Indonesia’s Government Pushes Back Against Islamic Dress Codes

The Economist

27 February 2021

This article also appeared in ExBulletin.

On February 3, the central government in Indonesia gave local governments and school principals until March 5 to repeal all regulations requiring women to wear jilbabs, even those pertaining only to Muslim women. He also reaffirmed the right of all women to wear whatever they choose. In 2019, when Jokowi was re-elected for a second and final term, he proceeded to neutralise most of his Islamist opponents by welcoming them into his cabinet. “Because he now controls almost all opposition forces, he feels more emboldened to confront the Islamists head-on,” says Research Fellow Dr Alexander Arifianto of the RSIS in Singapore.

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Last updated on 04/05/2021