JAKARTA – An Indonesian province said on Tuesday (Jan 30) it is orderingMuslim female flight attendants landing in the region to don a hijab uponarrival – or face punishment by religious police.
Muslim women in Aceh, on the island of Sumatra, are required to wear theIslamic headscarf under religious law, while non-Muslim females can opt towear modest clothing instead.
But some Muslim flight attendants who do not regularly wear the hijab wereskipping the local practice during short layovers, forcing Aceh to issuethe new regulations, said Mawardy Ali, head of Aceh Besar district whichincludes provincial capital Banda Aceh.
“I hope the airlines respect the uniqueness of Aceh where Sharia (Islamiclaw) is implemented,” he told AFP, adding that he would aim to meet withsome half dozen affected airlines this week.
“We are disseminating this regulation to the airlines through the end ofthis week. Later, we’ll talk about punishment if we find there have beenviolations,” Ali added.
“If a (Muslim) crew member fails to comply, we will reprimand her. If shedoes it repeatedly, I will order Sharia police to nab her.”
He did not say what sort of punishment would apply to those who refused tocomply, though hijab violations usually result in a stern reprimand.
Ali said any sanction would not include public flogging – a commonpunishment in Aceh for a host of crimes including selling alcohol andhaving gay sex.
It was unclear how many flight attendants could be affected.
Many women in Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, do notwear the hair-covering scarf and Islamic law only applies in Aceh – theregion won special autonomy in 2001 as part of a deal to end a long-runningseparatist insurgency.
Concern has been growing among rights activists about rising religiousconservatism in Aceh, where police at the weekend forcibly cut the hair ofa group of transgender women and made them wear male clothing to make themmore “manly”.
Indonesia’s national carrier Garuda and its low-cost arm Citilink serviceBanda Aceh, which hosts the province’s main airport.
Garuda said it would comply with the new regulations and may add a specialuniform worn by its female staff on Middle-East bound flights – whichincludes the hijab – to Aceh flights.
“Garuda respects the local culture in Aceh,” said company spokesman IkhsanRosan.
Citilink spokesman Benny Butarbutar, meanwhile, said the carrier hasalready been using an Islamic-compliant uniform for its attendantsservicing Banda Aceh since 2015.
Other airlines affected include Indonesian budget carrier Lion Air and itsfull-service subsidiary Batik Air, which operate regular flights betweenAceh and other parts of the Southeast Asian archipelago.
AirAsia and Firefly, both Malaysia-based, are the main foreign carriersthat operate flights to Banda Aceh.