From the September 10-17, 2006, the International Center for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP), in cooperation with the Asia Foundation conducted a study tour for 12 Muslim leaders from South Asia, featuring seminars and discussions in Jakarta, Cirebon and Yogyakarta. These discussions focused on the status of and challenges faced by Muslim women in South and Southeast Asia. Two participants from each country (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) took part in the program, originating from a wide variety of occupational backgrounds including lawyers, government officials, school principals, mosque leaders and activists (see information package for list of participants and short bios).

Day 1 (Monday, September 11) of the program featured seminars and discussion on Islam and Women in Indonesia, held in Jakarta at the Gran Mahakam Hotel. Eva Sundari (Member of Indonesian National Parliament) began the series of seminars by delivering a talk on the political and economic status of women in Indonesia as well as social norms and government regulation regarding marriage. She explained that while there are political rights for women in Indonesia, at times social and economic obstacles hold them back from being able to take full advantage of these rights.

With regards to marriage, it was explained that Indonesia adheres to the Syafi’i school of Islamic thought (madzhab). As a result there are certain conditions on marriage for women including the need for a wali (male relative) to be present at the marriage. Furthermore, she explained that this social practice has also been written into state law, and Syafi’i understandings of marriage obligations and family colour the state law on these issues.

Participants also had the opportunity to discuss their own country situations. Practice of polygamy, lack of education for women, domestic violence and general ignorance on the rights guaranteed to women within Islam were some of the issues which were the most frequently mentioned by participants. However they also reported that they had already begun to take steps to deal with these issues by establishing schools for women, working to make national laws more gender-friendly and promoting understanding of women’s rights in an Islamic framework at the grassroots level.

Dr. Robin Bush was present to discuss the Asia Foundation’s role in promoting civil society and democracy in Indonesia. She explained that Islamic organizations in Indonesia have been long-standing partners of the Asia Foundation. Their role at the grassroots level in promoting democracy and tolerance has been vital throughout Indonesian history. More recently the Asia Foundation, in cooperation with the two largest Islamic organizations in Indonesia, the Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, have begun working to eradicate poverty throughout the country.

On the second day (Tuesday, September 12), participants visited the Women’s Study Center at the State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah in Jakarta. There they discussed the status of women and what efforts the Women’s Study Center was undertaking to improve the status of women in Indonesia. Dr. Ryoshidah from UIN explained that the Center has been conducting gender-sensitivity training amongst leaders, public officials and university lecturers, empowering female mubhaligat (preachers), integrating gender into the educational curriculum, holding routine discussions and conducting gender mainstreaming.

Following this there was a brief discussion with participants regarding aspects of the Center’s programs, as well as the support for or opposition to the Center from Islamic organizations, ulama and the government. Participants raised these issues because in their own countries government and the ulama sometimes become an obstacle in implementing programs aimed at empowering women. The staff at the Women’s Study Center explained that in Indonesia however the programs undertaken have received support from the Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, as well as from the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment.

The third and fourth days (Wednesday and Thursday September 13-14) featured seminars with leaders of pesantren (Islamic boarding school) communities in West Java at Hotel Bentani, Cirebon. Syafiq Hasyim (ICIP), KH Husein Muhammad (Fahmina), Maman Iman Nurhaq (Pesantren Al-Mizan), Faqihudin Abdul Qodir (Fahmina) discussed different aspects of pesantren, from their history, development, role in Indonesian society as well as a special focus on understandings of women’s rights in pesantren.

The speakers argued that while there has been a history of gender bias in pesantren, particularly emanating from the kitab kuning (traditional religious texts), some within the community have begun to reinterpret these texts to better suit the needs of Muslims in the modern world. Understandings of polygamy, marriage and the roles of women in the home and the public sphere which have been traditionally understood in a textual sense are now being reinterpreted contextually, using the ultimate goal of justice in the Qur’an as the basic principle in understanding the texts.

These topics encouraged participants to ask further questions regarding Muslim women’s roles in Indonesia as well as regarding rights and responsibilities in marriage and divorce. Participants also asked about the pesantren community’s role in promoting equality between men and women. The speakers generally responded that while some pesantren continue to maintain gender biased views, others are much more progressive in promoting women’s rights. The independence of pesantren from government control, and even from influence over one another, fosters the presence of these differing views and is a source of strength and weakness at the same time.

As part of their stay in Cirebon, participants were also invited to visit a pesantren, Pesantren Babakan, where they were received by Kiai Huud and the pesantren leadership for dinner and a brief gathering with students. At the gathering, participants introduced themselves to students and conveyed their hope that the students at the pesantren would grow to be righteous leaders of the Indonesian nation.

Participants also were able to visit a Women’s Crisis Center operated by Fahmina in Balqis, West Java. There they discussed the activities of the Center which has been focusing on dealing with victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking. In these efforts, the Center has been supported by the local pesantren community, hospitals and the regional government. Participants were particularly interested in the Center's strategy for dealing with victims of abuse. Representatives from the Center explained that they provide limited shelter for victims, access to doctors for medical reports and accompany victmis to the police and courts where requested.

The final day (Friday, September 15) of official seminars and discussion took place at the Center for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta. In the two seminars at CRCS, Khoiruddin. Nasution discussed Islamic family law in the Indonesian constitution and how it sets out the rights, responsibilities and roles of men and women in the family, while a panel discussion between  J.B. Banawiratma and Mohammad Iqbal Ahnaf discussed interfaith dialogue.

During the question and answer sessions, participants focused their attention on the status and role of Islamic courts in presiding over Islamic family law in Indonesia. Many participants felt in their own countries that the courts and the state law were often a source of problems for Muslim women. To a certain extent in Indonesia this has also been the case, but Dr. Nasution stressed that the debate over family law is still ongoing in Indonesia and even now a government committee is drafting a counter bill to existing legislation.

On interfaith dialogue, participants shared their own experiences in their respective countries, with some admitting that they face similar problems to the situation in Indonesia. Conflict between religious communities at times has made it difficult to establish dialogue between faiths, as has internal conflict within a single religious community as is taking place between the forces of pluralism and fundamentalism in Islam. Nonetheless, promoting interfaith dialogue does not necessarily need to be done on a grandiose scale, but as Dr. Banawiratma argued, can begin from day to day activities. Marketplaces and the public domain can become arenas for the ‘dialogue of life’ where people, through basic interaction with one another, can come to recognize one another, first and foremost, as human beings worthy of respect.

An information package on the study tour , including short bios of the participants and some of the speakers who took part in the seminars is currently available for download. Papers presented over the course of the program will be uploaded in the near future.

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3rd South Asian Muslim Leaders Study Tour Handbook |