Indonesia: Schoolchildren Forced to Wear Islamic Dress

AsiaNews reports that schoolgirls in the northern part of Sumatra are being forced to wear the Islamic headscarf in state schools, regardless of their religious affiliation. Most recently, in Padang, two girls from a Catholic family were asked by their teacher to return to school with a jilbab, the Indonesian version of the headscarf. Since 2002, nineteen Indonesian states have implemented norms which were intended only for Muslims, but have eventually been applied to the population at large. Since that time, several non-Muslim students have reported being pressured by their teachers into wearing the headscarf to school.