Shared passion: Indadari (second from left) founded the 6,000-strong community known as Niqab Squad. — The Straits Times/ANN
NEVER had they thought covering their faces with a full Muslim veil would open them to taunts and insults.
But they had been called “terrorists, ninjas, Batman” by strangers. They had been abandoned by friends. They had also been treated with disdain by the public.
And only because they chose to wear the niqab, a veil worn along with a headscarf which covers the entire face apart from the eyes.
In a candid, no-holds barred interview with The Straits Times, four Indonesian “niqabis” shared their struggles to fit into society while keeping their veils intact.
They are part of a 6,000-strong community known as Niqab Squad, founded by one of the women, Indadari Mindrayanti, in 2016. The group has since gained more than 60,000 Instagram followers and 12,000 Facebook fans.
“We are used to name-calling or getting stared at. But what bothers us the most is when people associate us with violence, radicalism, extremism, just because of this,” said Indadari, flicking her veil.
“We have to deliberately smile more widely, laugh more loudly, and be extra positive and friendly to thwart the prejudice,” added the 40-year-old businesswoman and social media influencer.
While most Islamic scholars have agreed that Muslim women are not required to cover their faces, some women do so to emulate the practice of the wives of Prophet Muhammad.
The niqab, historically worn in Saudi Arabia and the Arabian peninsula, is gaining popularity in South-East Asia, particularly in moderate Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia, where wearing a headscarf with the face visible is the norm.
Internet celebrities such as Malaysia’s Neelofa and Indonesia’s Wardah Maulina, who wear colourful niqabs embellished with diamantes and crystals, have also elevated the religious garment into a fashion statement.
In lawyer Karina Mastha’s books, modest is not mediocre.
She makes no apologies about having driven a BMW, toting a Gucci or Louis Vuitton handbag, or wearing diamonds, despite being covered top to toe in a loose black Muslim long dress and matching niqab.
“The niqab is synonymous with simplicity, but to me, owning luxury items, be they cars, branded clothes or bags, or even wearing jewellery, is a form of gratitude to God and self-reward for my hard work. I enjoy wearing them for myself, not with the intention of showing off,” the 41-year-old said.
Karina said she once gave an earful to a security officer who sealed her grocery bag with duct tape when she entered a supermarket in a mall located in an affluent Jakarta neighbourhood.
“He did that only to my bag, not to anyone else in the queue. I asked why but got no answer. I felt so offended by the officer’s attitude that it made me upset and I reprimanded him harshly,” she said.
But Karina draws a clear line between her personal and professional life, given the niqab is still a rarity in Indonesia.
At work, where she has to meet clients or attend court hearings, she will wear modest attire without the veil.
She said: “I do it to respect the court environment, and my clients.”
The women said the public have a perception that fully veiled women must be ultra-conservative and restrictive, shackled to their religion. But beneath their veils, they are no different from other women, they insisted.
To the women, the biggest challenge is to protect themselves from becoming punching bags whenever a terror attack strikes.
Female perpetrators with full-face veils had been involved in attacks in Indonesia in recent years, inadvertently bringing the niqabis under intense public scrutiny time and again.
During such difficult times, the Niqab Squad members would band together and encourage one another to be patient and keep the faith.
But the pressure could get overwhelming for some, who would drop out and leave the group.
Karina just hopes people would accept people for who they are, and not how they are dressed. She added: “I only ask for some respect; that this is how I worship God and seek reward in the afterlife.” — The Straits Times/ANN
