[nasional_list] [ppiindia] Women seek greater political clout to fight fundamentalism
- From: "Ambon" <sea@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <"Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@freelists.org>
- Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 01:27:26 +0200
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**http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20060905.H09&irec=8
Women seek greater political clout to fight fundamentalism
Adisti Sukma Sawitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After wrapping up a national gathering last week, women's rights activists say
they are planning to educate themselves politically and seek a bigger role in
administrations and local legislative councils.
The activists argue women can no longer stay at home and trust their husbands
or male relatives to fight for their rights and welfare, pointing to the
issuance of several sharia-inspired bylaws in various parts of the country as
proof.
"We need more women representatives because those gender-biased sharia bylaws
are actually the products of male domination in local administrations and
councils," women's activist Zohra Andi Baso of Makassar, South Sulawesi, told
The Jakarta Post over the weekend.
She noted that in the South Sulawesi regencies of Takalar and Enrekang, which
had no women on their legislative councils, the local administrations easily
enacted ordinances to regulate what women wear.
Since regional autonomy was put into place in 2001, at least 23 sharia-inspired
bylaws have been adopted in five provinces in this predominantly Muslim
country. Supporters argue the measures reduce social ills and bolster morality.
The trend has caused alarm among some Muslims and members of other religions,
who fear it could increase Islamic fundamentalism.
Some of the bylaws are gender-neutral, such as those requiring schoolchildren
to become literate in the Koran. Others focus on women, allowing authorities to
arrest them as prostitutes if they are on the street alone after dark, or
charge them with indecency if they don't follow a dress code.
"If we can't change the conditions in our areas, I would not be surprised if
there were more bylaws like this in the coming years," said activist Surayya
Kamaruzzaman of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.
She said besides getting more women involved in politics, it is important to
educate them in self-advocacy, since most women currently involved in local
administrations and councils have rarely spoken out for their rights.
Nursjahbani Katjasungkana, a prominent women activist who is also a House of
Representatives legislator with Commission III on law and legislation, said
what she called the growing abuse of women in the name of religion shows the
failure of Indonesian women's activism.
"The women's movement, made up of legislators, bureaucrats and activists, is
not consistent and is poorly coordinated in fighting for their rights. That's
why we fail to counter this kind of fundamentalism," she said.
Nursjahbani said women's activists did not actively participate when the House
and the government were deliberating some laws, including the law on Aceh
governance.
That measure affirmed Aceh's right to adopt sharia laws. Women there have been
detained for failing to wear headscarves and, along with men, have faced caning
for such offenses as adultery and gambling.
"Where were they at that time? If they had learned well from their past
experiences, they would have started to take more concrete actions, rather than
just talking or holding discussions at forums," Nursjahbani said.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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