KUALA LUMPUR: The Terengganu government is sticking to its ban on unisex hair salons in the state and operators who flout the gender-segregation licensing regulation will incur a fine of between RM500 and RM1,000.
State executive councillor Datuk Dr Alias Razak said this was not an implementation of a new rule, but was an existing licensing regulation under the jurisdiction of the state government.
"Hair salons or barbershops, whether operated by Muslims or non-Muslims, are not allowed to provide haircut services for both men and women in the same premises," he was reported as saying by a local news portal.
Alias, who is in charge of the state Housing and Local Government Committee, warned that operators who flout the licensing regulations will be fined or risk having their licences revoked.
"There are no exemptions for hair salons or barbershops that are operated by non-Muslims. This is because if we were to allow non-Muslim female hairdressers to provide haircuts for male customers, there is a possibility that Muslim men will go and patronise them too," he said.
During a debate session of the state assembly sitting on Tuesday, assemblyman Zuraida Md Noor had sought for stern action to be taken to ensure that barbershops and spas in the state comply and adhere to Syariah requirements and gender-segregation regulations.
She had stressed that barbershops for men should be run by men and hairdressing salons for women must only be run by women.
She also questioned the extent to which such regulations were adhered, sharing that she had received complaints from local folk who expressed their concerns on men and women being in the same premises.