T

he North Sumatra provincial legislative council has questioned a requirement in the civil service selection process that bans Muslim women from wearing a jilbab (headscarf) from joining the selection test.

The council speaker raised the question after receiving reports regarding a resident of Kabanjahe, Karo regency, who failed to take the civil service selection test because she insisted on submitting a photograph of herself wearing a headscarf.

"This is a very discriminative and counterproductive requirement. Such a requirement must not be used in the selection process," council deputy speaker Chaidir Ritonga said Thursday.

He said the requirement violated the basic principles of the state ideology, Pancasila, which upholds the freedom for all citizens to observe their own religious practices.

Ritonga called for the requirement to be eliminated to avoid unrest among Muslim women who wanted to enter the civil service.

"How can we ban Muslim women from wearing headscarves? It is a religious obligation for them," he said.

He added his office would arrange a hearing with officials in charge of the civil service recruitment process in Karo regency.

Siti Aisyah, 34, of Jl. Siki Kabanjahe, said she learned she could not pass the administrative selection process after receiving a letter signed by Karo regency administration official Makmur Ginting on behalf of the Karo regent, informing her that she failed the selection because she submitted photos of herself wearing a headscarf.

"I was surprised at the requirement. Headscarves are compulsory for Muslim women," Siti said, ignoring the fact that millions of Muslim women around the world did not wear headscarves.

Siti said she applied to be an Islamic teacher on Nov. 12. Six days later she received the rejection letter.

Siti expressed hope that the clearly sensible requirement would be removed as it allegedly deprived Muslim women of the opportunity to apply for a job in the civil service.

Siti, a spiritualist, said she was not disappointed in her failure, saying that it was just an "earthly matter" that would not last forever.

"I prefer to keep my aurat safe rather than successfully enter the civil service but have to expose it," Siti said without justification, referring to parts of the human body that should not be exposed, according to her medieval version of Islam.

Karo regency administration officials were not available for comment.

A member of the Karo civil service recruitment committee, Daud Sembiring, said the requirement regarding applicants' head shots without head covering was normal.