Misunderstanding Muslim Domestic Helpers

Many Muslim domestic helpers are misunderstood in HK

It was Christmas Eve, in the mid 1990s when I lived with my uncle and aunt in Hong Kong. They had a Filipina domestic helper who cooked, cleaned and looked after their two young children.

The helper had made some mistakes that day and my aunt was not pleased and wanted her to work longer as punishment, but my uncle intervened.

He said Christmas Eve was a very important time for Catholics like her and so they should let her go early to go to church for mass.

Employers assume helpers must obey demands

I don't know why I remember this, but it made me realise how important it was to be compassionate and understanding of others.

And now decades later after Hong Kong has brought in Muslim domestic helpers from Indonesia and yet some employers still do not understand or appreciate their employee's religious background.

Last week a Muslim domestic helper filed a HK$255,000 discrimination lawsuit against her former employers for requiring her to stop praying and wearing the jilbab, a full-length garment, if she wanted to keep her job.

According to the Quran, devout Muslims must pray five times a day, at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening.

Apparently these kinds of disputes are common, and unions and employer representatives are calling for more dialogue between the two parties to reach a mutual understanding before signing the contract.

Nevertheless, despite discussions beforehand, domestic helpers feel like they are in a weaker position and feel obligated to obey their employers' demands.

"[They will think:] 'I hired you because I need to you work,' and that praying five times a day, especially for Muslims, is a lot," said Sringatin, chairwoman of the Indonesian Migrant Workers' Union.

She said many domestic helpers stopped praying or wearing religious garments to keep their employment records clean for future jobs.

Domestic helpers only have Sundays off

Some tried to work around their employer, such as praying when they are not at home, and only wear the hijab or headscarf when they went outside on their days off or for daily tasks.

Thomas Chan Tung-fung, chairman of the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies says the recent lawsuit suggests a lack of communication before the helper was hired.

"Many employers mistakenly think their homes are their private premises and have complete control over the area, but they forget their homes are also their helpers' workplaces," he said.

This just reveals how ignorant Hongkongers are when it comes to other people's religions and their lack of tolerance or respect of others. Their belief in being superior to Southeast Asians perpetuates to this day which shows Hongkongers' insecurity and inability to accept others.

It will be interesting to see how the lawsuit is processed through the courts.

Stay tuned.