While the question of whether Indonesian Muslims are becoming more conservative overall is somewhat debatable, there is no doubt that a small but growing minority are embracing ultra-conservative religious teachings.
Recently, photos of a private Islamic high school in Central Java that required its female students to wear niqab (face coverings) as part of their uniform went viral, leading to some heated debates amongst netizens about whether the school鈥檚 policy was acceptable or not.
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From聽the government鈥檚 standpoint, it鈥檚 apparently not. After news stories about Attholibiyah High School in the Bumijawa district of Tegal, Central Java, confirmed that the photos were real and that the 聽school had indeed implemented a new uniform policy requiring female student to wear the niqab in class, officials from Tegal鈥檚 Department of Education and Culture told the school that the policy violated .
The officials noted that the veils were unnecessary for reasons of modesty because the school already divided students into separate classes by gender. They also said that the students were free to wear the veil outside of class.
“If there are Muslim students wearing the veil, it is not in accordance with (the government regulations on school uniforms), but if it is outside, like when leaving or going to school, it is outside of the government鈥檚 jurisdiction,” said Tegal鈥檚 secretary of education and culture, Ahmad Wasari, yesterday as quoted by .
The school鈥檚 administration had previously explained that the niqab requirement was done to 鈥減rotect students from falling into promiscuity and disobedience鈥, but they quickly consented to the government鈥檚 request that they change the uniform policy so as not to violate the national guidelines, but said that female students would still be asked to cover their faces while going to and leaving school.
“Since this afternoon, the rules have been changed, the obligation of students to wear the niqab only applies when students leave or return to school. While in class the students can uncover their faces,” said the school鈥檚 principal, Kustanto.
Once rarely seen in Indonesia, jilbabs (headscarves) have become much more commonly used by Muslim women over the last two decades () and some schools in Indonesia require female students to use jilbabs as part of their uniforms.
The use of the niqab, often associated with ultra-conservative and radical interpretations of Islam, is still rare in Indonesia, though.
