Are religions, particularly Islam, involved in discriminatory discourses between men and women? Does Islam affirm the relationship between men and women as an equal and equal relationship, especially regarding social, economic and political rights, or is it the other way around? How does Islam actually view the relationship between men and women? Most of us must have heard lectures that are discriminatory against women, for example such as women cannot be leaders, good or ideal women (wives) are those who obey, don't like to protest, just accept it regardless of whether their husband is right or wrong, to the nature of women were limited to 'beds', 'wells' and 'kitchen' matters. If Islam is a religion that upholds women and values equality, then why are the things taught by most of these religious leaders contradictory? What is the view of KH. Husein Muhammad, a feminist Kyai on this issue?
Husein Muhammad (Buya Husein) is one of the main supporters of Islamic feminism in Indonesia (Rahman, 2017). He is a graduate of Al-Azhar University, Cairo and leader of the Dar al-Tauhid pesantren in Arjawinangun, Cirebon. Even though he grew up in a conservative Islamic boarding school family and environment, Buya Husein was aware of the subordination of women. Through various articles, books about women, activism activities, and even being involved in formulating policies, Buya Husein seeks to eliminate this subordination to womenfolk. As stated by Nina Nurmila (2009), the main criterion of a feminist is having an 'awareness' of existing oppression and subordination (to women because of their gender) and taking 'action' to eliminate and change this oppression.
The core answer to the series of questions above is 'interpretation'. In looking at men and women, the basic principles of the Qur'an actually show an egalitarian view. Buya Husein realizes that one of the problems, which is not the sole root of the problem of gender inequality, is the interpretation of the Al-Qur'an and hadith which is male-biased. This interpretation becomes a norm that is repeated, constructed into a system (educational, social, economic and cultural system), then gradually acquires sacred value (Personal interview with Buya Husein, 18 August 2022). Feminist thinkers also reveal that the inequality between men and women, aside from ideological and cultural factors that favor men, religious thinkers may also justify it (KH. Husein, 2019). Therefore, what Buya Husein is trying to do is critically examine older interpretations of the Koran and fiqh, as well as provide new interpretations that are more in line with gender equality. Buya Husein opposes sacredness and finality in Islamic tradition.
Foundation: The Concept of Tawhid, Universal Islamic Values, and Its Gradual Phases
Rahman (2017) has discussed at least three things that form the basis of Buya Husein. The first foundation is the concept of Tawhid (oneness of Allah SWT). In his book entitled Ijtihad Kyai Husein, he said that the reconstruction of a new understanding of gender relations was carried out to uphold the principle of monotheism. The first scholar who proposed the concept of monotheism in relation to gender relations was Amina Wadud. Buya Husein argues that equality is a logical consequence of monotheism; all humans with all different backgrounds come from the same source, and should be treated equally.
Second, besides the principle of monotheism, Buya Husein also bases his ideas on gender equality on universal Islamic values, such as justice, equality, tolerance and peace. He then included these universal values into five basic rights or what Al-Ghazali called al-Kulliyyat al-khams (Five Principles), namely the right to religion, the right to physical welfare and life, the right to knowledge or opinion, the right to heredity/reproductive rights, and rights to wealth/social welfare.
Buya Husein's third foundation in interpreting the Qur'an is an understanding of the gradual phases of the verses of the Qur'an. This concept refers to Asghar Ali Engineer who said that all the verses of the Qur'an develop towards universal values, such as justice and equality for all human beings. Buya Husein stated that in response to seventh-century Arab patriarchal culture, the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad intended to build a new social culture that was more egalitarian and just. However, this new construction cannot be realized through a quick and all at once revolution, but through gradual evolution and phases. According to Kyai Husein, this process is called tadrījī or taqlīlī in classical Islamic literature. These three concepts later became the basis for Buya Husein's interpretation of the Qur'an.
Male Lead and Female Lead
Then, according to Islam, men are the absolute leaders of women, so women are not allowed to occupy leadership positions in the public/political sector?
Buya Husein said that there are many interpretations from Islamic Fiqh thinkers who say that a man is a requirement for an imam/head of state. The argument for this problem refers to the verse of Al-Qur'an surah An-Nisaa' verse 34. Men are Qawwam over women, because Allah SWT has exaggerated some of them over others and because they (men) provide a living from their wealth. Commentators say that qawwam this means leaders, protectors, people in charge, educators, regulators, and others that mean. Furthermore, they say that the advantages possessed by men over women so that they deserve to be leaders are due to their superior mind, ability to think decisively, strong determination, physical strength, writing ability, courage, and so on.
In responding to surah An-Nisaa' verse 34, the position of women which is defined as subordinate to men actually emerged and was born from a building of society or civilization dominated by men, or what is popularly known as patriarchal civilization/culture. According to Buya Husein, this verse must qualify as an informative verse which describes the social reality in the seventh century which is associated with that culture. This verse is limited to informing the reality of women's subordination through qawwam men, however, this text does not require and justify the subordination of women. Buya Husein said
that “All texts, whatever they are, are responses to cultural realities when the texts are presented at that time. The Qur'an was present in the 7th century AD in Arabia, we have to see how the reality of Arabia was at that time, so it is clear that the analysis must come from there” (Personal interview with KH. Husein Muhammad, 18 August 2022).
Buya Husein's explanation is also supported by other Muslim scholars, Amina Wadud for example. In her article entitled “Tawhid Ethics over Qiwamah Ethics', Amina writes “In my opinion, verse An-Nisaa': 34 may describe a scenario that was popular at the time of revelation, but did not set it as an irrefutable and irreplaceable command that must be coded. in law and practiced by those who adhere to Islam as their way of life.”
Societies with a patriarchal culture, at that time or currently, tend not to provide opportunities for women to actualize themselves, play a role in strategic positions, or become a leader. Thus, men who often appear and lead are considered to have more intelligence, ability, and the advantages mentioned above as the qualifications of a leader. Today, views on the superiority of men over women are refuted by themselves through real facts. The current reality proves that many women have played roles that have been monopolized by men. At the level of political leadership, there are many women who have succeeded in becoming heads of state, heads of government, governors, chairmen of parliament, heads of political parties, and so on. The same is true for jobs that have so far been labeled as male jobs, such as bus drivers, surgeons, and others.
The compartmentalization of characteristics between men and women, as well as the view that believes that this is something natural and natural, is not true. Such construction is formed because of the gender system created by a society that is closely related to patriarchal culture. Patriarchal society uses facts about biological conditions, such as chromosomes, anatomy, or male and female hormones as a basis for building masculine gender identities and behaviors for men and feminine identities and behaviors for women (Tong, 2009). For example, physically women have smaller bodies than men, so women are considered weaker and must be protected by men. In terms of the biological function of women conceiving and giving birth, the woman's job is to be a mother who takes care of the children while the men work. In other words, patriarchal culture exaggerates the biological differences between men and women to ensure that men have dominant or masculine roles and women have subordinate or feminine roles. Therefore, it would be a big mistake if we always wanted to position women in the settings patriarchal culture into ssetting modern society and culture as it is today. Success or failure in leading a nation has nothing to do with gender; male or female. Rather, it is more determined by the system implemented and one's ability to lead.
Progressive Islam: Necessity and Challenges
From one of the topics discussed above, it can be said that as a devout Muslim, Buya Husein believes that the Qur'an is something absolute, but on the other hand the interpretation of the Qur'an is relative. That is the reason he blamed the ongoing gender inequality in Islam, one of which is the interpretation of verses that are biased by patriarchal culture, and not the Al-Qur'an itself. Buya Husein cannot be classified as a traditionalist or neo-traditionalist group because of his adherence to an egalitarian approach in the verses of the Koran and Islamic traditions. Rahman (2017) categorizes him on the progressive side because he cannot deviate from Islamic tradition, as is done by the fourth group, namely reformers. The difference between the progressive and reformist approaches is that the former (progressive) prefers an egalitarian worldview by merging it with Islamic traditions and maintaining authority within the religious mainstream. While the latter, reformers, reject any tradition to maintain an egalitarian view.
Apart from the topic of leadership, there are still many interpretations of the Qur'an that are detrimental to the point that they even threaten women's health, such as female circumcision, early marriage, and so on. Therefore, critical thinking is needed, a shared understanding of gender equality, and the importance of gender equality values in interpreting the Qur'an. This is not only to realize a progressive Islam, but also to realize justice between men and women. Of course, echoing the interpretation of the values of gender equality in the Qur'an is not an easy thing. Buya Husein, in voicing his views, also faced a lot of criticism and even rejection. It needs to be emphasized again that what needs to be corrected here is religious discourse, not the Islamic religion itself, because religion and religious discourse are two different things. Quoting Buya Husein; “Criticism of religious issues is still a critical matter and often brings conflict both internally and externally, criticizing religious views is still understood as criticizing religion and suing God. Not many people understand that religion and religious discourse are different things. Religion is always universal and sacred, while discourse is religious thought that is contextual and profane.
Reference
- Muhammad, KH. Husein. 2019. Women's Fiqh: Kiai's Reflection on Interpretation of Religious and Gender Discourses. Yogyakarta: IRCiSoD.
- Nurmila, Nina. 2009. Women, Islam and Everyday Life: Renegotiating Polygamy in Indonesia. London; New York: Routledge.
- Rahman, Yusuf. 2017. Feminist Kyai: KH. Husayn Muhammad. Aljamiah: Journal of Islamic Studies, Vol.55, No. 2,
- Tong, Rosemarie. 2009. Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction. Colorado: Westview Press.
- Personal interview with KH Husein Muhammad, Cirebon, 18 August 2022.
English 
Indonesian