Thanks, iamwithalicia, for the link given. It has made me re-think of my usage of word 'tudung'.

I shall then re-phrase my statement:

"(scratch the 'pemakaian tudung atau sebaiknya") Perbuatan menutup aurat adalah solely suruhan Allah sepertimana yang telah diterangkan di dalam kitab al Quran."

For this, I am sure, if you're familiar with which part of a Muslim woman is considered her aurah (aurat), it is depending on her situation and surrounding at that time. You may want to refer to several links here:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intimate_parts_in_Islam)
(http://www.drkhalid.co.uk/questions/020.html)

And also, regarding the link you've generously provided me, you might want to visit and compare some other references such as follows (for better understanding and please also be open minded about it):
(http://www.al-islam.org/hijab-muslim-womens-dress-islamic-or-cultural-sayyid-muhammad-rizvi/quran-and-hijab)
(http://www.muhajabah.com/khimar.htm)
(http://www.onislam.net/english/ask-about-islam/ethics-and-values/muslim-character/166177-hijab-a-must-not-a-choice.html)

Feel free to share what you think after a thorough research done. Fear not, I'm not one to always think I'm right about one thing.

ps: Now that I've read a response from Maryam Lee (http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/tudung-debate-right-now-really-maryam-lee), I think 'tudung' from Islam teaching point-of-view is far from what Alicia's concern is, and for that I'm totally grateful. You should read it too.

Though I don't really see what's your point here but that was exactly the same feeling I had when I passed by a group of guys/ tudung-clad/ free-hair girls who think they can easily get by the day by splashing tons of cologne all over them.

Can't believe someone with the lowest way of thinking can even be allowed to lead a group. Malaysia is really in big trouble.

Sangat setuju dengan kenyataan Tuan Hj. Kesedaran dan pilihan untuk memakai tudung adalah hak individu.

Bukan niat saya (dan rasanya tiada langsung disebut di dalam text komen saya yang lepas) untuk menindas atau membuatkan golongan minoriti merasa tertindas. Cumanya saya meminta penulis untuk mengupas lebih lanjut tentang permasalahan atau jenis2 tekanan yang diterima oleh golongan minoriti ini. Isu juga tidak mendapat kupasan yang adil dari setiap aspek.

Walaupun penulis telah mengaku openly a feminist, tetapi sebagai seorang regular columnist bahan bacaan umum dan juga tenaga pengajar di institusi pengajian tinggi, pada pendapat saya it's common for one to try broaden her view on sesuatu subjek.

Part II:

I won't ask anything related to your personal belief or whatsoever (not trying to act 'holier-than-thou' as well since I'm not close to one). But in Malaysia, dimana majoritinya adalah berkefahaman Sunni, yang sentiasa tegak di atas Islam berdasarkan Al-Quran dan hadis yang sahih dengan pemahaman para sahabat, tabi'in, dan tabi'ut tabi'in, pemakaian tudung atau sebaiknya perbuatan menutup aurat adalah solely suruhan Allah sepertimana yang telah diterangkan di dalam kitab al Quran. It really has nothing to do with OBSESI BANGSA MELAYU. Nothing to do with RACE. Because when you keep mixing and misinterpreting religion issue and blame it on race, readers will REALLY start having the wrong idea.

When you mentioned that isu tekanan untuk bertudung adalah kesan arus atau proses modenisasi atau proses perubahan sosial dan budaya, ones (who really beriman kepada-Nya) can only view this as a bless in disguise from HIM as many more of hamba-Nya semakin menurut perintah untuk menutup aurat. It's true Islam telah lama dahulu menguasai Asia and you questioned why only now isu bertudung dibangkitkan. You see, my mom (who was born in 1953) always refer to her time back then when she was still not covering her aurah as 'zaman jahiliyah'. True to that, in my opinion, back then when Islam mula tersebar luas, it was merely theoretically and lacking practicality. Meskipun Islam telah mula ditanam di dalam pemahaman minda seseorang, kesedaran dari hati sanubari adalah lebih penting bagi individu tersebut untuk menutup aurat, hence the article written by saudari Aisha Adam which focused on 'konsep pilihan'. Plus, you shouldn't forget that pengaruh budaya barat masih lagi kuat dan dititikberatkan dalam perkembangan ekonomi semasa zaman itu. After kemerdekaan only we managed to slowly build and mendalamkan lagi tuntutan agama dan perintah dari-Nya. Well even now, kesan dari pengaruh barat yang telah lama lekat kuat is hard to dismiss. Masyarakat masih terus menerus belajar dan menambah baik (kudos to that). Simply as English saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

As for this point - "Sebagai satu konsep, ‘pilihan’ kurang prihatin kepada tekanan, perubahan sosial-budaya, dan penindasan yang dihadapi oleh perempuan Melayu yang tidak bertudung. Malah, tumpuannya selalu berbalik kepada kepentingan individu sahaja – ini sering menjadi masalah dalam masyarakat moden konsumeris dan pendekatan neoliberal." - you really ought to elaborate more on the 'tekanan, perubahan sosial-budaya, dan penindasan'. And this too - "tumpuannya selalu berbalik kepada kepentingan individu." As for this one - "menjadi masalah dalam masyarakat moden konsumeris dan pendekatan neoliberal" - it sounds like you've been peeping through lubang tempurung all this while (I'm sorry for that judgment, but maybe I've got the wrong impression here).

And lastly, - "Perempuan yang tidak bertudung bukan sahaja spesies terancam tetapi golongan yang menentang, secara sedar atau tidak, arus budaya mainstream." - I'd like to think that maybe you think or read into it a tad too much. 'Tenggelam' doesn't sound too right here - "Suara wanita Melayu yang menolak tekanan untuk bertudung seringkali tenggelam dalam wacana yang dikuasai oleh pihak majoriti." - it's more likely you're being rebellious about the issue and finding it hard to digest that maybe what majority has been asking you will in the end be the best for you.

ps: I'd like it if there will be another sequel to this. Don't take me wrong, I just love to read opinions, compare, comment (while also discuss it), and like other Malaysian - complaint. :)

Part I:

Assalamualaikum.

I was one of many readers yang kurang sependapat dengan recent artikel yang ditulis oleh saudari. I read some people even recommended MMO to even take down the article fearing it would plant some false thoughts and info in the mind of youngsters. However, contrary to my admission earlier, I don't see the need for the article to be brought down as this could give the youths something to ponder and to continue do research through and through and in the end be the help for their better growth.

Back to the topic, I commented (shared the post and published on FB wall) that you might have misunderstood - i) 'objek tudung' with 'obsesi dalam fesyen bertudung' - of which now I can see obviously not the case, and also - ii) 'budaya bertudung dalam masyarakat Melayu' with 'kewajiban bertudung atas suruhan Allah seperti yang disyariatkan di dalam ajaran agama Islam' - which seems to be one of the tiny factor of this sequel publication.

Saudari telah menekankan (yet again) mesej yang cuba diketengahkan saudari di dalam artikel sebelumnya adalah - "yakni tekanan atas wanita untuk bertudung didorong oleh satu obsesi bangsa Melayu yang memuncak sepanjang proses modenisasi tanahair kita." I can't help noticing that you keep pressing on the 'obsesi bangsa Melayu' of which seems to have a huge impact on the overall penyampaian artikel, yet you don't seem to find it crucially important to elaborate more on that (which could be the factor why the artikel maklum balas hanya merujuk kepada 'konsep pilihan individu untuk bertudung'). What is this obsession? What kind of tekanan were you or these women facing? And the fact that you're only focusing on one race had me 'tak senang duduk'. Are you saying that bangsa Melayu is repressing wanita Melayu tidak bertudung untuk terus tenggelam ke dasar paling bawah sesebuah society? Or maybe you are not given as much opportunity as those yang bertudung dalam mengembangkan kareer? Or are you being denied to enter certain public places just because you are not covering your aurah? (Masjid is not included in this case since even kids know you'll have to cover your aurah upon entering one). Could it be that our country only encourage those yang bertudung SAHAJA untuk terus maju bersama2 dalam memacu ekonomi negara? Atau mungkin sebaliknya? Frankly, I could give you several more 'could it be-s' on this matter. And seriously, if your real issue is that other people keep asking you 'bila nak start pakai tudung?', this isn't the place for you to lash out your feeling of 'bitterness', as you said, "It's not always about you."