A group of Indonesian women have banded together in a so-called Niqab Squad to combat prejudice against the face-covering veil, which has been at the center of a heated global debate over religious freedom and women’s rights. Although the body covering garment with narrow slits to see through is common in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf states, they are rare in Indonesia, where around 90 per cent of its 255 million people have traditionally followed a moderate form of Islam. The hijab and abaya dazzled center stage on the New York runway in September as up-and-coming Indonesian designers kicked off an increasingly diverse fashion week, hoping to change prejudices in the West.