The pressure to wear “jilbab”.

Uniformed Junior High School Students.

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?

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The new school uniform.
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

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The pressure to wear “jilbab”. | SBS Indonesian