The Women's Movement in Indonesia's Pesantren: Negotiating Islam, Culture, and Modernity A thesis presented to the faculty of the Center for International Studies of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Khariroh Khariroh June 2010 © 2010 Khariroh Khariroh. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled The Women’s Movement in Indonesia’s Pesantren: Negotiating Islam, Culture, and Modernity by KHARIROH KHARIROH has been approved for the Center for International Studies by Loren D. Lybarger Assistant Professor of Classics and World Religions Drew McDaniel Director, Southeast Asian Studies Daniel Weiner Executive Director, Center for International Studies 3 ABSTRACT KHARIROH, KHARIROH, M., June 2010, Southeast Asian Studies The Women's Movement in Indonesia's Pesantren: Negotiating Islam, Culture, and Modernity (165 pp.) Director of Thesis: Loren D.
Lybarger This thesis explores the women’s movement in Indonesia’s pesantren and their contributions to develop gender equality in the traditionalist Muslim communities, particularly in Java, after the downfall of the Suharto regime 1998. By looking at two pesantren as instructive case studies, it provides the historical and sociological context of the women’s movement in pesantren and the issues for which they are striving, such as women’s advocacy against domestic violence, women’s leadership, and reinterpretation of religious texts. This study also examines the internal and external factors influencing the movement to provide deeper understanding about women in pesantren, and how they negotiate gender roles in the light of Islamic tradition, local culture and a modern context. This thesis argues that the women’s movement in pesantren constitutes an independent development that explicitly breaks with the secular premise that grounds their ideologies.
Secular feminism gains resistance within pesantren circles. The rise of Islamic feminist criticism among pesantren women, by contrast, directly challenges the patriarchal structure of these communities on religious grounds. Lybarger Assistant Professor of Classics and World Religions 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis could not have been possible without the assistance, patience, motivation, encouragement and kindness of my professors, colleagues, friends and family. The list of those to whom I have become indebted in the process of the writing of this thesis is too long to be presented in full here.
I am grateful to all of them, first and foremost to my family. My mother and my father have supported me in many ways since the beginning of my studies, and they deserve so much more than I could ever possibly repay. My husband, Ali Sobirin, and our children Saka and Sophia, that my utmost appreciation is due. Their love, patience, and understanding have made my intellectual journeys possible.
Without their present during my study at Ohio University, my life would be miserable. This work, I must admit, was only possible because of the encouragement of my committee members: Dr. Lybarger, Professor Elizabeth Fuller Collins, Dr. Ann Tickamyer, who have exerted extraordinary amounts of time and energy in teaching me and supporting my research.
They not only supervised the writing of the thesis from the beginning, but also inspired my approach to the subject. I am particularly grateful for the benefits gained through the discussions with other professors at Ohio University, particularly Dr. Gene Ammarell, Dr. Risa Whitson, Dr.
Haley Duschinski, Dr. William Frederick, Dr. Harry Aveling, and Dr. From them, I learned that seeking knowledge and wisdom is a never-ending process.
Special mention should be made to librarians in the Southeast Asian collection of Alden library, especially Lusi, Jeff Shane, and Keng We Koh, who helped me a lot to find the references for my work. 5 I have also been extremely fortunate in having had a number of friends and colleagues that deserve my acknowledgement. I need to mention some of them here: Fahrina So, Eric Viani, Cesar Dequintas, Alexander Supartono, Huong Nguyen, Kurara Nakano, Yuki Nakama, Widya Lystiowulan, Faishol Adib, Tolhas Damanik, Siti Aishah, Dyah Arin, Adila Prasojo, Anthony Medrano, Phirom Leng, Nurcahyati Karsono, Pittaya Paladroi, Ashley Arzy, Sinoun, Bethany, Preston Silvey, Molly Ruth, Kate, Ben, Elizabeth, Heyam, Marina, Abbey, and Jenny as well as my Indonesian fellow PERMIAS members whose names could not be mentioned here, also deserve my sincere thanks. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my participants who became key sources of information for this thesis.
They are Kyai Husein Muhammad, Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir, Nyai Lilik Nihayah, Masruchah, Nur Rofi’ah, Aan Anshoriyah, Nyai Ruqayyah, Najlah Naqiyah, Teh Enung, and Nyai Djuju’ Juwariyah. Without their generous information, I could not write this thesis. Lastly, my study at Ohio University would not been possible without the scholarship from Ford Foundation with its International Fellowship Program (IFP). I would like to thank IIE New York and IIEF Jakarta for their kind assistance and hospitality.
6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT. 4 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS. 8 GLOSSARY…………………………………………………………………………… 10 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Historical Background and Theoretical Framework …………………………….
The Muslim Women's Movement: A Brief Survey………………………….33 CHAPTER 2: WOMEN AND PESANTREN: THE DIALOGUE OF MODERNIZATION AND TRADITION. The Role of Pesantren in Indonesia. Pesantren and Modernization. The Status Of Women in Pesantren.
Women in the Classical Islamic Texts (Kitab Kuning). 56 CHAPTER 3: THE INVOLVEMENT OF PESANTREN IN DEVELOPING WOMEN'S RIGHTS (TWO CASE STUDIES). The Role of Governmental Organizations (NGOs). The First Case Study: Pesantren Dar al Tauhid, Cirebon.
The Second Case Study: Pesantren Cipasung, Tasikmalaya. Evaluation and Analysis. Pesantren-Based Women’s Rights Advocacy. Women’s ‘Ulama and Interpretation of Islamic.
Women’s Leadership…………………………………………………… 99 CHAPTER 4: ISLAMIC FEMINISM IN PESANTREN: THE INTERSECTIONS OF ISLAM, CULTURE AND MODERNITY……………………………………………. Discussing Islamic Feminism: A Brief Survey…………………………………109 B. Indonesian Muslim Women, International Feminism and Democratization…. The Women’s Movement in Pesantren and Islamic Feminism……………….
The Challenges of the Women’s Movement in Pesantren……………………. Capital Resources ………………………………………………………138 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………141 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………151 APPENDIX A: SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW……………………………….161 APPENDIX B: INFORMANT BACKGROUNDS……………………………………163 8 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS CEDAW : Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women FK3 : Forum Kajian Kitab Kuning (the Forum to Discuss Islamic Classical Texts) IAIN : Institute Agama Islam Negeri (The Islamic State Institute of Higher Learning) ICIP : International Center for Islam and Pluralism IPPNU : Ikatan Pelajar Putri Nahdhatul Ulama (The Female Student Union of Nahdhatul Ulama) ISIS : Institute for Social and Institutional Studies KOMNAS Perempuan: Komisi Nasional Perempuan (the National Commission on Violence against Women) KUII : Konferensi Umat Islam Indonesia (the Congress of the Indonesian Muslim Community) LAKPESDAM NU : Lembaga Pengkajian dan Pengembangan Sumber Daya Manusia NU (Nahdlatul Ulama Institute for Human Resource Study and Development) LKiS : Lembaga Kajian Islam dan Social (Institute for Islamic and Social Studies) 9 LP3ES : Lembaga Penelitian, Pendidikan dan Penerangan Ekonomi dan Sosial (Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information) MUI : Majlis Ulama Indonesia (The Indonesian Ulama Council) MDI : Majlis Dakwah Islamiyyah (The Organization for Islamic Propagation) NGO : Non Governmental Organization NU : Nahdhatul Ulama PUSPITA : Pusat Pelayanan Wanita (The Center of Women’s Affair) P3M : Perhimpunan Pengembangan Pesantren dan Masyarakat (The Union for the Development of Pesantren and Community) RMI : Rabithah Ma’ahid al Islamiyyah (The Association of Islamic Pesantren) TAF : The Asia Foundation UIN : Universitas Islam Negeri (The Islamic State University) UNFPA : United Nation Population Fund WHO : World Health Organization UNDP : United Nations Development Programme UNICEF : The United Nations Children's Fund WCC : Women Crisis Center YKF : Yayasan Kesejahteraan Fatayat (The Fatayat Welfare Foundation) 10 GLOSSARY ‘Aisyiyah: A Women’s branch of modernist organization Muhammadiyah founded in 1917. ‘Aqiqah: in Islamic terminology, is defined as the animal that is slaughtered on the occasion of child birth. Asbab al-Nuzul; The historical and sociological context in which the specific verses of the Qur’an are revealed.
Azan: The Islamic calling to prayer, recited by muazzin in the mosque. Bahtsul Masa’il: Religious discussions taken by ulama within the NU traditions. Bandongan: A method of teaching in pesantren in which the senior students read the kitab kuning one by one in front of a kyai. Baraka: Means 'blessing', a spiritual power believed to be possessed by certain persons such as a Sufi master.: Da’wah): Islamic predication.
Fatayat: NU-related organization for young women, founded in 1950. Fiqh: Islamic jurisprudence. Fitnah: The Arabic word with connotations of secession, upheaval, chaos and disorder. Hajj: The fifth pillar of Islam; a pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Dhu al-Hijja; at least once in a lifetime a Muslim is expected to make a religious journey to Mecca and the Ka’ba.
Halaqah: A discussion forum. Ijtihad: Independent reasoning in the interpretation of the holy Qur’an. 11 Imam: A leader of prayer. Infaq: Spending wealth for a certain purpose as guided by Islam.
Jama’ah: Religious followers. Keraton: Javanese kingdom. Khaul: Feast to commemorate the passing way of a kyai. Khilafiyyah: Things that have not been decided yet by Islamic scholars, or debatable issues.
Kitab Kuning: literally means yellow books because they were written in the yellow papers; they are classical Islamic texts written by mediaeval Islamic scholars which are widely used in pesantren, such as Hidayat al-Shibyan, Tuhfat al-Athfal, Jawharatu al-Tawhid and so forth. Kitab: the Arabic word for a book. Kodrat: An elusive concept signifying a women’s innate or essential nature. Kutub al Mu’tabarah: Arabic books which are recognised and used in religious cases within pesantren and NU community.
Kyai: A male religious leader who owns or teaches in pesantren. Ma’had Aly: The advanced Islamic schools. Madrassa: Islamic schools. Majlis Dakwah Islamiyyah (MDI): An organization of the Islamic propagation wing of the Golongan Karya (GOLKAR) party.
Majlis Ta’lim: Women’s and men’s Islamic learning groups. Muballighah: (masculine; muballigh): Islamic preacher. 12 Muhammadiyah: Reformist or modernist Muslim organization, founded 1912, with approximately twenty five million followers; is the second largest Islamic organization in Indonesia. Muhrim: The close relatives of the opposite sex, detailed by the Qur’an, whom a Muslim may not marry.
Murid: Sufi disciple. Mursyid: Sufi Master. Musawah: An international coalition of Muslim feminists, initiated in March 2007 by Sisters in Islam in Malaysia. Muslimat: NU-related organization for married women, founded in 1946.
Nahdhatul Ulama (NU): Traditionalist Muslim organization, founded by Indonesian ulama in 1926, with approximately forty million followers; is the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia. Nushuz: Disobidience to the husband. Nyai: A female teacher in pesantren or wife of a kyai. Pesantren: Traditional Islamic boarding schools, where students focus to study Islamic knowledge.
Pondok: Dormitory for the students under direction of a kyai. Salaf or Salafiyah (Arabic): Traditional. Santet: Black magic. Santri: Male students at pesantren.
Santriwati: Female students at pesantren. 13 Shadaqah: A voluntary act of giving alms for the cause of Allah. Shari’a: The Islamic law derived from the holy texts of Islam. Sorogan: A method of teaching in pesantren in which a kyai reads and explains the kitab kuning while the students take notes.
Sunat: Female circumcision. Sunna: The words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad; It is often used synonymously with the Hadith. Tafsir: The Arabic word for exegesis or commentary, usually for the interpretation of the Qur’an.: Tariqa): Mystical or Sufi brotherhood.:’Ulama’): Scholars of Islam (in Arabic the singular is ‘alim, but in Indonesia ulama is used for both the plural and singular). Ummah: A religious community, usually referring to an Islamic one.
Usul al Fiqh: The study of the origins, sources, and principles upon which Islamic Jurisprudence (or Fiqh) is based. Waqaf: The Arabic word meaning charity simply to please God without asking for any favor or hoping for a return. 14 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION It was an Indonesian movie entitled Perempuan Berkalung Surban (Woman with a Turban) that inspired the topic of this thesis. The movie was adapted from a novel with the same title, written by a woman novelist, Abidah el-Khaliqy, published in 2001.
Since its release in January 2009 in the cinemas, the movie has triggered widespread controversy among Indonesian Muslims. I followed the resultant public debates in Indonesian newspapers, magazines, websites, and mailing lists.
