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AKARTA: Women from the Islamic organization Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) staged a rally in front of the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, calling for women to be critical of economic empowerment programs for women.

The HTI members said women should not be the breadwinners or heads of the family. “Women should focus on their roles as mothers to educate the nation, not as breadwinners who are the backbone of the family’s economy,” spokesperson Iffah Ainur Rochmah said.

Iffah said the shift in women’s roles today was caused by capitalism in Indonesia, which she said had caused poverty.

Capitalism has been proven to treat women cruelly by regarding them as an economic commodity fit for exploitation for material gain, she said.

“This nation should implement sharia to encourage women to return to their real roles as the nation’s educators,” Iffah said. — JP