PBNU Responds to Felix Siauw's Statement about 'Jilbab'

TEMPO.CO, Yogyakarta - A leader of Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), Yahya Cholil Staquf, responded to Felix Siauw's statement regarding jilbab or Islamic headscarf for women. Felix said on his Twitter post that wearing the headscarf for Muslim women is mandatory. 

According to Yahya Staquf, Islam has two jurisprudence; revealed law (sharia), and substantive law (fiqh). Sharia regulates fundamental values, such as respecting human beings, respecting parents, and others. 

Fiqh, he explained, was derived from sharia and it contains various views and understandings.

"In fiqh, various opinions are possible to be found. Some say that jilbab is mandatory, some say no, and it's regulated in fiqh," said Yahya when met at the 'Centrist Democrat International (CDI)' forum in Yogyakarta today, January 23, 2020. 

Yahya Staquf stated that in fiqh, religion is an aspiration of values so it does not need to be discussed, "So it's okay to assume (jilbab) is mandatory or not." 

Earlier, Muslim observer Luqman Hakim considered Felix Siauw's tweet as a criticism of the statement conveyed by the wife of the 4th Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid, Sinta Nuriyah. She argued that wearing jilbab or hijab was not an obligation for Muslim women. 

Yahya emphasized that what must be obeyed by society is state law.

He also reminded people to respect others with different understandings of fiqh. "Especially about things that are still debatable," Yahya Staquf remarked.

Pribadi Wicaksono | Safira Andini (Intern Translator)