Sinta criticizes traditional Kartini Day celebrations<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): As part of the commemoration of Kartini Day,
\nwhich fell on Saturday (April 21), First Lady Sinta Nuriyah Wahid
\nheld a press conference on Wednesday and several TV talk shows.<\/p>\n
The first lady said the Kartini Day celebration should be
\nfocused on more substantive activities like gender equality
\ncampaigns. She openly criticized the usual celebrations, where
\nwomen wear traditional costumes, and the flower arranging and
\ncooking competitions.<\/p>\n
As a part of the celebration, Sinta and her 12-strong team
\nwill launch four books containing the results of their five-year
\nreconstruction of the Kitab Kuning (literally means yellow texts,
\nclassical textbooks on Islam written by traditional Islamic
\nscholars hundreds of years ago), which are widely used,
\nparticularly in Java's rural areas.<\/p>\n
The group's study reveals that many parts of the books contain
\ngender-biased teachings, which unfairly place men in a much
\nhigher position compared with women.<\/p>\n
She cited several examples, including a remark that the angel
\nwill condemn a wife who does not quickly serve her husband who
\nwants to have sex with her.<\/p>\n
The first lady separately talked to The Jakarta Post's
\nCornelius Purba about gender equity and her activities to promote
\nwomen rights.<\/p>\n
Question: Gender equity as you are now promoting it doesn't
\nappear in our school text books that are actually important entry
\npoints for children to acquire the right perception on this
\nissue. What do you think?<\/p>\n
Answer: I think, you are right. In many official school text
\nbooks, from elementary to senior high school level, we can easily
\nfind pictures, explanations or illustrations that indicate that
\nwomen do not have an equal position to men. Images that women
\nshould stand back must be ended.<\/p>\n
You just talked about Kitab Kuning, could you elaborate
\nfurther?<\/p>\n
Struggling for gender equity is not easy, we must pass a very
\nlong and winding road. That is what we started from the
\nreinterpretation of the text books, to prove that real Islamic
\nteachings are not gender-biased. Gender equity is deeply
\nappreciated in Islam. We can find many examples in the Koran....
\nThere is no difference between men and women. Mankind is judged
\nfrom deeds, and not from sexes.<\/p>\n
Do ulemas (Islamic scholars) realize the real teachings?<\/p>\n
Only a few ulemas realize that and question the facts. However
\nmany of them still do not realize that many of the
\ninterpretations are weak or even fake, because there is still no
\nsurvey, research or study about the books. We are the first group
\nto initiate such study. I hope that with the launching of our
\nbook, people will have a deeper understanding about the problems.<\/p>\n
Do women face obstacles from outside to achieve equal
\npositions with their male counterparts?<\/p>\n
The greatest obstacle comes from women themselves. Usually out
\nof the pesantren (traditional Islamic boarding schools), all of
\nthe teachings in the text books are regarded as authentic, that
\nthe teachings which deprecate women are correct, and that women
\nmust serve men. The women enjoy the teachings that I regard as
\ndeceptive.<\/p>\n
Recently, there was controversy over the banning of a woman
\nfrom becoming President. What is your opinion?<\/p>\n
It is a male-biased opinion. Such a judgment was written by
\nmen, therefore the role of men was very crucial.<\/p>\n
They often consider women irrational. Women cannot rule the
\ncountry because they use their emotion and natural instinct in
\nmaking a decision, and then they conclude that men must be
\nleaders.<\/p>\n
The real situation is not like that. We can see that women are
\ntougher and patient in facing problems. In Islam, there were many
\nexamples about this in the past when men tended to prioritize
\ntheir own interests. There was a story about Queen Sheba who was
\nable to create social welfare for her people. This proves that a
\nwoman could also lead a state.<\/p>\n
How about gender bias in the government<\/p>\n
There is plenty of discrimination against women in the
\nministries. Many ministries are not yet gender-conscious. I have
\nreceived many complaints about such discrimination, especially in
\nrelation to higher positions in the government, where gender
\nsexism is strongly felt by women. It happens in all ministries.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, most of the male officials in government
\ninstitutions already have a good understanding about gender
\nequality. They just worry about their own position, that they
\nmight be replaced by their female colleagues. And they are not
\nready for this.<\/p>\n
Who should be the most responsible people to promote gender
\nequity in society?<\/p>\n
The most important role is played by the father and mother.
\nThey must set up an example with their own action, to show their
\nchildren that father and mother have equal positions. They should
\nwork together at home, including bathing their children. From the
\nparents, then children learn about equality. Every good and bad
\nthing starts from home.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur (President Abdurrahman Wahid) is the only man in your
\nfamily because you have four daughters. How about his own gender
\nconsciousness?<\/p>\n
Alhamdulillah (thank God), Gus Dur never discriminates against
\nwomen. I do not know precisely, but based on my analysis, Gus Dur
\nhimself experienced that his mother was left by her husband who
\ndied when her youngest child was still two months old in her
\nwomb. He saw how his mother struggled to raise her children.<\/p>\n
What is your view about polygamy<\/p>\n
The Koran implicitly does not allow polygamy, but it is always
\nmisinterpreted when it is believed that such a practice is
\nallowed. In reality it imposes very strict conditions on
\npolygamy. It is stated that you can marry one, two or three women
\nprovided that you are fair and honest. If you feel you cannot
\nfulfill these requirements, you had better not do it. It is
\nimplicitly revealed in a Koran verse what kind of men do not want
\nto apply or understand the real content. They only partially
\naccept the verse.<\/p>",
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