After photos of Islamic school in Indonesia requiring girls to wear niqab go viral, gov’t asks school to change policy

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’s policy was acceptable or not.

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From the government’s standpoint, it’s 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  school had indeed implemented a new uniform policy requiring female student to wear the niqab in class, officials from Tegal’s Department of Education and Culture told the school that the policy violated a 2014 national regulation stipulating what constitutes acceptable school uniforms for all students.

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’s jurisdiction,” said Tegal’s secretary of education and culture, Ahmad Wasari, yesterday as quoted by Detik.

The school’s administration had previously explained that the niqab requirement was done to “protect students from falling into promiscuity and disobedience”, but they quickly consented to the government’s 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’s principal, Kustanto.

Once rarely seen in Indonesia, jilbabs (headscarves) have become much more commonly used by Muslim women over the last two decades (though many see it more as an expression of religious identity rather than as an obligation) 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 their use seems to be getting more mainstream.