On special occasions in this rural Javanese town, women cover their heads, wear long flowing clothes and, according to Muslim custom, sit separately from the men in a place where they are barely seen and certainly not heard.But no one seemed to mind when the district leader, Rustriningsih, addressed an audience not long ago (the men in front, the women off to the side) in a green uniform that stopped at the knees and with her glossy black hair on show for everyone to see. Nor did they mind when she earnestly lectured them about the responsibilities of living in a new democracy.
To read the full article, please visit the The New York Times Website.
On special occasions in this rural Javanese town, women cover their heads, wear long flowing clothes and, according to Muslim custom, sit separately from the men in a place where they are barely seen and certainly not heard.But no one seemed to mind when the district leader, Rustriningsih, addressed an audience not long ago (the men in front, the women off to the side) in a green uniform that stopped at the knees and with her glossy black hair on show for everyone to see. Nor did they mind when she earnestly lectured them about the responsibilities of living in a new democracy.
To read the full article, please visit the The New York Times Website.