The Case of the Microwave
Expat teachers and local teachers get along quite well in out school. We have our squabbles and spats but usually it only lasts for a day and the next day all is forgotten and we get on with life. Today that changed. A single note pasted on a microwave oven shattered all that. A note that said " Halal food only to be heated in this oven"
We used to have only one microwave and so far no one has brought up the issue before. Now since the primary school moved out we took over their oven. We still had no complaints for a whole week before the notice went up. It created a stir in the staffroom as it didnt make sense why it suddenly became an issue when it hadnt been before. And why the note had gone up without any discussion at the teachers' regular meetings. We have a few local muslim teachers in our staff and they have never brought it up before and they are the kind to openly say if they were not happy about something. So who? All fingers pointed to a Singaporean Muslim who was quite outspoken about her beliefs. On further investigation I found out that it was she who had brought up the issue with the local muslims and had "educated" them on how in Singapore workplaces had different microwaves for halal and non-halal food. Apparently she had seen some of the Chinese teachers ( from China) heating up pork. I found the whole issue disturbing and so did some other Singaporean collegues. It was not that we do not respect their food preferences. Its that the notice went up suddenly without any request. It was implying that the entire staff had been disrespectful of their beliefs. What happened after that was even more strange. While the Singaporeans were divided on this issue and had many views to express, the Indonesian locals had nothing much to say - it was a non-issue and they went on with their lives. One Indonesian Christian however was unhappy and made comments that it was discriminatory and against human rights. - Anyway as any usual spat the issue has toned down but the scars remain as we wonder what is next.The second fridge?