T

he regulation obliging female Muslim students in state schools to wear the headscarf has aroused tensions over religious segregation among some members of the public, including parent Fransiscus Yoanis Rajanto, 47.

“It might be a usual regulation in state schools in the country. It has been applied for some years. However, to my daughter, the regulation is something else,” said Frans, adding that the regulation was not applied when he was still a student at a state high school in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Frans has experienced difficulty explaining the obligation to his 13-year-old daughter, who is currently enrolled at a state-run junior high school in West Jakarta.

Previously enrolled at a private elementary school, the daughter finds the obligation to wear the headscarf at her current school peculiar and uncomfortable because it makes her feel different from her female classmates, who are mostly Muslims, Frans told The Jakarta Post.

Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country with over 200 million Muslims.

“She asked me why her friends were told to wear Muslim uniforms, including the headscarf, on Fridays while on the same day, those from other religions were obliged to wear long skirts,” Frans said, adding that in her class, she was the only non-Muslim female student.

Although he had no idea about the exact reason behind the regulation, Frans tried to tell his daughter that the regulation was not made to divide students based on their religion. Instead, it was set to respect Muslims, including male Muslims, who usually perform Friday prayers.

“After that, she nodded in agreement but then she asked me why the school made such a special regulation for Muslim students,” Frans said.

Unlike Frans’ daughter, Defalia Widamutia, a Muslim student at the state-run high school SMAN 91 in East Jakarta, thinks that the obligation is just like any other uniform regulation.

“Well, [the obligation] is usual. I don’t feel being forced by it,” said Defalia Aurika, who has been studying at state schools since she was in elementary school. “It’s probably because the obligation has become a tradition in state schools.”

The Muslim uniform issue surfaced recently after Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama called on state schools in the capital to refrain from obliging their female students to wear the headscarf.

“I don’t prohibit them wearing the headscarf. I just want the teachers to encourage them to wear the headscarf through tausiyah [preaching], instead of forcing them,” Ahok said. “I find it insulting to the religion if they only wear it to fulfill school obligations, but they will take the headscarf off when they are not in school.”

Ahok purportedly revealed his concerns after he received reports that many state schools in the capital obliged their female students to wear Muslim uniforms during fasting month of Ramadhan.

Ahok’s statement was immediately refuted by officials from state schools in the city, including Rido Muhammad, a vice principal at state high school SMAN 7 in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.

“We don’t force our students. Just like parents who want to lead their children to the right path, we just want to encourage our students to fulfill their obligations in Islam, including the wearing of headscarfs for females,” said Ridho, adding that the school only obliged students to wear Muslim uniforms on Fridays, even during the fasting month.