Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - In a relief to a Malaysian Sikh student who was asked by his school principal to shave off his beard and moustache, a senior education official has ruled that the boy can sport facial hair as long as it was kept neat and presentable.
"As long as he keeps it neat and presentable, I don't see a problem," Education Deputy Director-General (schools) Datuk Khusaini Hasbullah said about the order that Ranveer Singh, 17, should shave off his facial hair, kept as religious custom, or seek admission in another school. "The policy is that religious practices should be allowed if they are not extreme," he was quoted as saying by the 'Sunday Star' newspaper.
Schools should look at the "whole situation" when dealing with religious issues, Khusaini said adding that as such, the boy does not have to shave off his beard and moustache. For Sikhs, this means they can wear a turban and keep facial hair, the daily quoted Hasbuallah as saying.
Ranveer's father Jasmel Singh, 45, had claimed yesterday that the school principal had told him that if Ranveer refused to follow her instructions, he should get himself transferred to another school. Jasmel Singh had described the rule as discriminatory and said it was ridiculous to have to seek permission for a religious obligation. Sikh organisations in Malaysia had criticised the school's saying that it went against the freedom of religion enshrined in Malaysia's constitution.