Participants of the Indonesian Women Ulema Congress take part in a national seminar on the history of woman ulemas at Kebon Jambu Islamic Boarding School in Ciwaringin, Cerebon, West Java, on Wednesday (26/4). More than 700 woman ulemas, activists and academics gathered at the congress to discuss the role of women in various issues.
The Indonesian Women Ulema Congress (KUPI) raises hope for a more strategic role for women in national issues.
A recent congress has revived an awareness that the role of women in Islam need not be confined to the household. Islamic women, as written in Indonesian history, can lead troops against invaders and become national heroes, as shown by Cut Nyak Dhien.
Amid the current nation situation, which accentuates religious identity and patrilineal cultural tendencies, the congress is like an oasis. Many ask, what can women do for the nation and state even if they master the eloquent knowledge of religion?
Looking at the actual issues discussed, this women ulema congress wants to answer that question. Its participants believe that those issues have been widely discussed among them and even resolved. But this discussion has gained little public attention.
KUPI steering committee chairwoman Badriyah Fayumi said the congress aimed to consolidate and further strengthen their role and action in society. The congress discusses three main issues commonly faced by women and children: child marriage, sexual violence and environmental destruction in the context of social justice, migration and radicalism. In terms of child marriage, Indonesia ranks second in Southeast Asia, after Cambodia.
The congress, which was attended by female ulemas from several countries and women activists, will issue recommendations on issues pertaining to the family, community, religious figures, ulemas, the government and the state. "The problems of this nation cannot be solved only by one party," Badriyah said.
We uphold the role of women, both in the domestic and public sphere, which determine the future of the country. Are not they the first to educate our children, from the time that they are still in the womb?
In Islamic history, it was women who first believed and died defending their religion (martyrs). This shows that women, who are often considered weak and lacking in sense, are in fact more courageous, even when their lives are at stake.
We hope the congress will give birth to applicable recommendations in solving the problems of the nation and state, as demonstrated by women ulemas thus far. Their role must be aligned with the increasing complexity of issues faced by society, both at level of the family and the state.
