THE Penang chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hoteliers (MAH) said hotels in the state have no policy against their women staff wearing headscarves.

In confirming this, its president, Khoo Boo Lim, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had contacted him to express concern about the policy that he considered to be discriminatory and went against human rights.

“No hotels in Penang bar their female staff members from wearing the hijab.

“I would like to thank the chief minister for airing his concerns, and stress that Penang hotels welcome Muslim women who want to wear the hijab.

“We also share the chief minister’s belief that Muslim women should be judged strictly on their performance, which has nothing to do with whether they wear the hijab or not,” he said at the state legislative assembly today.

It was reported recently that the Malaysian Labour Centre of the Union Network International had complained that hotel staff were not allowed to wear the hijab at work.

The group said hotel staff, hospitality and tourism students applying for internship were told they could not wear headscarves at work.

MAH president Cheah Swee Hee earlier said it was not a discriminatory practice but an international one, namely in international hotels that followed a standard operating procedure and policy.

Khoo said Cheah had rebuted the report, saying that his comments were misrepresented. – November 13, 2017.