THE time: One Friday afternoon before prayers, early November. The place: Maros Regency, South Sulawesi. In a local government office, hundreds of men entered the mosque. They wore traditional caps and collarless Islamic (koko) shirts. Women don't go to the mosque, but all wear colorful jilbabs (headscarves). Nobody dresses incorrectly here.

In Maros, where Muslims make up the majority, going to the mosque in Muslim attire is a habit. But