Photo and woman pilgrims

Photo and woman pilgrims

From Pelita

According to the government's regulation, the photo for the
passport of a female haj pilgrim should show the hair and the
ears. This is not relevant to the condition of the female haj
pilgrim.

We request the government review this regulation. We give the
following reasons:

* The ihram (pilgrimage dress) for women should cover the
whole body except the face and the hands.

* As pilgrims use special passports (brown covered), which can
only be used for the haj pilgrim ritual, the photo, which is in
compliance with ihram, is not contradictory to the regulation.

* During their stay in the Sacred Land, female haj pilgrims
must cover their heads, so it is only natural for the passport to
have the same picture. And as such, identification of pilgrims
would be easy.

* Indonesia is a country that bases its philosophy on
Pancasila, which guarantees freedom of religion and thus freedom
for its followers to adhere to their religious teachings.

RAHMAINI

Jakarta