ISLAM.DOC Konsep dan Teknik Penelitian Gender

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ISLAM, WOMEN AND ?HERESY?:

From the Discourse of Backwardness to The Authenticity

Ulil Abshar-Abdalla

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???????????Qasim Amin: the question of backwardness

The new terrain on which the battle between literalist and liberal Muslim has been

fought is the issue of women and gender euality! "enerally s#eaking$ it?s safe to saythat discourse on women re#resent the core issue of %slimic reform since &'thcentury! The

first refomer who started the debate has been undoubtedly the (gy#tian )asim Amin$ the

disci#le of Muhammad Abduh&*&+! %n &,''$ Amin #roduced a well-known and

controesial #ham#let$ bearing the totle of Tahrirul Mar?ah.The /iberation of 0omen1$to which Muhammad Abduh$ his mentor$ was su##osedly making a secret contribution! A

year later$ after a harsh criticisms from his o##onent$ Amin re#roduced the #ham#let andmade a slight reision with the new title of?Al Mar?ah al Jadidah.The 2ew 0omen1!

3ince then$ )asim Amin has been regarded as the e#ithom of the struggle for the

liberation of women in %slamic world! 2eedless to say that Amin has been re#eatedly ?demoni4ed? by the conseratie clerics as an enemy who is keen ?to threaten the bastion

of %slam from within?5*5+!

%t?s wothwile to hae a look at general features of Amin?s obserations and ideas

so that we are able to make a sense of the idea of %slamic feminism! %n the first #aragra#hof his #am#hlet$ Amin commenced with an interesting remark$ ?3ome #eo#le will say

that today %?m #ublishing heresy! To these #eo#le % will res#ond6 7es$ % hae come u#with heresy$ but the heresy is not against %slam! %t is against our tradition and socialdealings$ which ought to be brought to #erfection?8*8+! From the ery beginning$ Amin

was in dee# awareness that such undertaking to o#en u# the door of inestigation into the

women condition in Muslim society is ulnerable to be alleged as an ?heresy?! 9eresy$ in%slamic terminology$ is an unwarranted innoation in religion or bid?ah! The terminology

has been utili4ed by Muslim clerics as a theological tool to sideline their ?internal?

enemies$ and dismiss their heretical ideas! To #ut it the other way$ heresy is a conce#tual

tool at the dis#osal of the conseraties to e:ert their authority within the framework if%slamic orthodo:y! Amin$ as we see in his remark$ was aware from the start the the

discourse on 0omen liberation is against the wall of this orthodo:y! 9oweer$ heresy$ in

the iew of Amin$ is not entirely an un-%slamic undertaking$ since the boundary line;ctober 5$ 5@@8!&*&+>n )asim Amin$ see =harles ur4man .ed!1$Modernist Islam 1840-1940.2ew 7ork6 >:ford

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between ?%slamic? and ?un-%slamic? is obiously drawn by the dominant %slamic

orthodo:y$ and not by %slam itself! %t?s of a significant im#ortance to note here that Amin

attem#ted at dissociating %slam from the dominant conce#tion of %slam formulated byorthodo:y! %n Amin?s iew$ the call for ?tahrirul mar?ah? or liberation of women is an

heresy not against %slam but against the establishment of orthodo:y! Amin says$ in the

continuing #aragra#h$ that? the status of women reflects the leel of ciility and #rogressof the nation$ and ice ersa! The liberation of women$ in Amin?s iew$ is the key answer

to the uestion of backwardness of %slamic world in &' thcentury! %t?s im#ortant to

remember that the uestion of backwardness was among the common intellectual#reoccu#ation of Muslim thinkers in in &'thand early 5@thcentury! All efforts has been

made to answer the de#ressing uestion$ ?why do Muslim lag behind$ while the other

#rogress??*+! Muslim thinkers has been ama4ed at the leel of #rogress achieed by

western countries in one hand$ and the backwardness of Muslim world in other hand!)asim Amin seemed to think that the answer should be found in the status relegated by

%slamic legal tradition to womenC*C+! %n the aboe-mentioned #am#hlet$ Amin subect the

issue of women?s dress$ #olygamy$ segregation$ education$ the right of wife and husband

as #ro#ounded by %slamic legal teaching to a critical inestigation! Amin argued stronglyfor the eual treatment of women as mandated by the s#irit of egalitarianism in %slam!

Better education of women is #iotal for Amin in the way toward the betterment ofwomen status in %slamic society!

The discourse on women was located$ as it?s clear from Amin?s writing$ within

the larger discourse of cultural and #olitical backwardness of %slamic world in the face ofthe western #rogress and enlightenment! The underlying assum#tion that under#ins

Amin?s obseration is ery clear6 unless Muslim society achiee a better treatment of

women and their status$ or$ unless they rediscoer the essence of %slam which #ut a

greater em#hasis on egalitarianism$ Muslim world will neer catch u# with the #rogressof western #eo#le! The betterment of women?s status is an ineitable #rereuisite for the

#rogress of Muslim world! %n the eye of Muslim intelligentsia such as Amin$ the 0est is

#erceied as the source and ins#iration of #rogress! %n other word$ during early 5@thcentury$ the %slamic discourse on women has been debated under the s#ectre of the ?

0est?!

???????????Des#ite the fact that )asim Amin is the disci#le of MuhammadAbduh*+$ the father of %slamic reformism$ it?s sur#rising that the attention gien to the

legacy of Ahmad Amin among %ndonesian %slamic intellectual is uiet rare! Abduh?s

reformism was the #rimary ins#iration of the formation of maor %ndonesian Muslim

organi4ation$ such as Muhammadiyah$ n Muhammad Abduh?s life and thinking$ see$ for e:am#le$ =harles =! Adams$Islam and Modernism

in ,).t: A /tud o" the Modern !e"orm Moement Inau)urated b Muhammad ?Abduh./ondon6 >:ford

Uniersity n the history of modern Muslim moement which is by and large ins#ired by Abduh?s reformism in

%ndonesia$ see Deliar 2oer$ The Modernist Muslim Moement in Indonesia? 1900-1942.3inga#ore6 >:ford

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traces of Abduh?s thoughts in )asim Amin?s writings is clearly strong$ and we could

discern it through many references to Abduh?s basic argument on the com#atiblity

between %slam and modern rationalism! 9oweer$ %ndonesian reformist such as iai 9aiAhmad Dahlan$ the founder of the second larger %slamic moement$ Muhammadiyah$

was not interested in the Amin?s reformist ideas on woman liberation! The main

#reoccu#ation of %ndonesian reformist is mainly directed to the #urification of %slamicdoctrine from the local heretical beliefs that originate in #re-%slamic #eriod$ in addition to

the im#roement of Muslim education to counter the =hristian missionary! %t?s worth

noting that during the early 5@thcentury when the reformist moement began in%ndonesia$ discourse on women has been absent from the #rimary writing of Muslim

intellectuals! Among the first im#ortant work written by %ndonesian intellectual was the

book authored by 9!>!3! =okroaminoto$ the #rominent leader of 3arekat %slam .the first

%slamic #arty formed during the Dutch colonialism1 in &'5@s onIslamand/oialism! Thebook has attem#ted at critici4ing Mar:ist ideology which attracted %ndonesian actiits$

showing a#ologetically at the same time that %slam$ like Mar:ism$ has a socialist element

in its core teaching! Agus 3alim$ another Muslim intellectual who is regarded by many as

the embryo of %slamic rationalist current in %ndonesia$ #roduced none on the issue ofwomen! Most %ndonesian intellectuals who seriously dealt with the uestion of women

are secular figures like 3ukarno$ the first


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sti#ulated in the /aw of Marriage has been seen as threatening the sanctity of %slamic

law! After a long fight$ the #arliament yileded to the Muslim #rotest and made some

reision on the law! %f we look in retros#ect at the general features of 3uharto?s #oliticalstand toward Muslim society in %ndonesia$ it?s seemingly clear that ?%slamic reformism?

has receied a coert and yet strong su##rot from the goernment! Through the ministry

of religious affairs$ 3uharto has #romoted reform and im#roement of? %slamiceducation! 3ince E@s$ the ministry introduced the moderni4ation of %slamic education

through the new curriculum that combines between %slamic and general subects .?ulum

Islamiah'al?ammah1! The ministry also initiated to form a modern institute for%slamic studies called %A%2 .3tate %nstitute of %slamic 3tudies1 which com#rises &8

branches across the country! The institute has been the bastion of %slamic modernism and

res#onsible for the sending a hundred of Muslim student to western uniersities! The role

of #rominent scholar$ 9arun 2asution$ is worth mentioning here as he #layed aremarkable role like that #layed by Muhammad Abduh in Al A4har$ (gy#t! 2asution has

initiated a substantial reform within %A%2 thorough the introduction of the em#irical and

historical a##roach toward %slamic studies! 3ince its ince#tion$ %slamic studies in %A%2

has been heaily dominated by normatie and theological a##roach in which %slamicdoctrine has been inestigated outside its historical conte:t! /ike )asim Amin$ 2asution

has #ersistently attem#ted at reforming the theological foundation of %slam by reclaimingthe classical legacy of rationalist Mu?ta4ilah! 2asution has clearly ado#ted a great deal of

ins#iration from Muhammad Abduh! 9oweer$ 2asution gae a scant attention to the

issue of women as the main intellectual obsession of him is confined within the effort ofrationali4ing %slamic theology! 9e belieed that the rationali4ation #roect will led to the

#rogress of Muslim society$ in the same way as )asim Amin?s belief in the ?tahrirul

mar?ah? .liberation of women1 as a most im#ortant aenue for the #rogress of Muslim

world! Both$ in a arying degree$ beliee in the notion of #rogress as e:em#lified in the(uro#ean e:#erience!

%t was against this background that the new wae of %slamic feminism has

emerged since ,@s in %ndonesia! 3ince then$ the discourse on women has shifted to a newterrain where gender became a focal #oint of the contestation oer %slamic authenticity

between the liberal and %slamist actiist!

Interpretation of Qur?an: in search of authenticity

By Muslim feminist % mean those actiists$ intellectuals and writers$ men and

women alike$ who are keen in seeking the inter#retation of )ur?an and #ro#hetic

tradition in such a way that addresses the new rising awarness of women suffering fromineuality and inustice in the work#lace$ home and society'*'+! Before % #roceed to make

a further elaboration$ it should be stated from the outset that the uestion of women

#artici#ation in #ublic life is not a diisie issue se#arating %slamist from liberalintellectual in %ndonesia! Both cam#s acce#t in arying degree the basic idea of letting the

s#ace for the women?s engagement in #ublic life! Two maor Muslim organi4ation$

2ahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah$ hae been #roactiely #romoting the educationfor women$ im#roement of their status in the society through arious measures$ and

creating an aenues for their #artici#ation in social actiism! Both formed their res#ectie

'*'+>n another #ers#ectie$ see Hiba Mir-9osseini3 Islam and Gender: The !eli)ious #ebate in

ontem.orar Iran .


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wing for women$ namely$ Muslimat .for adult women1 and Fatayat .for the young

women1 in the case of 2ahdlatul Ulama$ and A?isyiyah? .for adult women1 and 2asyi?

atul A?isyiyah .for young women1 in the case of Muhammadiyah! 3imilarly$ it?s also thecase of some other more conseratie grou#s such as


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actie #artici#ation of women in the goernance of certain as#ect of #ublic life account

more for this #henomena than the %slamic tenets! The ?heresy$? howeer$ still lies

somewhere else$ namely$ in the e:egetical and hermeneutical contestation oer theinter#retation of )ur?an$ the 3cri#ture!

At the center of the debate on the discourse on woman$ there are three key issues6

hi5abor %slamic dress$ #olygamy$ and status of men .husband1 as #rotector of the family.the issue of (a'amahor #rotectorshi#1! 0hat is at stake here is the hermeneutical

uestion and the methodology em#loyed in the discoery of the meaning of scri#ture! %

will not go into the technical details of the argument being em#loyed both by liberal and%slamist side in the battle oer the issue of women! 2onetheless$ it?s worth noting that

Muslim feminist has been slightly successful in drawing on the classical sources within

the intellectual legacy of %slam to su##ort their #latform! 0hat make them distinct from

the so-called ?secular feminist? is that they work out their #latform from within theframwork of %slamic tradition$ and not merely im#osing the alien conce#ts on gender

euality on the e:isting theological matri: of Muslim society! They em#loy two

methodological tools6

&1 The historical a##roach to the )ur?an and #ro#hetic tradition6 the mysoginist

inter#retation of )ur?an and hadis has been in the iew of Muslim feminist a #roduct a#articular historical conte:t! The #roision on hiab in )ur?an$ for instance$ has led to

differing classical inter#retations as to what hiab really means! The classical legacy of

)ur?anic e:egesis is rich with different inter#retation on hiab! (ach inter#retation isbound to certain social and historical conte:t! 9oweer$ the richness of this

hermeneutical legacy has been neglected! The uestion is6 why is a certain conseratie

and mysoginist inter#retation of hiab ado#ted in modern time?

51 The substantialist a##roach6 in the iew of Muslim feminist$ any legal#roision in the )ur?an and 9adis is not meant as a #ermanent legislation! Therefore$

such #roision on hiab and #olygamy is by no means an eternal solution that a##lies for

any time and #lace! 0hat is meant by those #roision is its substantial alues!

htt#6IIwww!umich-cseas!orgIeentsandnewsIabstractsIU/%/IThirdJ5@talk!htm

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