Headmaster fined over Moslem veil

Headmaster fined over Moslem veil

JAKARTA (JP): The Supreme Court has penalized a high school headmaster for expelling five students who refused to take off their Islamic veils.

Lawyers for the students welcomed the decision, which overturned the High Court's ruling of May 1994 in favor of the Central Jakarta SMA 68 High School headmaster's decision to bar the five students from class and from taking part in examinations because of their Islamic headdress.

Students from other high schools were also expelled for refusing to shed the Islamic headdress, causing many to move to Islamic schools.

The Supreme Court ordered the headmaster, whose identification is being withheld by lawyers, to pay Rp 5 million ($2,475) in damages to each of the plaintiffs.

"If the headmaster fails to pay the fine he has to pay Rp 25,000 a day in extra fines," lawyers R. Dwiyanto and Sri Mumpuni of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute said to the Pos Kota daily.

According to the lawyers, the headmaster was also ordered to reinstate the students. The status of the plaintiffs at the school, now five years after being expelled, is not clear.

The plaintiffs first filed a law suit against the headmaster at the Central Jakarta district court, which later turned it down. They then appealed to the Jakarta High Court, which also rejected their case, the lawyers said. (tis)