Islamic Perspective on Students Wearing a Burqa at Universities in Indonesia: Results From a Survey at Three Universities

Abstract

*Burqa* or in Arabic An-Niqab is used to cover the entire face of a woman, except the two eyes. The burqa is not obligatory according to *Syafi'i madzhab*, which is followed by the majority of Indonesian Muslims. In this study, researchers used a survey to develop an understanding of veiled female students' attitudes about themselves, their experience wearing a burqa, interactions with peers, and their perception of how other members of their academic community perceive them. The survey used Likert-type items. The sample in this study was 100 students from three general universities in South Kalimantan: Antasari State Islamic University, Rasyidiyah Khalidiyah Islamic College, and College of Quranic Sciences. The key findings include that 58.2% indicated a willingness to form associations with any women; 17.7% said they were happy associating only with the veiled community. A total of 13.9% said that sometimes they were told to take off their burqa when they were in the classroom. While most said they were never bullied on campus (67.1%), 19% said they were often bullied. Most (78.5%) said that they were given freedom even though there was a suggestion to open their faces when education and learning were taking place.