Following the fall of the New Order regime in 1998, Indonesia experienced a massive wave of Islamic revivalism. The jilbab transformed from a restricted garment into a symbol of freedom and religious pride.

1. Deconstructing the Terminology: Faith, Gender, and Purity

Following the fall of President Suharto's authoritarian regime in 1998, Islamic conservatism gained significant ground, leading to what scholars call the 'conservative turn' of Islam. This period saw the jilbab become a normalized, and in many contexts, expected attribute of being a proper Indonesian woman. The government in Jakarta responded to this shift with a landmark policy in 2021: a joint ministerial decree banning schools from mandating religious attire, emphasizing it is an "individual's right". However, the implementation of this decree has faced fierce resistance, particularly in regions with strong Islamic traditions like Minangkabau, where the community views the policy as an attack on local moral development.

For many young Indonesian women, the jilbab is a way to express their identity in a rapidly modernizing society, where they can be both pious and fashionable. Social Issues and Pressures