Johor prince says people forget Malays are not Arabs.

KUALA LUMPUR - The Johor Sultan’s younger son, Tunku Idris, has defended his sister’s way of dressing with a reminder that people were beginning to forget that the Malays were not Arabs.

In an online posting, Tunku Idris, who is Tunku Temenggong Johor, said he was annoyed by comments about his sister not covering her head by wearing a tudung.

He posted a photo showing his sister, Tunku Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, in a blue baju kurung with her hair tied in a bun and said she wore a selendang (shawl) at all religious events and prayed more often than some who wore tudungs.

“Is that not good enough? Isn’t it between her and Allah?” he was quoted as saying.

Tunku Idris said dressing like an Arab did not make one any more religious, and that the hijab was a cultural attire for Arabs, protecting the wearer from the heat or sandstorms.

“Someone alim (pious) once told me, you wear a hijab when you’re really beautiful or really ugly and could cause distraction to others. Makes me wonder – who are we to judge,” said Tunku Idris, according to Star Online.