Marvela, Safira Andini, Jakarta – Sinta Nuriyah, the wife of the 4th Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), said that Muslim women are not obliged to wear the jilbab (Islamic headscarf). She also said that many people are still mistaken about the definition of two terms; jilbab and hijab.

According to Sinta, hijab and jilbab are two different terms. "Hijab was a restraint of hard materials such as wood, whereas jilbab was a thin fabric to cover the head," said Sinta on Deddy Corbuzier Youtube channel on Wednesday, January 15, 2020.

She claimed that every Muslim woman is not obliged to wear jilbab because that's what the Quran says. "That's not really an obligation [for Muslim women to wear headscarf] if we understand the verse in the Quran correctly," said Sinta.

Sinta said she's been conducting a contextual comprehension of the verses of the Quran, instead of doing it textually. She admitted that most Muslims are mistakenly conceiving the verses of the Quran since it has been translated by those who have personal concerns.

"Local cultures and mindsets can influence us on how we understand the verses [of Quran]," said Sinta.

Her daughter, Inayah Wahid, also agreed with her mother. According to Inayah, interpreters should acquire specific requirements to interpret the verses of the Quran. "They should not do it recklessly," said Inayah.

Both of them were aware that some people may disagree with their opinion and netizens would be upset about it. But for Sinta and Inayah, it is totally fine to have different opinions.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1295944/sinta-nuriyah-muslim-women-are-not-obliged-to-wear-jilbab