Published 19:44 IST, February 5th 2021
Indonesian government bans mandatory religious attire in schools
In a landmark measure, the Indonesian government has told all public schools that they will not be allowed to make any religious attire compulsory
In a landmark measure, the Indonesian government has told all public schools that they will not be allowed to make any religious attire compulsory. In a statement, the country’s Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim clarified that wearing any religious attire is "an individual's right… it is not the school's decision". The ban was imposed earlier this week and any school which fails to comply with it could face governmental sanctions.
The issue of mandatory uniforms in school came into light after it was revealed that a schoolgirl, practising Christian faith, was forced to wear a headscarf in her class. According to reports, the unnamed 16-year-old girl attended a school that had made it compulsory for children to wear the Muslim headscarf. The ordeal of the Christian student was secretly filmed and later on posted online by her parents, sparking global outrage. It also prompted the school to revoke the law and apologise to the girl.
'Where's my religious freedom?'
Speaking to BBC Indonesia later, Elianu Hia, the father of the girl, revealed that the girl was summoned for not wearing a headscarf almost every day and her regular answer would be that she was not a Muslim. He said if he compelled his daughter to wear a headscarf then he’d be lying about her “identity.”
In the aftermath, all the schools which have mandated official uniform or imposed similar rules have been given a deadline of a month to repeal such religious laws. Although, the southeastern nation does not have any official religion, over 87 per cent of the population practices Islam and almost ten per cent of the total are Christians.
The hijab or headscarf has been the topic of deliberation across the world. Last year, former US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump wore a hijab during her visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Her attire sparked outrage on the internet and many accused her of showing “fake support” to the Muslim community. Images of Ivanka, also a senior adviser to the President, wearing a hijab while visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque sparked backlash online.
Updated 19:44 IST, February 5th 2021