"Just Because She Is Wearing A Tudung?" - Council Member Calmly Explains Indian Muslim Delegate's Heritage Amidst Backlash

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Shameera Nasreen Ahamed Noordeen is a 27-year-old woman from Penang, a master’s student in Marine Science at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

She is an Indian Muslim and dons a hijab. With Malaysia being such a diverse country made up of various races, this shouldn’t make anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock scratch their heads in confusion.

Indians can be Hindus, Christians, Muslims and what have you.

All this while, Shameera has been doing what she loves and that includes representing the Indian community by joining the Malaysian Indian Youth Council (MIYC).

Things however took a slight negative turn when a video of her speaking as an MIYC representative at the United Nations (UN) went viral for the wrong reason.

Some people asked “why was a Malay representing the Indian community”.

Lawyer and social activist Siti Kasim shared a post of the video on her Facebook, captioned, in all caps: “SHE’S REPRESENTING THE INDIAN YOUTH COUNCIL??” Her caption was accompanied by a laughing emoji and an eyeroll emoji.

In a video commentary posted later, Siti Kasim asked whether “the concerns of the Indian Muslims in Malaysia are the same as the Non-Muslim Indians in Malaysia.”

Her question was rooted in Shameera being a representative of an Indian Youth Council and not a Muslim Indian Council.

“Now these people overseas, they may think all Indians are wearing tudong,” Siti Kasim quipped, while acknowledging this was “a small matter”.

On a more serious note, she stressed that what was important was to address the matter of whether or not the concerns of the Indian Muslims in Malaysia were the same as the non-Muslim Indians in Malaysia. Her concern was that Shameera, being Muslim by religion, cannot “pretend to be representing the whole of the Indian youth”.

Not wanting to let the criticism get out of hand, MIYC posted a video on their TikTok to address the matter.

Peshminder Pall Singh, who serves as National SDG and International Exco for MIYC, urged the public to reject prejudice and focus on merit.

He explained that MIYC is one of the three Indian youth organisations that is registered under the Registrar of Youth (ROY), which is supervised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

He informed that Shameera is the organisation’s Deputy Chairman of Women Commission.

“While we are very proud of her achievement, it is disappointing to see comments… just because she is wearing a tudung,” he said, referring to reactions to Shameera’s speech video on MIYC’s TikTok page.

Shameera had recently spoken at the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum held at the United Nations Headquarters in the United States — a platform Peshminder described as both prestigious and difficult to access.

“This is a very significant achievement, because not everyone gets the opportunity to speak on a global platform like this,” he said, noting that Shameera was selected as a youth representative under the age of 30.

“She represents the new generation of leaders.”

Peshminder took the opportunity to clarify MIYC’s stance on representation, stressing that the organisation does not define identity through religion or outward appearance.

“So let me be clear: at MIYC, we do not define representation based on religion or appearance. We focus on capability, contribution, and impact, especially in driving socio-economic progress for our community,” he said.

He also highlighted the diversity within Malaysia’s Indian community, pushing back against narrow interpretations of identity.

“When we say ‘Indian,’ we refer to a diverse community — like Punjabis (myself), Tamils, Malayalis, Telugus, and many others. Being of Indian origin is about heritage and identity, not on how someone dresses or what religion they practice,” he added.

Defending Shameera’s role, Peshminder described her as “a proud Malaysian of Indian origin and fully deserving to represent our community on an international and global platform.”

He concluded his remarks with a call for unity and positivity amid rising online hostility.

“Instead of tearing each other down, let us choose to support, uplift, and move forward together. Let’s not spread hate, but spread love.”

We reached out to Shameera amidst the criticism casting a dark cloud on what should be a proud moment for all Malaysians, that a young Malaysian woman has chosen to be proud of her heritage and wants to give back to her community.

“I am an Indian Muslim,” Shameera proudly stressed.

What does this mean actually? Malaysians generally are aware of Indian Muslims, or its generic label “mamak”. However, some may stumble in understanding this community because “mamak” is not an official race category.

Just like how Siti Kasim admitted it was her fault that she assumed Indians are always Hindus, the fact that some Indian Muslims in Malaysia are mislabelled in their MyKad as “Malay” adds to the confusion.

“My greatgrandparents and grandparents came to Penang from the Thiruvarur district in Tamilnadu, India through trading. We’ve had four generations of doing business here,” she explained.

Shameera is Muslim and she is an Indian, which by MIYC’s description of being a socio-economical based organisation for the Indian youths, she qualifies as a member. As Peshminder explained, religion isn’t a criteria they look at.

TRP: What made you decide to be part of the Malaysian Inian Youth Council?

Shameera: Back in 2020, joining the Malaysian Indian Youth Council felt like a natural decision. At the time, I was actively involved in the student council at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), and MIYC approached me with the opportunity to be part of their work. I saw it as a platform that could open doors for growth and meaningful impact, especially given its strong ideology and commitment to socio-economic development.

More personally, it also represented a chance for someone like me a woman from a conservative background to step beyond traditional boundaries and break the cycle by creating new opportunities for myself and others.

TRP: What was the preparation like prior to attending the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum?

Shameera: It was a two-year journey of persistence and preparation. I spent that time learning how the UN system works attending webinars, engaging in discussions, and actively networking to understand the application pathways. At the same time, I focused on strengthening my profile both regionally and internationally to ensure I could meet the expectations of the screening process.

Throughout this journey, the Malaysian Indian Youth Council played a crucial role in supporting and guiding me, which made a significant difference in helping me reach this milestone.

TRP: What do you have to say about the criticism of being a Muslim and representing the Indian community?

Shameera: I was honestly surprised by the criticism, especially coming from within the Indian community, as I had always believed we embrace openness and diversity. However, I see this as a chance to highlight the importance of understanding our multicultural reality.

Being both Muslim and part of the Indian community is simply a reflection of that diversity. It’s not something that can be debated or changed, it is who I am. What matters is fostering greater awareness, respect, and acceptance of the different identities that coexist within our society.

TRP: Among the criticism is that an Indian Muslim has access to Bumiputera rights which makes it unfair to represent the rest of the Indian community made up of non-Muslims, what do you have to say about this?

Shameera: I understand that this concern has been raised, and I think it’s important to approach it with clarity and mutual respect. The situation of Indian Muslims and Bumiputera status has long been a complex and ongoing discussion, with many in the Indian Muslim community themselves continuing to navigate and advocate around these policies.

On a personal level, I have not depended on or directly experienced such privileges in shaping my journey. Every opportunity I’ve had whether in education, work, or international platforms have come through consistent effort, perseverance, and the support of communities that believed in me.

For me, representation is not about entitlement, but about contribution, perspective, and the ability to serve. I believe what matters most is how we use our platform to uplift others and reflect the diversity within our communities, rather than drawing lines that divide us.

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