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