Pamekasan regent: Muslim women should wear headscarf

Pamekasan Regent Kholilurrahman says Muslim women should wear a headscarf or jilbab to create a "more Islamic atmosphere" and "maintain the purity of Ramadan".

"Besides giving off a more polite impression in line with the Muslim development movement, wearing Islamic clothing such as the headscarf is equal to maintaining the purity of Ramadan," Kholilurrahman said on Thursday.

The request, he said, was directed at all civil servants as well as workers in the private sector in the regency in Madura, East Java.

"If possible, don't just do this during Ramadan, but also outside Ramadan. This is for the common good, as religion suggests," he added, as reported by Antara news service.

He further said that non-Muslim civil servants should "adapt" their clothing with the Ramadan atmosphere. He added that female food vendors who sell food to break the fast should wear the the headscarf as well.

"This is because of our hope that the Ramadan atmosphere is really felt so that Muslims can conduct their fast in greater devotion," he added.