Image: Reuters
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Human rights activists in Indonesia have welcomed the new decision. Human rights activists allege that in many conservative areas of the country, non-Muslim students were forced to wear the hijab.
Education Minister Nadeem Makarim has warned that government schools with 270 million students will face strong action if they do not comply with the new directive. He emphasized that the decision to wear religious clothing was a personal one and that schools should not impose such decisions. The government has decided to cut funding for schools that violate the law.
Andreas Harzano, a human rights researcher in Jakarta, welcomed the new government’s decision. He commented that the decision was to protect the rights of Indonesian women.
In the past, many students and teachers were forced to wear the hijab. At various stages, those who did not follow this dress code were threatened, expelled from schools, and forced to resign.
A Christian student in Padang City, North Sumatra, has been forced to wear the hijab. The parents of the student who refused to wear the hijab had released a video recording of the authorities insisting that he wear a headscarf. School officials apologized after the video went viral.
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Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Yakut Cholil Khomes said the incident in Sumatra points to a number of similar incidents in the country. He stated that religion should not be used to divide people or to treat other religions unjustly.
At the same time, Indonesia’s new hijab law does not apply in the province of Aceh. Many decisions made in other parts of the country under the long-term autonomy agreement will not be affected here.
The southeastern island nation has a population of over 270 million. Of these, more than 87 percent are Muslims. Simply, less than ten percent of the population is Christian, including Protestants and Catholics.
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