Koran not root of sexism in Islam
Koran not root of sexism in Islam
JAKARTA (JP): Islam does not discriminate against women but
its adherents may be guilty of discrimination due to a
misinterpretation of the religion, Minister of Religious Affairs
Tarmizi Taher says.
As a consequence, the religious principles don't need to be
discarded, but the erroneous interpretation of its adherents must
be corrected, Tarmizi said on Saturday at a seminar on gender in
Islam.
Tarmizi acknowledged that women have been left behind or even
completely out in many aspects of life compared to men.
In countries where illiteracy, poverty and health problems
still prevail, women always stand as the majority, he said. This
inclination is also found in Moslem countries.
He argued however that Islam cannot be blamed for this because
the religion recognizes gender equality.
The seminar, organized by GUPPI, an Islamic education
organization, picked up the theme of discrimination against women
that was widely discussed at last week's Second Asia Pacific
Ministerial Meeting on Women in Development.
GUPPI chairman Jusuf Talib in his address challenged his
audience to find Islamic teachings on women to correct the
disparity between concept and reality.
Differences in viewing women in Islamic societies are
influenced by culture as well as religion, he said.
"There are cultural differences in Moslem societies which in
turn influence their understanding of the Holy Koran's messages
about women," Jusuf said, adding "But if we see the essence of
Islamic teaching in the Koran, we can find that Islam totally
recognizes equality between male and female before God."
The seminar which was attended by dozens of participants who
were predominantly women featured three female main speakers:
Yulfita Rahardjo, Huzaemah T. and Aida Vitayala Sjafri Hubeis, a
demographic expert.
Huzaemah agrees that Islam does not recognize discrimination.
Instead, Islam in fact pioneered liberating women from men's
suppression, which prevailed before Islam came into existence in
the sixth century.
Huzaemah said that Islam stipulates the rights of women on
issues such as marriage, divorce and education.
On inheritance, where Islamic principles say that women only
get half of men's rights, she contended that this is based on the
differences of responsibility between men and women.
She added, however, the teaching on inheritance is actually
flexible. It can be based on a deliberation among the inheritors.
Stereotypes
Yulfita Rahardjo of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
(LIPI), listed a number of gender stereotypes all of which put
women as men's subordinates.
When a female baby is born, its parents treat her differently
from a male baby. As she grows, her toys will be different from
boys'. When she enters school, she will absorb knowledge which is
loaded with gender stereotypes.
"Just look at student books whose pictures feature, for
instance, a mother who is cooking or sweeping the floor and a
father who is going to the office or sitting reading a
newspaper," she said.
Aida Vitayala, who lecturers at the Bogor Institute of
Agriculture, said that the gender discrepancies in Islamic
societies have their origins in the traditional Islamic rules or
Fikh, which are full of contradictions in dealing with women.
Aida proposed that women find a new religious interpretation
for their life.
She said women have fallen victim to development because of
limited access to education, economic resources and culture.
As a result, a number of discriminative practices have become
accepted phenomena, such as wage discrimination and career
advancement. (11)