MOST TEENAGERS starting at a new school want to fit in. But not Jeni Hia. On her first day at a public high school in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, the 16-year-old was the only girl whose hair was uncovered. Indonesia has the world's largest population of Muslims: 235m, some 87% of its citizens. Among them is Fauzi Bahar, who in 2005, as Padang's mayor, made jilbabs, the regional version of the hijab that covers the head, neck and chest, compulsory for all female Muslim students. The rule is widely applied to non-Muslim girls, too. But Ms Jeni, who is Christian, refused. In January the school's vice-principal summoned her parents to a meeting, which her father live-streamed. "If I force my child to wear hijab, that will betray my child's identity," he said. "Where are my religious rights? This is a public school." The video went viral.
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