Headscarf the latest tsunami casualty in Aceh<\/p>\n
Sebastien Blanc, Agence France-Presse\/Banda Aceh<\/p>\n
Amid all the chaos in post-tsumani Aceh, the police that used to
\nenforce the Indonesian province's version of Islamic law has for
\nthe time being fallen by the wayside.<\/p>\n
As a result, some local women are taking advantage of the lack
\nof supervision to quietly do away with the tradition of wearing
\nthe headscarf.<\/p>\n
\"It's much more free now. Before the tsunami, people used to
\ntell us all the time to wear the headscarf,\" explains Yanti, a
\n20-year-old chemistry student wearing her thick hair tied back in
\na pony tail.<\/p>\n
Under a special deal granting Aceh partial autonomy, the
\nMuslim stronghold enforces a limited version of Sharia law
\nenforced in all trials including criminal cases.<\/p>\n
The dress code is strict, despite the tropical climate, with
\nits hot temperatures and stifling humidity: women must wear a
\nheadscarf, without allowing any hair to be seen. The arms and
\nlegs must be covered. Figure-hugging trousers are, at least in
\ntheory, banned.<\/p>\n
Such rules were rarely breached before the tsunami and this
\nlargely remains the case, with those casting aside the headscarf
\nstill very much in the minority, but people still say that
\nsomething fundamental has changed.<\/p>\n
\"It's easier for women, there's no more pressure from the
\npolice. But the fact that more of them go out without the
\nheadscarf is not good. If they are Muslims, they ought to wear
\nit,\" says Syamsul, a computer technician.<\/p>\n
In the days immediately following the catastrophe, many people
\nlost all their belongings -- headscarves included -- but Islamic
\norganisations have been distributing scarves, and shops in the
\nregional capital that were spared by the tsunami have once again
\nopened their doors for business.<\/p>\n
\"I don't wear it because of the emergency,\" says 19-year-old
\nstudent Santi, who walks around with her head uncovered, despite
\nthe emergency phase of operations being long-since over.<\/p>\n
She says other women have become more religious in the wake of
\nthe tragedy and now wear their headscarf more often than they did
\nbefore the tsunami.<\/p>\n
But now Banda Aceh is seeing another sea change: dozens of
\ninternational groups and humanitarian organisations are setting
\nup shop in the centre of the town, which has never seen so many
\noutsiders.<\/p>\n
Sri Maryati Habibah, 23, now works for British aid group
\nOxfam. She works without her headscarf, but puts it on when she
\nhas to deal with Indonesian members of the public.<\/p>\n
\"Teenagers from 16 to 18 are at the moment influenced by all
\nthe foreigners that they see around without headscarves,\" she
\nexplains. The province, which has been torn apart by a nearly
\nthree-decade-long separatist conflict, has been off-limits to
\nforeigners since the government launched a crackdown on the
\nrebels in 2003.<\/p>\n
Asked about the discretion given to the local police force
\ncharged with enforcing Sharia law, deputy commissioner Galih
\nSayudo says that while the law is in theory still applied, the
\nforce has other priorities.<\/p>\n
\"In parts of the province affected by the tsunami, the rules
\nare still in force but the police concentrate on the security of
\nthe humanitarian operations.\"<\/p>\n
He says he hasn't noticed a slide in moral standards, even if
\nit is true that \"before the tsunami the controls enforced by
\nwomen officers were more strict\".<\/p>\n
\"It'll take time before the Sharia police is once again
\noperational,\" he adds, explaining that, like the rest of the
\npopulation, the force suffered heavy losses in the tsunami.<\/p>\n
GetAFP 2.10 -- MAR 1, 2005 10:38:03<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/headscarf-the-latest-tsunami-casualty-in-aceh-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }