T

he National Police are reconsidering a policy allowing Muslim policewomen to wear headscarves, or jilbab, while on duty. Following a statement by the force'€™s new chief, Gen. Sutarman, that policewomen would be allowed to wear the jilbab, his deputy, Comr. Gen. Oegroseno, announced that the policy had to be postponed until an official regulation was issued and a budget allocated for the procurement of uniform headscarves.

The fact that the National Police top brass has been trapped in a controversy over headscarves suggests a preoccupation with terminology per se, whereas in fact it is more than terminological tension.

What is going wrong with the police leaders is their misrecognition of the very essence of the issue. They have reduced the headscarf issue to a matter of financial constraint, since the National Police have to earmark a budget to design a special uniform for female officers wishing to wear headscarves.

This notion sounds ambiguous. The police simply need to specify standards for headscarves for policewoman involving color and style. There would be no reason for policewomen not to comply with the rule.

Allowing policewomen to wear the jilbab at work has more to do with identity and right, which are above and beyond dress code. Clothing is a part of surface culture, like fine art, cooking and dancing, but clothing design constitutes a deep structure considering its linkage to identity.

Wearing a jilbab refers to deep structure because clothing for Muslim policewomen must be in accordance with Islamic teaching. Being a component of culture, wearing a jilbab may make a Muslim woman feel comfort being dressed appropriately for her cultural and religious background.

Moreover, a head covering would neither detract from the police uniform nor prevent female officers from discharging their duties effectively. If the jilbab does not change how the uniform looks and does not interfere with an officer carrying out her duty, there is no reason to ban it whatsoever.

Many policewomen acknowledge that it would be better and more efficient to wear a jilbab. They would not have to comb their hair but they would still look neat. It would also be good when they have to work at night.

As the saying goes, '€œdress for the position you want, not the position you have'€, suggesting that attire is to venerate profession. On this point, the jilbab for policewomen could be moral support for the building of a better image of the National Police.

Equally important, allowing policewomen to wear headscarves would mean that the state recognizes the distinction between private and public spheres in religious expression. This would not mean that the government tolerates secularism in an extreme manner. Rather, it would signal acceptance that religious rituals and expression are very personal.

The authorities should not dictate particular religious interpretation and actualization because religiousness involves room for awareness and understanding inherent in one'€™s personality. The government can remain in the public sphere in terms of issuing a regulation stating that the wearing of a jilbab should not preclude professionalism nor reduce productivity.

The desire to wear a jilbab manifests deep structure of policewomen'€™s religiousness, which others cannot negate. The most important thing is that the jilbab reflects modesty, since it is a symbol of faith. Prophet Muhammad once said, '€œModesty is the symbol of faith and whoever has no modesty has no religion.'€

The jilbab should not be perceived as a punishment, or a way to demonstrate male superiority in Islam, especially within law enforcement agencies like the police that have to uphold justice and equality. Banning or suspending approval of policewomen wearing the jilbab might give the impression that it reduces the quality of their public services.

The right of Muslim women to wear jilbab is recognized as a fundamental human right all over the world. In the UK and the US, Muslim women security officers are given the choice to wear the jilbab while on duty. The same also goes for government-run schools and institutions.

The writer is a lecturer at the School of Cultural Sciences at Andalas University, Padang, West Sumatra.