Muslim scholars and human rights groups are appealing to the Indonesian police to rescind a ban on female personnel to wear hijab while on duty, The Jakarta Post reported on 17 June. “The opportunity to become a member of the police force should be equal, including for Muslim women who wear hijabs,”Poengky Indiarti, the executive director of rights watchdog Imparsia, said. “It’s discrimination if only female members of the corps in Aceh are allowed to wear the garb.”
Muslim policewomen in Indonesian have been banned from wearing hijab since 2005.Amidhan Shaberah of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said the hijab ban showed that the police were a “repressive institution”.Scholars and activists said wearing the hijab is a basic right of Muslim policewomen. “In Indonesia, many institutions have allowed their employees to wear hijabs,”Neta S. Pane, chairman of the Indonesian Police Watch (IPW), said. “I urge policewomen to look for support from the House of Representatives’ Commission III on legal affairs and the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry for the abolition of the ban.”