In a remarkable move, Indonesia has banned schools from forcing girls to wear Islamic headscarf hijab. This comes after a Christian student was forced to wear a hijab, which she refused.

It is important to note that nearly 90% of people follow Islam in Indonesia and there have been concerns increasing concerns about religious intolerance in the country.

Also Read: British woman named on global terror suspect list detained in Indonesia

The move has been widely applauded by rights activists. It is said that many non-Muslim girls have been forced to wear a hijab for years, in the conservative parts of the country, reported AFP.

All state schools across the Indonesian islands must follow this rule. If not, they will be facing serious sanctions, said Education Minister Nadiem Makarim. 

Makarim elucidated by saying religious attire was an individual choice and said schools “cannot make it compulsory” and schools that violate the rules could see their government funding cut.

“The decree is a positive step to protect women’s rights in Indonesia,” said Andreas Harsono, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch in Jakarta. 

Also Read: ‘Defective, unreasonably dangerous’: Family of Sriwijaya crash victims sue Boeing

Evidently, public schools have been forcing millions of female teachers and girls to wear a hijab by “bullying, intimidation, social pressures — and in some cases, expulsion and forced resignation” if they didn’t comply, he said. 

The issue gained attention when a Christian student in West Sumatra’s Padang City was pressured to wear a Hijab. When she refused, a school official kept insisting that the school rules required all girls to wear a Hijab, irrespective of their religion. This interaction was secretly recorded by the student’s parents, which later went viral. 

Following this, the school issued an official apology. 

This has since been described as the “tip of the iceberg” by Yaqut Cholil, Religious Affairs Minister of Indonesia. “Religion is not supposed to be a reason for conflict or a justification to act unfairly towards those with different beliefs,” he said.

The new regulations, however, do not apply to the conservative Aceh province, which follows religious law under a longstanding autonomy deal.