Scholars urge debate on women's role in prayer

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The reaction continued on Tuesday to the news that a woman led a mixed-gender Friday prayer service in New York last week, with Muslim scholars calling for more public discussion of the role of women in Islam.

Like other local scholars, Komaruddin Hidayat of Jakarta's Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, was skeptical about a woman imam in Indonesia, at least in the near future.

But he said a public discussion of the controversial issue would do no harm, as people had the right to judge what was right and wrong rather than simply having ulema tell them what to do.

"This issue is debatable but many ulema have stated that it is law. Of course, there will be some condemnation. But this idea must go through a public debate to decide on its validity," Komaruddin said.

Before women are allowed to lead prayers there must be a thorough discussion to prevent a violent reaction from hard- liners, he said.

"The media and public forums can be used to discuss the idea," said Komaruddin, who is also a lecturer at Paramadina Mulya University, which was founded by Nurcholish Madjid, one of Indonesia's most well known Islamic thinkers.

Amina Wadud, a professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, caused controversy last week when she led a congregation of about 100 men and women in Friday prayers at an Anglican church.

Liberal Muslims around the world applauded her, but conservatives condemned the act as apostasy and tarnishing Islam.

Three mosques refused to hold the service and an art gallery backed out after receiving a bomb threat.

Conservative Muslims say women are prohibited from becoming imams, or prayer leaders, because their bodies can stir sexual desire in men.

They also claimed that women's issues were being used by enemies of Islam to corrupt the community.

Scholar Ulil Abshar Abdalla from the Liberal Islam Network said a revolutionary act such as Wadud's could only take place in countries such as the United States where civil rights were protected.

"Here even establishing a church, which is legal and guaranteed by the Constitution, can spark violence and police are powerless in handling hard-line groups. The authorities are also powerless to take firm action against those preaching religious violence," he said.

Ulil said the idea of women imams had been around in Indonesia since a cleric in Cirebon, West Java, said a long time ago that it was permitted under Islamic law for women to lead mixed-gender congregations.

Although more discussion of women's rights in Islam is needed, Ulil said the issue of women imams was not yet an urgent one.

"I basically agree with Amina Wadud. Symbolically, it is a huge step. But do we need to push for a discussion about women imams right now? I don't think it's yet necessary," he said.

Ulil said there many more crucial issues surrounding women in Islam that needed to be discussed, such as domestic violence.

"It is more important, I believe, to discuss and push issues raised in the alternative draft of the Islamic code of law (KHI)," he said.

The controversial KHI draft has been praised by many women activists and moderate scholars for giving women more power in marriages, banning polygamy, allowing interfaith marriages and giving women the same divorce rights as extended to men.

However, the draft has angered many Muslim clerics, with some calling it a blasphemy and satanic. The Ministry of Religious Affairs annulled the draft in February, four months after it was issued.