Women's dress

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