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BADRIYAH FAYUMI: Protecting children

JP/Nani AfridaIf you want to know about how Islam accommodates women, then Badriyah Fayumi is the person

Nani Afrida (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, April 1, 2013

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BADRIYAH FAYUMI: Protecting children

JP/Nani Afrida

If you want to know about how Islam accommodates women, then Badriyah Fayumi is the person. She can explain that Islam never looks down on women and, she has many arguments based on Prophet Muhammad’s hadith.

That is not surprising, for Badriyah, who is now the chair of the Indonesian Commission on Child Protection (KPAI), graduated from Al-Azhar University in Cairo majoring in commentary on the hadith.

“Although gender issues in Indonesia are slightly progressive compared to children’s issues, we still face many obstacles,” she told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview.

According to Badriyah, the obstacles are social tradition and understanding Islam.

For instance, Badriyah is one of the women who rails against the idea that husbands do not need permission from wives to marry again.She said that Surrah An-Nisa of the Koran mentions women’s rights and obligations, and that husbands should treat their wives well, including giving information related to future marriages.

“Polygamy will deeply influence the condition of a family, so wives should know and give permission,” Badriyah, who is an expert editor for Noor Magazine, added.

Although she is often called a radical, Badriyah said she has no problem with conservative Muslim men. She has her own mechanism to explain to them about women’s position in Islam in discussions or panels.

“I use a human approach. I believe they don’t want to see their daughter treated badly by their husband. I never use my arguments to attack people,” the 42-year-old said.

Aside from that, Badriyah also uses fiqh and hadith as the basis of arguments, just like conservatives do.

Being born in a Muslim family has made Badriyah used to meeting religious people and discussing religion. His father was the founder of the Raudhatul Ulum Kajen boarding school in Central Java. Both her parents were active in the National Awakening Party (PKB).

When Abdurrahman Wahid or Gus Dur was president of Indonesia in 2000, Badriyah, who is active in Fatayat Nadhatul Ulama (NU), was an advisor to his wife, Sinta Nuriyah.

Badriyah said that her parents inspired her to join the PKB. The party then had Badriyah as a legislator between 2004 and 2009.  Badriyah was in commission VIII overseeing religion and social affairs.

In 2010, Badriyah was elected as a member of KPAI after passing a fit and proper test at the House of Representatives commission VIII, her old commission.

“That was quite weird. In 2007 I did a fit and proper test for KPAI candidates, but in 2010 the legislators tested me as the candidate,” Badriyah said, laughing.

For Badriyah, the duties of a KPAI member are more difficult today because of the number of sex cases involving children. However, people are more aware of the crimes thanks to media transparency.

“The violation of children has been happening for a long time but today people are more aware of the crime,” the founder of Yayasan Mahasina Islamic boarding school said.

The important thing to do is to set up a mechanism and develop a system to protect children from harm.   

Badriyah said that today the government often spends energy responding to cases without knowing how to prevent the violations.

A system to protect children is a must because crimes against children have changed. Perpetrators are not only adults, but also children.

“This is difficult because children should be protected; now they are perpetrators and victims as well. This is my jihad area now,” she said, laughing.

She also believes there is a problem in the ease of access to pornography via the Internet. The situation is exaggerated further as Indonesians neglect to educate their children about sex.

Although the work as protector of children at the KPAI seems challenging, Badriyah says she is doing her best.  

Gus Dur has influenced her in many ways. One of her favorite sayings of his is if you don’t do anything, why did God create this world?

“We have to struggle and try to be useful to other people. These are two important values for me,” said Badriyah, who has 200 students at her boarding school in Pondok Gede, Jakarta.

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