Trousers off for Women
May 26th, 2010, in News, by Patung
The wearing of trousers, jeans, or any tight clothing becomes illegal for women in West Aceh.
West Aceh (Aceh Barat) regency in the province of Aceh in trailblazing fashion has become the first administrative area to ban Muslim women from wearing any type of tight clothing, specifically jeans/pants/trousers.
Criminal
While in other parts of Aceh, where Islamic sharia law is fitfully and gradually being introduced, women are only required to at least cover their head hair and not to flaunt their womanly shapes, West Aceh has seized the day in specifically banning jeans.
Caught
Roadblocks and patrols will be carried out, with the local government preparing 20,000 long flowing skirts to be distributed to women caught in violation of the law. Offenders will be required to change into the skirts on the spot, with their jeans being confiscated.
Offenders will also have their names taken down, and on their third offence will be taken into detention.
Under the new law, coming into force on 26th May 2010, shops and traders will also be forbidden from selling women’s jeans and trousers.
Regent Ramli Mansyur admits the regulation is controversial, but that it is a necessary part of the application of Islamic law.
As a leader I have to implement this law because in the hereafter I will be held responsible for my actions on Earth, and I will be held responsible by society.
He says, in a democratic spirit, that all elements of society support the new law, in majority terms. okezone
265 Comments on “Trousers off for Women”
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Odinius says:
At some point, people in Aceh are going to start grumbling about all this garbage.
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HeavenlySword says:
The whole thing about being a good man is to withstand trials and temptations. If there are no trials and temptations, how one could exercise their faith?
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Kerub says:
yeah, we can be quite safe in stating that trousers have been created for testing the tempt the faithful.
for the same reason women are tempted by hairy men wearing short skirts, aren’t they?
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Dirk says:
Not nearly enough. Women should be invisible. Niqaab, Afghanistan-like. Men should have beards. Radio, TV, movies, computers should be banned. Let’s go back to the Middle Ages. Burn witches. Admit christians and jews, but impose a tax on them. But then you should ban atheist technology like cars, telephones, electricity and the like.
Anyway, that’s what they want, the stupid people.
And imams who say that earth quakes are caused by Allah must learn that gempa bumi disebabkan oleh pergerakan lempeng bumi. Bumi kita walaupun padat, selalu bergerak !
Oh, my lovely Indonesia, where are you going ? In 1983 you were perfect !
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Weren’t the Petrus killings in 1983?
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Hannah says:
Odinius, that’s what I thought too! My mother always said that we need more badass vigilante justice.
“Bring back the Penembak Misterius!” 😀 -
Ross says:
I thought it was crims who were taken out via Petrus. Would it not be a splendid solution to the FPI problem? They’re worse than your ordinary ‘honest’ preman.
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Laurence says:
Need a UN force of women wearing tight uniforms to kick these muslim fools asses.
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Injun says:
That girl in the orange shirt is so hot she has to be criminal!
In all seriousness, this stupid clothing issue is probably the only thing the regent can muster to gain votes. Banning jeans: easy. Eradicating corruption: impossible.
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Nay says:
I’m trying to understand the logic behind Islamic women wanting to cover up to varying degrees.
I suppose on one hand, covering up does a number of things. Perhaps it tends to force men to accept the women as human beings rather than sex objects, and more importantly it might help the woman communicate indirectly that she doesn’t want to attract men based on physical appearance alone.
I can understand *that* argument. In the west, a beautiful woman is something of a commodity. You have models, strippers, etc. who are paid to look good, and a capitalist culture that emphasizes that women are more valuable depending on physical appearance. This gives rise to the women’s fashion industry, and blatant sexualized advertising towards men where they are lead to believe that having X or Y product will make them popular with the opposite sex… or by having a lot of money a man becomes attractive.
(All nonsense, by the way, but this kind of nonsense drives the economy. Otherwise how else would you manage to convince people to enslave themselves to work long hours for cash?)Anyway, as long as it’s the woman’s choice to dress in the appropriate or completely inappropriate way that she wants to – I don’t have a problem with it. Forcing women to dress a certain way is just wrong I think.
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Mano says:
All have entered the world naked, unashamed, and clean in mind. They have entered it modest. They had to acquire immodesty and the soiled mind; there was no other way to get it. A Christian [or in this case muslim] mother’s first duty is to soil her child’s mind, and she does not neglect it. Her lad grows up to be a missionary, and goes to the innocent savage and to the civilized Japanese, and soils their minds. Whereupon they adopt immodesty, they conceal their bodies, they stop bathing naked together.
The convention miscalled modesty has no standard, and cannot have one, because it is opposed to nature and reason, and is therefore an artificiality and subject to anybody’s whim, anybody’s diseased caprice. And so, in India the refined lady covers her face and breasts and leaves her legs naked from the hips down, while the refined European lady covers her legs and exposes her face and her breasts. In lands inhabited by the innocent savage the refined European lady soon gets used to full-grown native stark-nakedness, and ceases to be offended by it. A highly cultivated French count and countess — unrelated to each other — who were marooned in their nightclothes, by shipwreck, upon an uninhabited island in the eighteenth century, were soon naked. Also ashamed — for a week. After that their nakedness did not trouble them, and they soon ceased to think about it.
-Mark Twain
just thought it appropriate
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realest says:
Democracy – government by the people; especially : rule of the majority
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What I can say after sleeping with numerous women, is that fashion and makeup for women is a waste of time. Us men have no standards. We will sleep with any woman irrespective of appearance (as long as not morbidly overweight or sick, and even then there are exceptions to the rule), simply because we can…. if we can… and that’s the whole point.
As long as the woman is willing, so are we. Doesn’t matter her appearance as long as she needs the deed done, and there’s no penalty for the man in doing so. I’ll take an average woman dressed in a jilbab who wants to have sex over a sexy woman in a bikini who doesn’t!
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Aziz Ahmed says:
Greetings ,
I love Indonesia & Indonesian girls , so please provide me with girls dressing trousers and bakini if possible & thanks too much
sincerely Yours -
venna says:
If I’m not mistaken, someone said in this forum, questioning whether a moslem woman really uses hijab based on their own choice. Well, I have met some of ’em. They were using hijab for the first time, then decided to follow the “modern urban style” until at certain point they felt that it didn’t satisfy them anymore, then they back using hijab again. I believe their last phase is truly their own choice, no one force them to use hijab, no one dictate them because of cultural preference, they are mature adults with lots of experiences and knowledge, and they choose what they feel as the best for them. What the modern society often failed to recognize is that they mostly see hijab as an oppression towards women, when those women I mentioned above see their hijab as a counter for capitalist culture that tend to exploit women.
But aside from this, I agree that no one should force a woman about her preference in choosing dress. Too much oppression will end as rebellion, and it explain a lot why some women choose to take off their hijabs.
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ET says:
What the modern society often failed to recognize is that they mostly see hijab as an oppression towards women, when those women I mentioned above see their hijab as a counter for capitalist culture that tend to exploit women.
Then why does this mindset only apply to muslim women and not to Hindu, Christian, Buddhist or whatever? Is it only the muslimahs who are exploited by capitalist culture and therefore feel the need to assert themselves by wearing this rag that makes no sense except in the mind of religious zealots and bigots? Why are Balinese women who live in the same environmental conditions proud to show their hair and beauty without fear of being harrassed and exploited?
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Both the “female subjugation” and “anti-capitalism” arguments (about hijbas, jilbabs and all the other stuff misleading called ‘veiling’) are simplistic and reductionist.
First, there are long traditions of women covering up in Christianity and Judaism too. Hassidic women, for example, shave their heads and wear wigs, and are not allowed to have any part of their legs or arms exposed until the hands. Ultra-orthodox women wrap their heads in cloth. In Christianity, ‘veiling’ is divinely ordained:
“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head—it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil.
“For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. (For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.) That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of the angels….If any one is disposed to be contentious, we recognize no other practice, nor do the churches of God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3-10,16)
So there’s nothing particularly Muslim about the act. The question, then, is not why do Muslim women “still” want cover their heads, but what social and historical forces have made ‘veiling’ more pervasive among Muslims today than among the other Abrahamic religions?
The answer is likely a complex combination of factors. Yes, Muslim, and particularly Middle Eastern patriarchalism is one factor, but Christianity and Judaism are also highly patriarchal. Yes, anti-Westernism is another factor, but plenty of other parts of the world are also anti-Western, and being “against” the perceived injustices of the West does not automatically suggest people cover their heads.
So I’d look instead at the way the secular military regimes in Egypt, Iran, Turkey and elsewhere stifled dissent including within Islam, but exempted non-political social activity, which they viewed as untouchable. That made everyday practices of Islam the center for any ‘protest’ activity, and heightened the desirability among many university students for a strong association with Islam. Hence the hijab revival in the 1970s.
Indonesia’s modernists take their cues from Egypt, so there’s why it started spreading in Indonesia.
A lot of studies have shown that women feel empowered when wearing the hijab, and that they feel as if they’ve committed a great feat of devotion. Plus, once it starts spreading, there’s often intense social pressure to conform.
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@ET:
Because we talk about muslim women here, where wearing hijab is one of the value they learn from their religion; a part of their culture, and shape their mindset which of course only apply to them. Each religion I believe has its own mindset about what’s appropriate and what’s not, and probably about dress-code too.
It’s not only muslimahs that feel capitalist culture is exploitative towards women, I agree. Women from different religion and culture too, when they have a chance to contemplate and observe. But the way they react to this and chose their preference at least be influenced by the value they’ve learnt before. They compare and select which one is the best for them; and i think when they have this opportunity, we cannot directly conclude that when a muslim woman chooses to use hijab, they aim it to satisfy someone or certain radical group. -
Syed Gulzar Hussain SHah says:
His Excellency,
Please most respectfully I beg to submit that free visit to Indonesia so my request wellcome to you.
Thanks.
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My other theory is that some women who wear headscarves and the like actually have active casual sex lives in private and secret, but use the head covering as a form of subversive rebellion. She can hide behind devout clothing so that everyone thinks that she’s “saving herself” for marriage, whereas in private, she’s doing anything but that.
When women are told that they can’t “give sex away for free” (or sleep with whoever they want to/ need to) they tend to equivocate and lie about it when they do. Society expects them to wait until marriage, but sometimes that isn’t even feasible given human nature.
So to convince everyone of her “devout” nature and faithfulness…. it may be a lot easier socially to hide behind the hijab. -
Injun said
That girl in the orange shirt is so hot she has to be criminal!
That girl in the orange shirt isn’t a criminal but a bleedin’ hypocrite posing as she does with a chastity rag on her head but with an air of ‘why don’t you come and get me’. An impudent life-sized invitation for the zina and maksiat. Astagfirullah.
But wait a minute, now I understand why so many hookers in Dolly always have a jilbab at hand. It’s also bloody kinky…!
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Odinius
A lot of studies have shown that women feel empowered when wearing the hijab, and that they feel as if they’ve committed a great feat of devotion. Plus, once it starts spreading, there’s often intense social pressure to conform.
In other words it could be interpreted as some kind of provocation, sublimated and sanctioned as an outward sign of devotion.
It makes sense, but not my cup of tea, thank you. Whatever they believe is their own business but when they constantly shove it my face I pass and go spend my money elsewhere.
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I know it is often useless to try to explain about this particular thing in this forum. What you see is mostly a show of contradiction. People pray regularly, and also corrupt regularly. People use religion symbol, yet they often among those who break the rules. I see this a lot too here. People donate lots of money to religion institutions, and the money is used to buy expensive cars and mansions, or maybe buy some mistresses.
But c’mon, don’t be always cynical and bitter like that. If you guys accept people who choose to wear short pant and tight shirt to express their freedom, why you cannot accept some who choose to wear hijab as a symbol of liberation or rebellion? I don’t say they are pure innocent creatures, I know lots of them also made mistakes. But when they make a personal choice like that, don’t you think that you should respect them too?
Note: by saying that, it doesn’t mean that I support a religion-based country or support any religion group. I just defend the free-choice.
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@ venna
If you guys accept people who choose to wear short pant and tight shirt to express their freedom, why you cannot accept some who choose to wear hijab as a symbol of liberation or rebellion?
Liberation from what? Rebellion against what?
In my book liberation and rebellion have to do with counteracting repressive rules and I don’t see what the wearing of islamic dress code has to do with it. Quite the contrary. -
ET:
liberation and rebellion have to do with counteracting repressive rules and I don’t see what the wearing of islamic dress code has to do with it.
_____I have different book. A society that trying hard to impose certain religion rules for people and ignoring their nature as humans that have their own choice is repressive. No one disagree with this, I think. But a society that implement what they call as democracy by sweeping out all things that related with religions, including not allowing women using hijab, is also repressive by itself. And it happened in Indonesia long time ago. Using hijab while it is mostly scolded by the society and always correlated with negative terms like oppression, islamization, whatever…. is a liberation, and rebellion as well. Means those women willing to take a risk by choosing something against what people commonly see as “normal”, and challenge us to see whether we still able to see them as humans regardless their dress are.
But in this case, everybody has their own agenda, so I won’t say that ALL women who use hijab is because they want to liberate themselves. Some will say it is more on their spiritual aspect, some will say it is more about their comfort level, some will say different reason. But whatever their reasons are, one thing that we should noted is, it is THEIR OWN choice.
If you believe that women should be free to decide whatever they want to do with their bodies and free to choose whatever dress they want to use, why it make you feel disturbed when some of them choose hijab? It is their right too.
I personally can accept people who have different path than mine. A lesbian, a gay, a PhD, even a racist as long as they don’t cross the line and not create unnecessary chaos. And by that, I’ll say there is no reason for me for not accepting women with hijab. What’s the danger that is possibly created though, by using hijab? Hypocrisy? Everybody, using hijab or not, can be a hypocrite too at some level.
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Hans says:
I have many friends where one of four sisters use the hijab. I often see one in the family use the hijab, no mother or grandmother using hijab. inference does not compel children to school to use the hijab, otherwise it look like hijab most often is selected as a free choice.
Sometimes I hear that it is trendy and modern. -
Fashion and appearance is heavily linked to personal identity… whether that’s a hijab, preppy clothes, a school uniform, or baggy pants, gold chains and a baseball cap.
That girl in the orange shirt isn’t a criminal but a bleedin’ hypocrite posing as she does with a chastity rag on her head but with an air of ‘why don’t you come and get me’. An impudent life-sized invitation for the zina and maksiat. Astagfirullah.
Yes indeedy. Gotta love it though.
God will always find a way to let women express their sexuality and get the male attention they need.
It’s great fun going up to these heavily clothed women, telling them how sexy they are, and being surprised at how easily they believe me.
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@ venna
If you believe that women should be free to decide whatever they want to do with their bodies and free to choose whatever dress they want to use, why it make you feel disturbed when some of them choose hijab? It is their right too.
Frankly, before 9/11 I couldn’t care less. But when I saw in the days after 9/11 the jilbab-bitches demonstrate in Jakarta, holding up pictures of Osama Bin Laden to show their support, I became allergic and developed some kind of an aversion.
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so it is the same all over the world: religion is just a not so much sophisticated form of bigotry.