ABSTRACT
The adoption of the cadar (face veil) is an interactive process and a product of the wearers’ deliberate adoption and reproduction of beliefs and practices deemed by them to be more Islamic than other covering practices. This chapter establishes how Indonesia has witnessed constant transformations in the meanings and practices of Islam. The growing presence of cadari (face-veiled wearers) in pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) and passionate cadari signifies that Indonesian Muslim publics are in the continuous process of being made and are always open for varied expressions of Muslimness. Nisa stresses that living obedient lives is more social, interactive and less self-focused than the pious lives explored in previous scholarly work. Cadari’s obedience involves public and active piety. Their activism might be seen as reflections on the changes and processes of contestation in Indonesian Muslim publics. Hence, women’s agency is often reduced to whether or not they follow these changes. Nisa shows that women’s dress is not only a reflection, but also an active intervention in the remaking of Indonesian Islam. Cadari are important figures in the debates about how Islam should be practised in Indonesia.
