Life in Malaysia's Kelantan amid a push for Islamic law

[yuiyoshida]

KOTA BHARU, Malaysia: On a Friday afternoon, in a city along the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. Row after row of shops are closed, shutters pulled down - even those at some fast food restaurants.

Muslim workers and patrons have gone to the mosque or back home, heeding the call for prayer. Friday, not Saturday, starts the weekend in Kota Bharu for this very purpose.

A woman steps out of a shop. Like most Muslim women here, she is wearing a headscarf - something that is mandated in certain employment sectors in the state. Her young daughter wears one too, holding her hand as they cross the road to a shopping complex bearing a name translated into Jawi.

Every signboard here, in fact, has to display translations in this Arabic script – despite the fact that Malaysia's official language is Bahasa Malaysia, or Malay.

Hypermarkets also have separate queues for men and women, though these are not strictly observed.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/life-in-malaysia-s/2858872.html

[msongs]

1. so why is it that men do not have to wear head scarves or body wraps? nt