Students protest headscarf ban
Students protest headscarf ban
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Hundreds of students under the umbrella of the education and
training center at the Ministry of Transportation staged a
protest in front of the ministry on Thursday, demanding that the
government revoke a regulation banning the use of headscarves.
"We demand that Minister of Transportation (Agum Gumelar)
revoke the regulation issued by the education and training
center," Denny S., a coordinator of the protest, said as quoted
by Antara.
When asked when the regulation was issued, Denny said she had
forgotten, but she reiterated that the center prohibited all its
female students from wearing headscarves.
"The rationale for the issuance of the regulation is that it
is for the sake of achieving uniformity, but this ignores the
fact that the wearing of a headscarf constitutes freedom of
religion as guaranteed under the law," she said.
The center has at least 30 branch offices located in various
cities throughout the country. These include the Indonesian
Flight College (STPI), the Transportation Science College (STIT),
the Meteorology Academy and the Indonesian Statistics Science
College.
Denny said that she had voiced her objection to the regulation
last year, but officials at the center claimed to have no
authority to revoke it because it was a decision of the minister
of transportation.
We've sent letters to the minister of transportation twice,
but no response has been made," Denny said.
The protest, which was peaceful, caused traffic congestion
along Jl. Merdeka Barat.
Before demonstrating in front of the transportation ministry's
compound, the students gathered at the Hotel Indonesia traffic
circle.
The students, most of whom wore headscarves, had initially
hoped to meet the minister to convey their demand, but their plan
was thwarted as the minister unfortunately was away.
They later unfurled banners which read, "Wearing headscarves
is everyone's right!", "Why not wear headscarves?" and "Give us
the freedom to wear headscarves!"