Tangs department store had allegedly told a part-time promoter to remove her hijab at work.

On Aug. 18, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) said that it is looking into the case.

Following the case being made public, and in response to Mothership's queries, a Tangs spokesperson said that it intends to allow all employees — including front liners — to wear religious headgear while working.

The spokesperson added: "Our corporate office colleagues, and back of house employees wear religious headgear, and we plan to standardise this practice across the stores for all."

"Discrimination at the workplace is particularly disturbing"

President Halimah Yacob has come out to address the case in an Aug. 20 Facebook post.

Halimah said discrimination of any form and against anyone has "no place at all in our society", especially not at the workplace.

She added that people should be assessed solely on their merits and their ability to do their job.

She also noted that incidents of discrimination will worsen people's anxieties and make them feel threatened in the midst of the current Covid-19 pandemic.

She wrote:

"Discrimination at the workplace is particularly disturbing because it deprives the person affected from earning a living.

[...]

Diversity is our strength and our society has already embraced it. I hope that employers too will fully embrace diversity at the workplace and do their part to uphold the values of a fair and open society."

You can read Halimah's full Facebook post here:

Top images from Halimah Yacob/Facebook & by Melanie Lim.