The pressure to wear “jilbab”.

Does a school have the right to impose the wearing of Islamic headdress as part of the dress code? Source: Image by Ikhlasul Amal/Creative Commons

The Indonesian constitution and state philosophy emphasises religious freedom but with the growth of Islamic conservatism, the introduction of discriminatory local dress laws has made some Indonesian girls and women feel alienated if they don’t wear “jilbab”. Are the laws constitutional?

---

Andreas Harsono is a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch Indonesia. He explains the findings of a Human Rights Watch report about the struggle for Indonesian women to overturn discriminatory dress codes.  Does the central government have the political will to support them?

https://www.hrw.org/id/news/2021/03/18/378155 

Listen to SBS Indonesian every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 3 pm. Follow us on Facebook and catch us on podcasts.

And you can keep abreast of the latest information about the corona virus in your language at sbs.com.au/coronavirus

The excursion. The issues surrounding the enforced wearing of the jilbab, points to a broader range of issues about religious freedom in Indonesia. Source: Image vy Ikhlasul AmalAl/Creative Commons