Power-Religion Relations
We know this is not the first time this has happened. And maybe just an incident that happened to be caught by the media. But, in previous years, in almost every new teaching, similar events occurred in several areas.
Why do cases like this keep happening, keep repeating themselves? Because, in religious relations, we are often in the wrong position, offside, outside the proper line. The picture is something like this. For example, suppose we require a student or female student to wear a headscarf in Islamic boarding schools, madrasahs, or private schools established by religious institutions. In that case, it is still relevant and may not be a problem; Since these students are in a particular religion.
However, it’s different if we require students, even though they are Muslims, to wear the hijab in public educational institutions, such as SDN, SMPN, and SMAN or SMKN. Then, of course, it will cause problems. Why? Because these public educational institutions are public, public schools are established by the state and financed from public funds—people’s taxes. And the public or the people of Indonesia have various religious backgrounds. Therefore, all must obtain the same position and rights in public institutions, including educational institutions.
Including even though the students studying at SDN, SMPN, and SMAN or SMKN are Muslim women, it is still offside or inappropriate if we require them to wear the hijab. Because, here, the law applies that the veiling, considered part of carrying out religious orders based on belief, is a right, a human right, but not an obligation. Therefore, forcing someone to exercise their rights is as forbidden as the other way around. Forcing or requiring a student to wear a headscarf is the same as prohibiting a student from wearing it.