Kota Bharu hairdresser in trouble for styling man's hair

A Chinese female hairdresser of a salon in Kota Bharu has been summoned by the municipal council for cutting a male customer's hair.

Kota Bharu municipal council secretary Mohd Anis Hussein explained that unisex service is banned in the town's hair salons.

According to a Sin Chew Daily report, the incident happened to Wong Lee Teng (translated from Chinese name), a hairdresser with E-Life hair salon located in the KB Mall shopping complex.

Wong reportedly said that while she was working on the hair of a male customer at around 9pm on Tuesday night, a municipal council enforcer in plainclothes suddenly appeared and issued her a summons for cutting the hair of a member of the opposite sex.

She claimed that her brother, also a hairdresser, was also banned from serving female customers, significantly reducing his commission. To make ends meet, he was forced to leave Kota Bharu two months ago to work in Johor.

"This is a shopping mall. The monthly rental is more than RM10,000. The operating cost is very high. The lady boss chose to open the salon here because of its crowd.

Open to public view

"In addition, our salon setting is very open, (outsiders) can see us cutting or dying hair for customers. It is impossible for anything unhealthy to happen here," she was quoted as saying.

Wong commented that Kelantan state government should not enforce Islamic rules on non-Muslims.

Although the hairdressers try their best to observe gender segregation, some non-Muslims male customers request the service of female hairdressers, she elaborated.

The salon owner, Chia, also told reporters that her salon, opened in 2010, had been denied business licence by the municipal council in 2011 and 2012 without providing any reason.

During the two years, she added, the salon has received 11 summons - seven for operating without a licence and another four for providing service to male customers.

However, Mohd Anis argued that although some salons use glass wall to ensure openness, the ban is still needed to prevent any unnecessary suspicion, attention or unhealthy interaction between sexes.

Aroused by hair model posters

The Chinese daily reported that the Kota Bharu municipal council had previously forbidden salons to put up posters of female hair models as they do not abide by Islamic rules.

In a statement issued today, MCA Wanita secretary-general Chew Lee Giok said the incident has dismissed DAP's earlier claim that hudud laws will not affect non-Muslims.

The senator commented that since the current Islamic regulations implemented by PAS state government has affected the daily lives of non-Muslims, the implementation of Islamic criminal laws could only mean worse implications for non-Muslim.