Women and sharia law in Northern Indonesia: local women’s NGOs and the reform of Islamic law in Aceh (original) (raw)
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Local Women’s NGOs and the Reform of Islamic Law in Aceh: The Case of MISPI
Islam and the Limits of the State, 2016
Aceh has also facilitated the work of a new generation of scholars working on diverse aspects of Islam and society. Exciting new lines of investigation have been directed at the complex ways in which Islamic belief and practice are configured within the everyday experiences of Muslims as they navigate the diverse transformations of society. This volume brings together an international group of researchers who have recently conducted extensive fieldwork on various aspects of Muslim religious life in Aceh, and among different social groups. This work presents insight into diverse expressions and interpretations of Islam all across the province that can help us to better understand the range and extent of ways in which Islam both informs and reflects dynamics of political and cultural change in contemporary Aceh. Most of the chapters are adaptations of papers presented at the international conference "Islam in Contemporary Aceh: Reconfigurations of Ritual, Doctrine, Community and Authority" which was held in Leiden in September 2011. They help us to understand how diverse expressions and interpretations of Islam in relation to the current state Shariʿa project have come to inform and reflect broader dynamics of political and cultural change across the province. Given Aceh's iconic position in the history of Islam in Indonesia, and taking into account the broader field of the anthropology of Muslim societies, this volume aims to contribute to discussions about patterns of continuity and change in the fields of lived experience, the officialization of religious thought and practice, and the role of Shariʿa and the state in contemporary Muslim societies. It starts out with an overview of the process of Shariʿa implementation, and a further elaboration of the central theme of the volume. Subsequent chapters focus on such issues as gender relations, the role of civil society, the drafting of religious laws, leadership dynamics, public morality, punishment, public space, the remaking of everyday life in post-conflict, post-tsunami contexts, and changing ideas about community and individuality. As such, we hope that this book will invite further debate, and help propel and sustain the flowering of Aceh scholarship into a wider field of academic and non-academic discussion. The editors are grateful to all those whose work and generous support made the 2011 conference possible. In particular, we would like to thank lucis (Leiden University Centre for the Study of Islam and Society), who funded the event and the Leiden University faculty who participated, including Léon Buskens, Kees van Dijk and Nico Kaptein. Our discussions there were also significantly enriched by the contributions of Arskal Salim and Daniel Birchok. We are grateful to Jaap Fokkema of vu University Amsterdam, who produced the Aceh administrative map printed here. We would also like to acknowledge all of the encouragement and assistance of Nienke Brienen-Moolenaar, Teddi Dols and Kathy van Vliet at Brill in helping us bring this book to publication, as well as
Women and Shari‘ah Law: Lessons from Aceh
Ar-Raniry, International Journal of Islamic Studies, 2016
This study surveys the role of women in the development of shari`ah from the introduction of Islam to Aceh in the 12 th century down to the modern era with the formal adoption of Islamic law by an Indonesian parliamentary Bill on Aceh's Special Status in 1999. After briefly exploring this history, we examine contemporary debates on the current implementation of Islamic law by means of five women of differing backgrounds in this Indonesian province. We review historical documents and existing literature as well as qanuns of Aceh (local regulations) which stipulate shari`ah requirements. We also interview the five women, including one whose husband and another who herself were subjected to shari`ah punishment. The results are complex reflecting the intricacy of contemporary understandings of the shari`ah and the issues surrounding rights of women in Islamic law. One voice represents her agreement to the shari`ah punishment of her husband on account of its positive outcome for her family. The other four are critical of the current implementation of the shari`ah in Aceh, yet are not opposed to it; these ladies argue for women-friendly shari`ah.
Challenges of Women and Socio-Cultural Under islamic Law in Aceh
IJASS JOURNAL, 2024
Acehnese cultural values are deeply rooted in Islam, which emphasizes the importance of balance between society and Islamic Law in Aceh. In the dominant discourse on women's political participation, which often combines conservative cultural views on gender in decision-making in development. Strong culture and social demands often limit women's access to public spaces and decision-making processes. Although there is potential for women in Aceh, there are still few women who become leaders in politics. In the challenges of women in Aceh, this study uses observation, interview, and secondary methods to highlight the importance of religious and cultural values in shaping the decision-making process in Aceh. Women face structural, socio-cultural, and religious challenges in entering the public world, including the control of local elites and the need for education and political involvement in the community environment. Women, as the largest population in Aceh, should be able to contribute to social, cultural, and economic development as sustainable development. As a region that implements Islamic Law, women still have to struggle to be part of policymakers in public and domestic. Social culture in Islamic Law can sometimes lead to the marginalization of women because of the implementation of customs that may not be in line with the principles of gender equality. The implementation of Islamic Law in Aceh shapes and is formed by socio-cultural practices, which can lead to the construction of gender ideologies that often limit women's agency
Women and Shari‘ah Law: Lessons from Aceh
Journal of Automated Reasoning, 2016
This study surveys the role of women in the development of shari`ah from the introduction of Islam to Aceh in the 12 th centurydown to the modern erawith the formal adoption of Islamic law by an Indonesian parliamentary Bill on Aceh’s Special Status in 1999. After briefly exploring this history, we examine contemporary debates on the current implementation of Islamic law by means of five women of differing backgrounds in this Indonesian province. We review historical documents and existing literature as well as qanun s of Aceh (local regulations) which stipulate shari`ah requirements. We also interview the five women, including one whose husband and another who herself were subjected to shari`ah punishment. The results are complex reflecting the intricacy of contemporary understandings of the shari`ah and the issues surrounding rights of women in Islamic law. One voice represents her agreement to the shari`ah punishment of her husband on account of its positive outcome for her fam...
Contesting Islamic Law and Womens Rights
Islamic law (Syariah) and Women have always been contested issues, especially because of the status and rights of women under Islamic law (Syariah). In Indonesia, as the majority population is Muslim, the debate on the topic of Syariah has become a sensitive issue, especially since the enactment of the regional autonomy Law in 2001 which gave district governments more power to manage their own regions. Subsequently, many districts in Indonesia have begun to implement Syariah-based regional regulations (Perda Syariah). During the introduction of Perda Syariah, one of the most prominent topics debated has been women’s rights. This debate has mainly been about whether Perda Syariah enhances or infringes women’s rights. This article argues that Islam in Indonesia is not, in itself, a significant barrier for enhancing women’s rights, however the implementation of Perda Syariah, to some extent restricts women freedom such as preventing women going out of their home in the evening. This regulation, thus, worsens the condition of women’s rights, by limiting the access of the women to the public. This could happen because the policy makers are dominated by males and their understanding of women’s rights is gender biased and their interpretation of Islamic teaching is mainly patriarchal
Gender discourse within the application of Islamic law in Aceh, Indonesia
2020
This thesis is about Aceh, Indonesia, the Northernmost province in Indonesia with special autonomous rights to implement Islamic law, better known as shari’a. It examines the discursive practice of the implementation of shari’a in Aceh, regarding how men and women should behave. This research is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted from August 2016 to February 2017 in Aceh, Indonesia. In analysing the data, this thesis is informed by constructivist grounded theory and critical discourse analysis. This research found that local shari’a codification regulates people in various aspects, from public appearance, religiosity, morality and behaviour, as well as mobility and sexuality. It argues that the law is constructed within a patriarchal interpretation and it regulates women more than men. The finding also highlights the local shari’a regulations are aimed at creating what Foucault referred to as the “docile body”, in which the government, through the law and its various shari’a ...
Women in Public Sphere after The Implementation of Islamic Sharia in Aceh
Al-Albab, 2021
This article discusses several activities intended for Acehnese women after the implementation of Islamic sharia. Activities aimed at women in public spaces have an impact on the marginalization and narrowing of women's public spaces. This article also explicitly provides an overview and analysis of what actually happened to Acehnese women so that it appears that there is a problem of the domination of male power over women based on religious, cultural, and political arguments. The purpose of this article is for the public to understand that the Aceh government has made policies aimed at women in the public sphere with the support of Wilayatul Hisbah, which has an impact on the marginalization of women. It is found that after the implementation of Islamic law in 2001 until now, in Aceh, there have been domestication of women with various regulations (qonuns) as well as text interpretations which are used as legitimacy by the power of conservative ideology on progressive understa...
Research on humanities and social sciences, 2018
This study aims to observe the position of Acehnese women by analyzing the values of Sharia Law through the level of public compliance. Gender equality in the public sector can be seen by comparing the Acehnese women position in the RI-GAM conflict, after the peace, and after the implementation of Sharia Law concerning the protection and empowerment of women. This study uses the theory of liberal feminism because it takes the inequalities of classical gender ideology as the starting point of problem formulation. In addition, this study also uses the concept of gender equality and the ideology of women's liberation based on Islamic perspectives to investigate Qanun concerning women as the advocacy of women rights in the law, or also known as Feminist Jurisprudence (a court defending women rights). This research uses the qualitative method with case study approach. Data and information collection was through interview, documentation, and observation. Informant determination tech...