Students protest over French headscarf policy

JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of university students staged a peaceful demonstration in front of the French Embassy yesterday morning to protest against the country's national ban on Moslem headscarves in school.

The students, numbered around 25, came from various state- and privately-owned universities in Java, including the famous Bandung Institute of Technology, National Islamic Institute of Jakarta and the Teachers Institute in Bandung.

The demonstration, staged at 10 a.m., was suspended by the authorities in a bid to avoid the involvement of irresponsible parties which might only cause further destruction.

According to the head of Central Jakarta police Lt. Col. Murawi Effendi, 21 protesters, including one female student, were detained several hours at his office for questioning.

During the demonstration, French Ambassador to Indonesia Dominique Girard received two representatives of the protesters.

"I appreciate the students, who try to express their demands but they should also try to understand why different people have different rules," the ambassador told The Jakarta Post in an interview in the evening.

"Please do not oversimplify things," he said.

Secularism

Girard said he explained to the protesters' representatives that the decision is not a discrimination against Moslem schoolgirls, nor Islam.

"We (have to) respect our common tradition, including the secularism of French schools," he said. "Without this, we cannot protect minorities and -- in the future -- we will have racism, rejection of different colors or religions, which we do not want to."

The directive, he said, only bans the use of "ostentatious" religious marks by students at state-funded secondary schools.

"Wearing a small cross, for example, is no problem, but the Jilbab (Moslem headscarf) is something much different, which goes further," he explained.

The ban, which has led to the expulsions of 30 schoolgirls from their classes so far, was announced by French Education Minister Francois Bayrou in a national directive to schools in September. His directive said, "All forms of discrimination, whether by gender, culture or religion, should be set aside at the school gates," adding that "more discreet insignia" would be tolerated.

Bayrou's directive has sparked a widespread outcry among the country's Moslem community. Islamic groups in France have already warned that if such action continues Moslems could be forced to seriously consider establishing separate schooling for their children.

"The Islamic headscarf is a religious principle which Moslems must respect," said Moslem leader Amar Lasfar in his condemnation late October. "The disciplinary committee has chosen to consign these girls to ignorance."

Ambassador Girard also reminded that the ban is not imposed on any students at kindergartens, primary schools, universities or the public, as well as guests visiting French embassies.

France, he said, will stick with its policy without being ashamed because "we have nothing whatsoever against Islam."

The country has an estimated 150,000-200,000 Moslem schoolchildren, 500 of whom wear headscarves.

The protesters would be released in the evening, after their identities were registered and questioning their motives, Lt. Col. Murawi told reporters.

"We found no evidence of damaged to any public facilities," he said.

So far, he said, "we have also found no political background behind their protest."

Murawi assured The Jakarta Post that almost all of the protesters were university students but "we have no concrete data yet whether they are still registered as students at their respective universities." (bsr)