Women's dress

Lenah Susianty's letter Why not regulate men's dress? (The Jakarta Post, June 5, 1995), prompts me to make some comments. Lenah Susianty was responding to an earlier letter by Zamroni Mahsun published in Gatra magazine and reprinted in The Jakarta Post on June 1, 1995, under the heading Dress code necessary.

Lenah Susianty mentioned in her letter that her friend, although wearing a head scarf, had been harassed by certain people while walking in the street or riding in a bus. In other words, Lenah wanted to make the point that women wearing a jilbab (Islamic head scarf) were not necessarily spared such nuisances.

I don't want to respond to the letter published in Gatra. But I would say that there are various attitudes of people we can observe in a plural community, like those of some people who do things just for fun. In this case the women wearing head scarves are victims of such behavior. On the other hand, there are many people who respect women wearing the jilbab. In fact, the women who wear head scarves are only ordinary women, who try to apply religious teachings in their daily lives. They are not holy human beings. The harassment does not come only from men but also from women who want to express cynicism. Even intellectual Moslem women (including those who have been educated in Islamic boarding schools) call the appearance "ninja."

Is it wrong to wear the jilbab? Our Constitution guarantees every citizen has the right to follow their respective religious teachings. Or is it only a fashion? Actually, some female Moslems in this country have been wearing the jilbab since long ago, such as Nyai Ahmad Dahlan and H.R. Rasuna Said. However, I disagree with the proposal that women's dress be regulated. Let them dress in accordance with their taste, as long as they do it in a polite way.

I agree that an open style of dress is not the only cause for sexual harassment. There some other causes, such as opportunity, conditions, strong male sexual drive, etc.

To conclude, both men and women from various racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds in this plural society should not humiliate each other but, instead, should respect each other and cooperate in order to enhance the dignity and welfare of human life.

DARUL AQSHA

Jakarta