Does Islam oppose gender equality?

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Islam has been widely perceived as a religion that does not respect gender equality. Many, including Muslims, believe that Islamic doctrine views women as subservient to men or their husbands whose wishes they are obliged to fulfill.

Muslim writers grouped under the Study Forum for Yellow Books (Forum Kajian Kitab Kuning) have launched a book to counter traditional Islamic manuscripts, known as Kitab Kuning which have been used as a fundamental reference of wide-ranging teachings, including those on the relations between man and woman.

These old manuscripts have been called as such because they were usually written on yellow paper.

The book titled Wajah Baru Relasi Suami-Istri (The New Face of Husband-Wife Relations) specifically criticizes a Kitab Kuning called Uqud al-Lujjayn (Couple's Contract) written by Imam An- Nawawy, who lived between 1813 and 1898. He was born in Banten of Arab descend.

The newly launched book, for example, opposes a traditional Islamic concept that rejects a women's right to file for a divorce.

Such a concept is part of the Islamic teachings taught in kitab kuning, which has not been questioned by the country's Muslim majority.

The writers argue that author Imam Nawawy chose hadist (Prophet Muhammad's traditional collection of stories related to his words and deeds), the origin of which cannot be traced back to Muhammad.

Other Islamic concepts that the book also criticizes include a popular notion that a wife is not allowed to refuse her husband's request for sex. Many other concepts on gender inequality are criticized in the book.

Noted Muslim preacher Mustofa Bisri, popularly known as Gus Mus, from Rembang, Central Java, said the book Wajah Baru Relasi Suami-Istri was a civil way of expressing disagreement with the views written by a great ulema.

He said some other ulema also did not agree with the contents of An-Nawawy's book, asserting that Uqud al-Lujjayn was not the main reference for students of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Indonesia.

Many other kitab kuning, which have been taught at Islamic boarding schools, include Durrat al-Nasihin (Pearls of Wisdom) Ihya' Ulum ad-Din, (Living Religious Sciences) and Fath al-Qarib al-Mujib: Syarh Matan Abi Syuja. (Opening something near: A Commentary on Abi Syuja's Book)

Although Uqud al-Lujjayn is not used as an official reference in Islamic boarding schools, it is very popular in Indonesia as is usually taught in intensive Islamic courses during the fasting month of Ramadhan in pesantren.

The team of writers behind Wajah Baru Relasi Suami-Istri are former first lady Sinta Nuriyah Abdurrahman Wahid, Lies Marcoes, Attashendartini Habsjah, Badriyah Fayyumi, Arifah Choiri Fauzi, Juju Juhairiyyah, Djudju Zubaedah, Farhah Ciciek, Faqihuddin Abdul Kodir, Ahmad Lufty Fathullah, and Syafiq Sasyim.

Ibu Nuriyah, speaking at the book launch, said it took almost four years to prepare the 206-page book, which some critics have dubbed as a monumental work.

Musdah Mulia, chairwoman of the Jakarta-based Institute for the Study of Religion and Gender, said that to write a book which contradicted popular perceptions required extraordinary courage on the part of its writers.

"I believe there are many persons capable of writing such a book, but it's very seldom one can find writers with courage to write a book that will predictably draw opposition from the public," said Musdah, who is also a lecturer at the Jakarta based State Academy of Islamic Studies (IAIN).

According to another Muslim scholar Ulil Abshar Abdalla, the book is a "monumental work" that offers corrections to traditional manuscripts written by great ulema, whom many Muslim leaders are reluctant to criticize.

He said such a rare work was a product of ijtihad (a move to decide on a certain controversial issue through serious and comprehensive studies).

Ulil confirmed that some 60 hadist quoted by An-Nawawy in his Uqud al-Lujjayn are those of questionable authenticity.

Such critical analyses of any kitab kuning is required to assess whether the Islamic concepts contained there are still relevant to the current situation, he said.

"A book is a cultural product, which should be written in the context of a cultural setting. Therefore, reinterpretation (of traditional manuscripts) is needed," said Ulil of the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

But another Muslim scholar Moeslim Abdurrahman said that the Wajah Baru Relasi Suami-Istri was more than a product of ijtihad. It could even be considered a work produced through jihad, meaning that the writers had nullified all An-Nawawy's arguments in conflict with their mission -- gender equality.

Moeslim said the writers tried hard to prove that An-Nawawy's concepts that opposed gender equality were not the real Islamic teachings.

"All that the writers have done is to seek a legitimate basis for their arguments on gender equality," he added.

According to Musdah, Wajah Baru Relasi Suami-Istri is an alternative to many books depicting the relations between men and women that are sold at bookstores. "It is up the readers to make an assessment and to make conclusions about the books they read," she added.