear that there was some initial misinterpretation of the rules, leading to a distressing experience onboard public transport.
However, bus captains are in the service industry, and all passengers and bus captains should be treated with respect no matter the situation. Nobody likes to be shouted at.
This is a good opportunity to be educated on how some Muslim women follow the teachings of their religion while still complying with government laws.
We can all stand to learn something from the incident on respect and empathy for other parties, and hopefully the matter can be resolved amicably.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and Facebook.
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