Scores of banners and posters reading Civilized Women Wear Jilbab are to be found at prominent spots in the Town of Cianjur, West Java. Placed on roadsides, these banners seem to visitors to the regency, famous for its production of sweet pickles.

Yes, this is not just any slogan. Through a circular issued by Regent Wasidi Swastomo in 2006, government employees in that town, men and women alike, must adhere to the Muslim dress code.

Obviously, not