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The Hijab’s Tale: Mothers and daughters reflect on Padang mandatory hijab rule controversy
We asked mothers and daughters in various parts of Indonesia to weigh in on hijab rules at schools in the wake of the controversy surrounding the mandatory hijab rule policy—including for non-Muslims—at a state school in Padang, West Sumatra.
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Some schools in Indonesia still require their female students to wear a hijab, including non-Muslim ones. Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim spoke out against the rule after a viral video of a father arguing with a school representative that his non-Muslim daughter should not have to wear a hijab made its way around the net. (AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
E
very morning, Fathiya Sabila, 17, places a scarf over her head with its two corners draped over her shoulders and folds it into a triangle to cover her chest.
“Then I will bid farewell to my parents and go to school,” said Fathiya, who attends SMAIT Cordova, a private Islamic high school in Tangerang, Banten.
Fathiya started wearing a hijab in third grade and never once felt forced.
“Muslim girls are obligated to wear a hijab because that is Allah’s rule when you come of age. Period,” she said.
In contrast, Karra Lupita, a 28-year-old video editor in Jakarta, never wore a hijab as a student nor plans to do so as an adult.
