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Reinterpreting Islam: First the female clerics, now the feminists
In the spirit of Ramadhan, Jurnal Perempuan, Indonesia’s oldest feminist journal, is also engaging in the study of Islam in its KAFFE series.
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Students walk to Kebon Jambu Al-Islamy Islamic boarding school in Cirebon, West Java, on Tuesday. The school hosts a three-day national congress where hundreds of female clerics from across the country discuss challenges Indonesian women face. (JP/Nurul Fitri Ramadhani)
W
e are now five days into Ramadhan, another 25 to go — Alhamdullilah (thank God)! We refrain from consuming food and drink from dawn to dusk, but there are no time limits to imbibing from the Quran to deepen our knowledge and faith! After all, Ramadhan is considered holy as it was during this month that the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad.
In the spirit of Ramadhan, Jurnal Perempuan, Indonesia’s oldest feminist journal, is also engaging in the study of Islam in its KAFFE series.
KAFFE? Yup, it’s short for Kajian Filsafat dan Feminisme (School of Philosophy and Feminism). Since last year, they have presented six topics followed by 600 participants from all around Indonesia, and — surprise, surprise! — this month it’s about Islam and feminism! The reason for this they say, is because of the high incidence of violence against women that uses religion as justification — with impunity.
Hey, don’t be jealous girls, there’s no sexism in this respect: violence justified by religion occurs across the board, lately in alarming proportions, and usually with impunity.
The most blatant and shocking instance was of course against Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, the now imprisoned non-active governor of Jakarta for alleged blasphemy, a blatant and huge setback for democracy, the rule of law, and Indonesia’s reputation for being a moderate Islamic society.
As Jurnal Perempuan wrote in the introduction of this month’s KAFFE theme: “These lectures are intended to debunk misogynist religious texts, and to draw out Islamic perspectives that voice justice, humanism and gender equality.”
They add that they also want to critically review and analyze the philosophical and theological basis of Islamic theology about the rights and dignity of women. That goes without saying!
