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Feminism growing despite catcalls of 'feminazi'

Eventually, group members grumbled about how “feminazis” spoil everything, and some women argued that the true bad guys out there were radical Muslims, not guys engaging in friendly banter.

Mario Rustan (The Jakarta Post)
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Jakarta
Thu, March 30, 2017

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Feminism growing despite catcalls of 'feminazi' The face of one of Indonesian female heroes Cut Nyak Dhien is also can be found during (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira)

J

akarta took part in the global Women’s March on March 4, waiting for the hotly contested Jakarta gubernatorial election to pass. The march in front of the State Palace focused on several issues affecting Indonesia, such as respect for diversity, a proposal to pass a sexual violence bill, public service support for transgender and disabled women and public attention for international women’s rights. The peaceful march involved thousands.

The backlash began online, focusing on a university student. Like in many other cases, it began not as an insult against her politics but as harassment. Apparently, a Facebook group focusing on online memes discussed a picture of the student and thought she was an adolescent. Vulgar comments were made, and when she responded to the comments, the commentators dug in.

Some maintained their cheeky attitudes, while some others became defensive and attempted to debate her in logic and semantics. Eventually, group members grumbled about how “feminazis” spoil everything, and some women argued that the true bad guys out there were radical Muslims, not guys engaging in friendly banter.

This was just one instance of troubles feminists in Indonesia dealt with after the Women’s March. Days after the incident, a journalist reportedly resigned after asking his source to send a picture of her in sundress to “lighten up the topic.” Some people defending him said such a demand was normal in the media business, and with feminists politicizing everything, it’s no wonder that Donald Trump won the United States presidency.

Feminism is growing in Indonesia, like in so many other countries worldwide. It is a range of political movements, ideologies and social movements that seek to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. The first wave of feminism hit the world in the early 20th century, often in a package with other Industrial Age ideologies such as nationalism, liberalism, and socialism.

While the second wave of feminism arrived in the West in the late 1960s, in Asia it was repressed by both communist and anti-communist governments, which believed that civil movements harmed the nation’s mission to industrialize and to build a morally strong society. The third wave of feminism began in the 1990s, and in the 21st century, it has grown to include the perspectives of women of color and sexual minorities.

Indonesian feminists believe that wearing hijab is a matter of personal choice — a person has the right to wear it or not. Indonesian feminists learn the concept of intersectionality — that injustice against women is strongly related to injustice against minorities and the poor. Indonesian feminists believe that empowerment is political, not merely a corporate slogan.

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