Islam in the Malay World - Essay Example

Introduction As the scenario of women all clothed and covered up in garb and headdresses within the and including the rural areas unfolds, the presence of Islamic culture rents the air. This nature of clothing is regardless of the extremity of the weather. Most of the women will be found restricted within their homes while those found walking along the streets will be accompanied by a male relative. These are just examples of the heavy Islamic hold on women in Indonesia. The adoption of the Islamic shariah laws within the political laws in Indonesia has had a major impact on the way of life of the people living in Indonesia ensuring that this country remains an Islamic state. The laws of the shariah are present in all aspects of their lives and are heavily relied on within the 33 local governments found in Indonesia. In Ache particularly, Islam is has taken a greater hold on the people since the shariah laws have been emphasized much in books and the reintroduction of these laws within special Shariah courts. They are strictly followed to ensure they have a firm hold on the strictest aspect of the way of life led by an individual. This also includes the women who at all angles viewed take a heavier toll of the requirements of the shariah laws that have been known to discriminate against women. Shariah can be defined as the all encircling and in-transmutable system of Islamic jurisprudence found within the Koran and the Sunnah. A characteristic of the shariah is that it covers all aspects of life including how to observe hygiene, the roles performed by different members of the family, relationships between man and God, daily living, social order and behavior, how to relate to other Muslims, religious obligations and directions on how to live with the non Muslims among other things related to ways of living. In the light of the significance of the shariah to the lives of the Muslims, we find that the shariah makes a big part of their lives influencing the way the people behave, relate with each other as Muslims or with non-Muslims, take up their daily roles etc. women in Indonesia also keep their way of behavior in line with the requirements of the Shariah. Apparently, the shariah have been quite discriminatory on the side of the women. The women on the other hand are feeling the pinch and are reacting to the oppressive laws in different ways. The following essay will lie in the limelight the effect shariah law have on the women who live in Ache Indonesia. It will also show how the women here negotiate their political autonomy. It should be noticed that Indonesia has in theory adopted a commitment to the running of a secular government and it has pledged to find unity in diversity. Main body The Shariah laws have from the beginning denied women the rights to uncover their heads and they have demanded that women keep their heads covered at all times especially when in public. This law applies to the women of Ache where it is mandatory for women to keep their heads covered with a headdress. To ensure that this is strictly followed, the police have been charged with the responsibility of ensuring that women keep their heads under veil any time they are in public. As a result of this, the police officers from the special Shariah unit have constantly harassed women stopping them along the streets for not having properly covered their head. On most occasions, the police charge fines on women found with this mistake. This insistence on women to have their heads covered indicates that their freedom has been curtailed men (McLeod and MacIntyre 2007p 125-126). Whipping in the public has been operational ever since the year 2005 to the people who were discovered in immoral activities like illicit sex, gambling as well as drinking. This has happened to many women who express their natural humane feeling of attraction to men regardless of the fact that these women are not married. This is forbidden in Ache and is punished by whipping in public. The punishment is not only intimidating for the women but also painful and an indicator of disrespect directed against the women. It is often characteristic of the public before which the women are whipped to make cries and shouts of profanities which completely destroys the self esteem of these women considering that most never mean any harm or hide ill motives when talking to men who are not their husbands. Most of the women who have been subjected to this punishment often call for its abolishment or at least for it to be undertaken in private to avert the consequence of being stigmatized. This kind of punishment is at times aggravated by the rejection of the woman in question by her family. (Azra, 2003p114-116). The contribution of women in village decision making is never sought as the village meetings are headed by and have men as the only audience. This often has the effect of imposition of the thoughts and will of men within the society since the contribution of women lack. Women therefore are expected to follow the decisions reached by the men regardless of whether they are comfortable or otherwise (Robinson 2008p155). An example of this is the imposition of mandatory birth control exercises by the government that disregard the negative physical consequences that some women suffer due to their use. Gender role socialization in Ache is designed in such a way that women fail to get some life skills information which is basically thought to be male. This lacking information may prove important in the long run meaning the lack of it becomes detrimental to the women e.g. the 2005 tsunami claimed the lives of very many women since prior to it, women could not swim, climb up on trees or buildings or undertake any other form of self rescue since they were never taught on how to do these things which are considered male in this region. The shariah laws seem to promote the oppression of women in thought and deeds since women who attempt to display this kind of freedom are often targeted for ridicule and are frowned on by the society. The women are not allowed to have thoughts that display any kind of independence and they are never allowed to act in ways that suggest they are embracing independence. Nevertheless, this kind of persecution only takes place in the very strict Islam cultured regions. It has been observed that more women are embracing education and in the process gaining enlightment that is helping them to break free from these traditionally inclined tendencies. The educated category of women in Ache is displaying independence tendencies and is rising against oppressive systems within the society. The enactment of an ant-pornographic bill based on the Islamic requirement of total covering for the women has acted to strip off the women the rights to their own bodies. The essence behind the total covering up by the women was to ensure that the women are not seen by other men apart from their husbands, to lust after them. The anti-pornography bill also seeks to hide the woman behind the veil all for the sake of benefiting the men within that society. The anti-pornography bill has placed a one year jail term sentence to any woman who will be arrested wearing a mini skirt. This then curtails the women who work in areas that require them to put on miniskirts e.g. along the airlines and as waitresses among others (Robinson 2008p156-157). This would mean that women who work in these capacities have to either drop their jobs or devise tactics that ensures that they remain in jobs. The women are bound to get more harassments coming their way with the introduction of this bill. There are moderate feminists who are fighting against the enactment of this bill but since it has a backing in the national parliament by the Justice Party, the moderates will need to put great effort in their endeavor men (McLeod and MacIntyre 2007p 123-124). As a signal of the commitment it has, the Indonesian government has led in the creation of Shariah legislation and courts are in the process of establishment as an attempt towards the enforcement of these oppressive Islamic laws. This is the process that is currently underway in the Sulawesi Island alongside three other districts found in the southern parts of Indonesia. Use of the shariah laws in the local government has been criticized by some politicians and other major social stakeholders e.g. the lawyers as oppressive especially to the women therefore a number of interventions are underway to fight against the use of the shariah laws in the local governments (Azra, 2003p117-119). Negotiation of political autonomy Despite the oppressive laws of shariah that met out oppression on women, the women are increasingly pressurizing the law makers into reconsidering their stand in order to meet the needs of the women. Women are using means that attract attention which has for a long time been denied to them. These ways of attracting attention can be taken to represent a dawn of a new era where the women can stand up for their rights. It should be noted that women in the recent times have turned overt in comparison to the earlier ways of contributing towards decision making while behind the scenes. Some women have taken into conflict management and resolution as well as igniting conflict as a way of attracting attention to an oppressive law that requires to be changed. One of the most famous women known for using both strategies is a lady called Solichah Wahid Hasyim who led the an organization known as Muslimat Nahdlatul Ulama through which her voice was heard. She often acted as an intermediary between factions thrown into a tangle. Other leaders working here and responsible for a number of conflict resolutions are Sinta Nuriyah famed for her effort in attempting to implement reforms that reflect a feminist position within the societies that practice moderate Islam regions; and Aisyah Hamid a long term parliamentary seat holder for Golkar and who supports and advocates for liberal changes to the social position of the women. Women are increasingly participating in debating for the gender issues that affect them as women, and other women. The women are at times supported by influential men who assist them to strengthen the support they call for perpetuating and enriching the Islamism feminist thinking. A good example here is the establishment of an organization that is influential in training the women on their rights as humans and how women are depicted in the Muslim culture and religion. This organization integrates empowerment of women within the context of the Islamic view point. Of importance to the organization is the adoption of both the male and the female viewpoints in the intervention. Both men and women activists with high intellectual capacities are found in levels of management for the smooth running of the organization. The Rahima center is one such organization where women are enlightened on their rights (Robinson 2008p150-153). Women are increasingly utilizing the power of literature in bringing transformation to the perception given to the women; to condemn injustices done against them; and to propagate principles of liberal Islamic feminist beliefs. Most funding for such initiatives are almost always received from the western world. Islamic female feminists often face hard times in attempting to urge the points reflected in the Islamic narrations that reflect the lifer of the prophet Muhammed with their male counter parts. This in most times call for trainings in the theology of Islam and a strong willingness in the part of the women to take up the spirited fight in order to present points that seem valid. This category of women also stands up to challenge the jurisprudence of the Islamic law. The women who are not satisfied with the polygamous marriages they live in are no longer feeling trapped in them in the sense that they are in large numbers considering the divorce option in Indonesia. The senior representative of the ministry of the religious affairs, Nasaruddin Umar has reported that the numbers of women who cited polygamy as the reason for seeking divorce are on the increase. He has given an example of the cases in the year 2004 where they were only 813 yet this number shot to over 1000 in 2006. A female Indonesian Muslim scholar known as Siti Mulia attribute this rise in divorce cases in to the rising level of awareness among Muslim women on their rights- thanks to the large numbers of non governmental organizations that are increasingly enlightening women, and their growing economic independence which reduces their dependence on men and it gives women the confidence to face economic hurdles without the fear of failing or having a lean back position in case of a problem that involve finances tends to crop up. Many non governmental organizations have cropped up in Indonesia and are teaching the women about the dangers of polygamy hence many women are increasingly getting to know their rights and take up a step to protect what they believe are their rights. The independent women need not be trapped by the men in marriages any more. As long as they are employed within certain organizations and are earning enough money to take care of their needs, they then prefer staying single other than live in unfulfilling marriages (Azra, 2003p120). Some women have adopted radical measures to fight against the oppressive regimes found under the Shariah laws. An example includes the case of the director of the women’s organization Flower in Ache known as Suraiya Kamaruzzaman. She had faithfully committed to wearing her headdress as a sign of a commitment to her Islamic faith but decided to stop it as a protest that was directed against the decision of the local government in Ache to enforce the dress code of women living in Ache to align it with the requirements of the shariah law. After she observed how men and boys harassed women for wrongly veiling themselves or for failing to veil at all instead of leaving it to the law enforcers, she concluded that an issue that may seem small may be used to dominate women for a myriad of purposes. This is demonstrated in her case where the issue of desired dressing led to bullying of women by men (McLeod and MacIntyre 2007p 120-122). The issue of a direct confrontational stance has been adopted by some of the women in Indonesia to fight for issues they believed were unfair to the women. These confrontations were directed to the Islamic organizations that perpetuated oppressive issues like polygyny to demand a reconsideration of the issue. The women are also vocal on issues that disturb them e.g. violence directed to women, and the 1998 rape cases. The influence of the women can be seen through looking at how the political activities have had an effect on women. Women in Ache Indonesia among others had to participate in peaceful talks and debates which yielded reforms that led to women empowerment with the help of some feminist men. Various confrontational stances were adopted e.g. persuading both men and women to change their attitudes on the inclusion of the girl child in education and the permission of women to take up the judges’ role in Islamic courts. All the above instances acts to demonstrate the kind of influence that women have had in the attempt to make their conditions better for habitation. They have managed to do it with the support of men who also believe in the empowerment of the women and who are sympathetic enough to take up deliberate measures to raise the position of Islamic women within the society (Robinson 2008p154). Conclusion The place of a woman within the society has been created and made by a number of factors including religion which has a very powerful influence in the lives of people living within a community. Women in Indonesia have been fallen victim to the oppressive laws that are founded on religious grounds and that which have caused great suffering to them. Notable is the fact that despite the oppressive rules, women have not stood back as helpless victims to watch as the dictates of the oppressive rules sway them in any direction but they have stood up for themselves to defend themselves against the oppressive rules and to demand their rightful place within the social ranking. As the struggle for liberation goes on, we are left with no doubt that women will win their rightful place within the society no matter how long the battle may take, or the nature of the religion. References McLeod, H. & MacIntyre, J. (2007) Indonesia: democracy and the promise of superior authority‎. Institute of Asian studies P120-126 Azra, S & Azra, A. (2003). Sharia and politics in contemporary Indonesia‎. Institute of Asian studies P114-120 Robinson, K. (2008) Gender, Islam and Democracy in Indonesia‎. 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