Indonesia - virgin police
This post may sorta be out of place, but there is a lot of "religion" involved.
You have probably heard about the "virginity test" that female police recruits are supposed to undergo in Indonesia. While reading about that absurdity, I discovered that while the Indonesian Constitution "guarantees freedom of religion" the Indonesian government "officially recognizes only six religions." They are: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. "Officially recognizes" sounds like they get some kind of preferential treatment over a non-recognized religion.
It is not technically illegal to be an atheist in Indonesia, but as Islam is the predominant religion there, atheists will have a tough row to hoe.
All this makes me grateful I live in America, despite the large number of ignorant yahoos running around with guns.
Here's a fascinating quote from this article:
National Police High Commissioner Sri Rumiati told HRW she had been trying to have virginity tests banned for years.
She herself had to undergo the test thirty years ago. Last time she raised the issue, at a human resources meeting in 2010, she says a colleague responded with, “Do we want to have prostitutes joining the police?”
Wow, is that misogyny? Or just ignorance? What is that?
Either you are a virgin or a prostitute? How's that for a backward attitude? I don't know if it comes from a religious place, but I bet it does. And I am reminded of the Bill Maher/Ben Affleck row recently when so many people held up the case of Indonesia as a predominantly Islamic country that wasn't as barbaric as the alleged Maher stereotype. Maybe they don't go around murdering mindlessly, but they are far from ideal.
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