Amien warns of limits on emancipation

Amien warns of limits on emancipation

JAKARTA (JP): The chairman of the Muhammadiyah Moslem
organization cautioned an Indonesian women's movement not to take
the idea of emancipation too far, like their American
counterparts have done.

Amien Rais, addressing members of Aisyiyah, the women's wing
of Muhammadiyah, said Saturday that women should develop their
full potentials according to their "dignity and nature".

Emancipation should not be taken to mean that women should be
allowed to take part in such sports as boxing or wrestling, he
said in a gathering to mark Aisyiyah's 82nd anniversary, held at
the Senayan Sports Hall.

Women should stay away from alcoholic drinks, Ecstasy pills,
cigarettes and other dangerous substances, he said.

Some 7,000 members of the group turned up for the celebration.

Amien said the women's chief role is in education, now all the
more important than before for the nation as it faces the tough
challenges from globalization.

Indonesia, he said, has recognized the need for women's
emancipation long before the issue became a trend in the United
States, pointing out the presence of women in Indonesian
politics.

The women's movement in the West has taken the idea too far,
he said.

He cited, as an example, the debate on abortion in America,
where feminists join the pro-choice camp. Women's rights do not
include their right to have an abortion, he said.

The Aisyiyah organization was founded in 1917 by K.H. Achmad
Dahlan, who founded Muhammadiyah five years earlier. (07)