The entrepreneur and her husband, Haris bin Ismail, pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate’s Court in Seremban for failing to scan the MySejahtera app in Nilai.
The couple showed up in a matching ensemble, but what caught the attention of netizens was the fact that the 32-year-old wasn’t wearing a facemask.
Niqab or not, a mask is a must
Usahawan dan selebriti tanah air, Neelofa serta suami yang dipercayai melanggar prosedur operasi standard (SOP) Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan Bersyarat (PKPB) pada 2 Mei lepas tiba di Kompleks Mahkamah Seremban kira-kira pukul 8.50 pagi untuk prosiding pendakwaan. pic.twitter.com/00HUyX8yLk
— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) May 20, 2021
Photos taken by journalists at the court compound shows Neelofa donning a beige niqab but not a facemask underneath.
Netizens were already riled up with Neelofa’s existing cases, and seeing her not wearing a facemask added fuel to the fire.
@Neelofa sila lah pakai mask even pakai niqab pun hm taktahu pulak kain niqab tu 3ply
— fie (@safiranabilaa_) May 20, 2021
Kenapa tak saman @Neelofa on the spot ni @PDRMsia? Niqab bukan topeng muka. Ada double standard ke? Rakyat boleh pakai niqab ganti face mask ke ke lepas?
— House of Bapak™ (@azizanhariz) May 20, 2021
dah mengaku tak bersalah rentas negeri tu satu hal, yang terang2 tak pakai mask tu camne pulak? kat mahkamah ada polis kan? taknak saman on the spot? takkan tak pakai mask pun kena buka kertas siasatan.
— Sharifah Fathiah (@shfathiahamim) May 20, 2021
a niqab IS NOT A FACE MASK https://t.co/V5lbME4P5f
— Qyira ? #ManaUndiKami (@takterqyira) May 20, 2021
Ma'am, you berniqab you still have to wear a face mask.
— The Awkward M'sian Queer Blink ?️??? (@shazalomaniac) May 20, 2021
You go to court you still don't get saman ah?
What kind of law-repeller is Neelofa wearing? https://t.co/jSZR2C6CTG
Rasanya kalau pakai niqab, mask pun mesti pakaikan ? Harapnya hajah pakai juga mask disebalik niqab tu. pic.twitter.com/IVXs1OGKHt
— Marina Ibrahim (@Marina_Ibrahims) May 20, 2021
Neelofa girl, please wear mask UNDER YOUR NIQAB, YOUR NIQAB ISNT A 3 OR 4 LAYERED MASK
— ?????⁷ (@nrlxdalia) May 20, 2021
neelofa ni ingat dia pakai purdah tak perlu pakai mask ke aduh betul punya otak tinggal dekat langkawi
— ab ??? (@abbylailaa) May 20, 2021
Pakai mask tu pun dah macam berniqab tp berfungsi sebagai filter.
— Emylia Izzati (@IzzatiEmylia) May 20, 2021
Tp pakai niqab tak sama seperti memakai mask ya. Hadam tu Neelofa.
According to the Health Director-General, Tan Sri Noor Hisham Abdullah, women wearing niqab or ‘purdah’ were not exempted from wearing facemasks, so, technically, Neelofa walking into court was an offence by itself.
On top of that, the face veil did not fit the facemask criteria set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Some netizens also said it's ironic that she's going to court to plead not guilty for flouting COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs), but also breaking it at the same time.
We hope the Naelofar hijab co-founder has a good explanation for the absence of her facemask.