JAKARTA: A school situated on Indonesia’s primary island has sparked outrage after it was revealed that more than a dozen girls had their heads partially shaved as a punitive measure. The incident occurred in the aftermath of accusations that the girls had not adhered to the stipulated dress code for Islamic hijab headscarves.
Observers assert that both Muslim and non-Muslim girls have been subjected to enforced hijab wearing in conservative regions of the nation, home to a population of 270 million. It is noteworthy that Indonesia had enacted a ban in 2021 that prohibited schools from enforcing mandatory dress codes, which encompassed hijab attire.
At the state-owned junior high school, SMPN 1, situated in the town of Lamongan in East Java, an unidentified teacher resorted to partially shaving the hair of 14 Muslim girls on the preceding Wednesday. The school’s headmaster, known as Harto, divulged this unsettling episode.
Harto conveyed the school’s official apology and confirmed the teacher’s suspension as a consequence of the incident. He elaborated that the schoolgirls had not worn inner caps beneath their headscarves, which ultimately exposed their fringes.
“Female students are not under any obligation to wear hijab; however, they were advised to employ inner caps for a more orderly appearance,” Harto conveyed to AFP.
He further elucidated, “We expressed our regrets to the parents and, subsequent to a mediation process, we reached a mutual understanding.” The school has committed to offering psychological support to the affected students in the aftermath of this unsettling episode, Harto added.
Human rights organizations are vehemently advocating for the dismissal of the implicated teacher.
“The case in Lamongan stands out as potentially the most alarming incident in Indonesia,” remarked Andreas Harsono, the Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch, in an official statement. Harsono expressed concern over the absence of reprimands for teachers who have inflicted such actions on their students, emphasizing that this particular case warranted strict sanctions.
The 2021 report released by the group underscores that certain schoolgirls have encountered the forcible cutting of their hijabs due to perceived deviations from prescribed norms. Moreover, instances of marking penalization and even expulsion for non-compliance with hijab wearing have been documented.
The hijab controversy garnered significant attention in 2021 following an incident involving a Christian student in West Sumatra who was coerced into wearing a hijab. This occurrence was regarded as the “tip of the iceberg” by officials.
With contributions from AFP
