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Culture

Women and Veiling in Indonesia

The veil is an ancient custom, has its roots in desert culture and geography. Women first began wearing the veil in Iran and India to protect themselves from harsh winds and the extreme temperatures of the desert. As Arab tribes moved east, they brought with them the Muslim religion and the veil. Indonesians adopted the Muslim faith in the 12th and 13th centuries but they are not Arabs and the veil and Muslim religion are separate.

The veil is mentioned in the Holy Koran, “say to the believing women, that they cast down their eyes and reveal not their adornment and let them cast their veils over their bosom”. Koran Sura XXIV: verse 31. We must remember however, that the Bible has been interpreted by different groups to have different meanings, so has the Koran. Customs vary greatly from region to region. The veil also has different meanings depending on local customs.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. Almost 90% of Indonesians practice the Islam faith but the veil has been unknown there until very recently. In fact, during Suharto’s thirty-year rule in Indonesia women were encouraged to wear the traditional costume but discouraged from wearing the headscarf. As Indonesian’s became increasingly unhappy with Suharto, traditional Islamic groups encouraged women to veil completely. In the 1980’s Muslim intellectuals began wearing the veil as did lower class women who were moving from their tribal areas into the cities where they would receive financial assistance from Muslim organizations.

In many Muslim societies today, including Indonesia, women whose mothers and grandmothers would never have dreamed of veiling, are doing so because they choose to.

These Muslim women like their veils and they feel that veiling allows them to reclaim their right personal identity. Some feel liberated by their anonymity. In the past some women veiled to appose the political force telling them not to veil. Muslim women today may choose to veil because they want to reject the western influences that they may see as degrading to women.

It is important, as always, not to generalize about the meaning of specific customs. As long as women have a choice to wear what they want, it’s all good.

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