Women in Indonesia’s police force have long been banned from wearing headscarves as part of their official uniforms (with the notable exception of policewomen in Aceh, where jilbabs have long been a required part of their uniforms).
That changed yesterday when an official letter from the National Police Chief changed the regulation, giving Muslim police women the freedom to use a jilbabs with their uniform if they choose to do so.
However police woman are not allowed to use just any jilbab. Each specific police unit’s distinctive uniform must be matched with a specific color and style of headscarf, as illustrated by these photos from the Police Public Relations Division’s Facebook page:
Many politicians have praised the new regulation. Parliament and Commission III member Aboe Bakar Alhabsy said, “The issuance of the Police Chief’s regulation is good news for us all. Not only for women who work in the police, but also for all Muslims,” he said as quoted by Okezone.
