On gender bias

I refer to the article Woman imam prompts review of real 'truths' published in The Jakarta Post on March 29.

Firstly, I would like to express my appreciation to Ati Nurbaiti and the Post staff for their candid efforts to try and spread public awareness among the masses of gender-bias clothed in the garb of "religion".

The poignant "truth" of today is that though the world has been revolutionized in recent years, the thinking of some people inhabiting it still remains excessively "orthodox".

I do not by any chance wish to provoke a controversy of any sort, but it's necessary for all of us -- Muslims, Hindus, Christians and followers of other religions -- to realize and learn that all religions lead to One God, He who has created us human beings, and most importantly bestowed upon us (both male and female), full equality under the laws of heaven.

So, why do we, ignorant human beings, discriminate between the genders when the Supreme Lord himself hasn't? Why is it regarded as blasphemous if a woman leads a prayer gathering of men and women? Why -- when it's plain to see that the good Lord created us females and males as equals, and that by discriminating between the two, we are in point of fact, being irreverent and profane!!

DIPTI KAMATH, Karawang, West Java