RI women's movement confronts challenge of religious right

Saturday, April 22, 2006
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The landmark year 1998, with the bloody May riots, the mass rape of Chinese-Indonesian women and the fall of the Soeharto regime after 32 years of authoritarian rule, was a tumultuous turning point for social movements in the country.

Included among them were women's rights groups, with outrage at the rapes triggering a renewed sense of activism. Issues of violence against women and women's political rights came to the fore.

In hindsight, chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) Kamala Chandrakirana says many non-governmental organizations were thrust into a confusing state of unprecedented change after many years of repression.

"NGOs had been around for over two decades by then, but they were not used to organizing big scale activities. And then suddenly everyone could voice their rights independently. NGOs then had to redefine their identity," she said Wednesday.

The organizations also faced internal issues, she added, suddenly having to learn to be democratic within themselves.

Eight years on, Kamala said the women's movement was still dealing with confusion and "disorientation", like the rest of the country in the haphazard transition to democracy.

"Democratization is an ongoing affair. But I see a lot of improvement within women's activism, such as the accountability system has started to be established, and the issue of conflict of interest and ethics also have been addressed," she said.

"But it has to be appreciated that the movement has been vibrant and growing. There are multiple faces of the women's movement emerging, not just antiviolence and political rights. There is the whole new, young generation coming up. We have reason to be confident it is happening."

Milestone have been achieved, she said, such as several laws, including one on domestic violence, supportive of women's rights.

However, Adriana Venny of Jurnal Perempuan (Women's Journal) said that despite the strong network of the women activists in the country, there was still much that needed to be done for women's equality.

"It's good that we have affirmative action as well as the law on domestic violence. But there are many things we don't have, such as laws on sexual harassment, witness protection and many others."

Activist and legislator Nursyahbani Katjasungkana of the Nation Awakening Party is concerned the women's movement is divided instead of integrated, and seems to be working from project to project instead of along a long-term, goal-oriented plan.
She also feared the struggle for women's political representation appeared to have fallen by the wayside after the 2004 general election.

"Yet the activists need to fight more for political rights, so that there many women in the legislative body who, of course, 'understand' women's rights. It's time for the women's movement to unite and find the 'common enemy'."

Many activists agree the clearest example of the latter is growing religious radicalization, which, as Kamala believes, wants to impose a monolithic idea of Indonesian women in society.

In recent months, there has been a concerted push for the passage of the pornography bill by religious hardliners, as well as the enactment of a number of bylaws that single out women for punishment, including on how they dress in public, interaction with the opposition sex, even to imposing limits on what time they can be in public places.

"The pornography bill is not about pornography at all, it attacks women's identity. This is such a big challenge. It is not only a problem for women, but through their (radical groups) efforts to control identity of women, they also redefine the nation. Yet we are a diverse nation," Kamala said.

In meeting the challenge, Venny said women's groups were divided on "sensitive" issues like pornography, abortion and lesbianism. "Whereas we have to be critical when we see the issue of morality," she said.

Kamala said women activists must make the country's diversity a focus of their stance in facing the challenge of the groups, and uphold the Constitution providing rights for all.

"The battle is now in the regions where the bylaws emerged," she said.
Muslim scholar and women's movement observer Nazaruddin Umar said the activists must use the same language in taking on the hardline groups extolling persuasive moral arguments.

"They have to use religious language to show that every religion is in fact fair to women. Work together with the ulemas on this issue. The family planning program was a failure until it involved ulema in the campaign," said the professor of Islamic studies at the Islamic State University.

The State Ministry for Women's Empowerment also has to do more for women's rights, she added..

"It is good that we have such a ministry, but so far, it doesn't function well. It has to improve its performance."

Labels: religion, women's right

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More discussions needed for places of worship decree

Sunday, February 26, 2006
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

U2 frontman and Christian Bono once quipped that unlike millions of people out there, his least-favorite John Lennon's song was Imagine.

"At the root of it (the song) is some rigorous thinking about the way things could be, but people have stolen the idea and made it an anthem for wishful thinking. I'm against wishful thinking. I hate it," he told Time magazine when appointed as one of the publication's persons of the year 2005, along with Bill and Melinda Gates.

Amid the growing religious radicalism and conflict between religious groups in this country, his sentiment rings true. People in this multifaith society cannot just whisk away the problems between religious groups by singing "Imagine no religion."

And it remains to be seen whether the government's completion of the revised decree on places of worship will help things.

The joint ministerial decree, issued in 1969 by the home and religious affairs ministers, requires the consent of local administrations and residents to build houses of worship.

The revised version, already sent to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, maintains the basic requirement of the original decree, but defines specific prerequisites.

It requires the establishment of the Communication Forum for Religious Harmony, consisting of representatives of all religious faiths, to review requests for permits to build places of worship and then provide recommendations to the local administration.

The decree also mandates the minimum number of congregation members for a proposed church, temple or mosque at 100. Any plan to build a place of worship must also be approved by at least 70 local residents of other faiths.

Religious minorities claim requirements in the existing decree have been used against them by hard-line Muslim groups.

Data shows that the past year, 23 churches -- other sources put the number as high as 35 -- have been shut down in the West Java capital of Bandung and neighboring areas by these groups.

The churches did not have permits as required in the joint decree, but had obtained operational licenses from the West Java Religious Affairs Office.

Data released by the Indonesian Committee on Religion and Peace (ICRP) showed that more than 1,000 churches nationwide have been destroyed or vandalized because they failed to meet the requirements of the decree.

ICRP secretary-general Theophilus Bela urged the government to revoke the joint decree.
"It is against the state ideology Pancasila and the Constitution as well as human rights. The government should protect people's rights to believe in a religion and perform acts of religious worship. The decree has the potential to tear apart religious harmony (here) and stop people from worshiping," he said.

Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra, however, said without the decree there would be more disputes.

"Arrangements and regulations are necessary to maintain religious harmony. It's the social aspects that are being regulated, not the religious aspects," he said.

The decree was not about limiting people's right to worship but about keeping public order, he said.

"If in a neighborhood where the majority are Christians, suddenly this large mosque appears only for small number of people, I think the majority would be affected, if not angry. It works the other way as well."

Azyumardi said many countries imposed regulations on places of worship. Establishing them required the consent of municipalities and there were also zoning arrangements governing where religious facilities could be built.

However, despite the claims by Religious Affairs Minister M. Maftuh Basyuni, religious groups here say there has yet to be a across-the-board agreement on the revisions.

"We have yet to agree on the minimum requirements for congregation numbers and approvals. Details on legal protection, the composition of the religious forum and its responsibility, and other details have yet to be clearly specified," Indonesian Archbishops spokesman Benny Susetyo said.

The revision states that if the minimum congregation number is met and regional and government approval is obtained, then the government must provide facilities for congregations if locals in the area reject their plan to build places of worship.

"But this part of the bill is not well-known. And it's not in-sync with the other articles. Which articles will become policy has never been discussed," Benny said.

The most important thing for minority religions was legal certainty, he said.

"Everything has to be in line with the state ideology and Constitution. If local administrations refuse to give groups permits, then they have violated the Constitution."

Azyumardi urged the government to delay the implementation of the revision until it was acceptable to every party.

"While arrangements and regulations are needed, the detail of their content must be discussed thoroughly with representatives from all religious groups."

Labels: religion

Posted by hera at 8:43 PM | Permalinks | Comments

Hard line of religion used to treat addiction

Sunday, March 21, 2004
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was not a pretty picture: A shabby little mosque in a dark alley, filled with puddles of mud because of the heavy rain, with a foul odor emanating from the nearby river and traditional market.
Passing through the curved hole in the wall of an entrance, the sight inside was even more disturbing, with several men chained to poles on the mosque's verandah.
"Some are mentally ill, some are drug addicts," said Ridwan, 57, a religious teacher and "manager" of the Nurul Alam mosque in the Pedongkelan slum in North Jakarta -- notorious as a place for prostitutes, the homeless and criminals.
He denied that chaining the addicts was inhumane, and argued it was to ensure their proper supervision.
"It's actually inhumane if we set them free. The biggest obstacle for the addicts is their circle of friends, which will cause a relapse. A drug addict can be very destructive, they are no longer human," said the small man in between chess games and cigarettes.
So, chained they are, their heads shaved cleans and given saline solution to detoxify the body. The main focus is doing various religious activities, including communal praying, Koran reciting, sermons and religious retreats to other towns or province.
The most severe cases of addiction will be put into a one meter by one meter box to "contemplate, know their self and their enemies".
"They are told to have faith. All of those problems are rooted in a crisis in faith. People don't know about belief, sin ..."
In a country where religious values are brought in to many issues -- from the gyrating dance of dangdut singer Inul Daratista (sinful) to karaoke and ballroom dancing programs on local television (inappropriate) -- it is no wonder that people also turn to religion to treat drug addiction.
The oldest and most prominent institution running such a rehabilitation program is probably the Inabah teenage dormitory owned by Pesantren Suryalaya school of Koranic Studies in Tasikmalaya, West Java.
Established almost a century ago, the school started its drug rehabilitation program in 1970 and now has expanded to 19 centers all over the country.
The method is said to be taken from the Holy Koran which includes continual praying and taking a shower up to three times a day -- one in the middle of the night.
It is reported that up to 10,000 troubled teens have been treated in the dorm, with the success percentage said to be 90 percent.
Aside from Inabah, there are plenty of other schools all over the country offering a religious approach, for instance one in Bogor, West Java, owned by Muslim cleric Toto Tasmara.
Within Christian communities, prominent names include the Doulos Foundation owned by the leader of the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) Ruyandi Hutasoit; Rumah Anak Panah rehabilitation center and Yayasan Anak Domba Allah (Lamb of God Foundation).
Father Johannes "Hanny" Osbourne Repi acknowledged that the religious approach can be a selling point for a drug rehabilitation center.
"Especially for parents, because of the security, faith and belief," said Hanny, who in 2001 was among the recipients of the National Figure of Drugs Awareness.
"We don't impose our beliefs, though, we just give them the picture. But in fact, miracles have occurred (in the treatment)."
Mere religious teaching, however, is not enough, Hanny said, as it has to be integrated with medical treatment, social activities and family counseling.
"Right now, however, we're more focused on an aftercare program and monitoring our clients -- we call them students, so that there will not be cases of relapse. It is important, because even those who have been clean for four years can go back to drugs," said Hanny at his office on Jl. Kran V No. 3 in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.
Except at Nurul Alam, located at Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan No. 1, the religious approach does not come for free.
Hanny charges Rp 2.5 million a month for the full 14-month program. On average, Rp 2.5 million to Rp 5 million is the fee charged by Islamic schools and other rehabilitation centers.
The Inabah dorm, meanwhile, charges Rp 50,000 a day.
"I give a cross subsidy for poor clients. However, many families pretend to be poor, perhaps because they have spent so much money to treat the drug addict," said Hanny.
Others contend that it takes more than religious teachings to completely wean drug addicts off their habit.
According to AIDS activist Nafsiah Mboi, whether the religious route works depends on the addicts' personalities and level of addiction.
"The higher the level, the more difficult it is to be treated, because there have been some changes in the brain. They easily miss the drugs, and if they come back to their fellow addicts, it easy to relapse," she said.
The religious approach will also not work if it is punitive and brands the addict a mere sinner, making them even more discouraged and depressed.
The important thing, she added, was a supportive environment.
Meanwhile, Ridwan from Nurul Alam mosque said the power of continual prayer was a way to teach orderliness, something that the addicts lose due to drug consumption.
"Prayer teaches discipline, order. We ask them to do pilgrimages, to get more insight into life, which is impossible to pursue by just staying home," said the elementary school graduate.
From the addicts' point of view, determination is most important in getting clean and staying that way.
Hafid Kurnia, 26, has been in and out of rehabilitation centers and hospitals ever since he started using drugs in 1996.
"I was sent to an Islamic school in Pekalongan (Central Java) which also focuses on prayer and dzikir (chanting God's name). But I managed to run away," said Hafid.
He added that Nurul Alam worked for him because it was run in a familiar way. But there is still a long way to go for Hafid, as he has only been treated for five months.
The real danger waits on the outside, and falling may into the abyss of addiction may cost him and millions of other young people their lives.

Labels: drugs, religion

Posted by hera at 2:09 AM | Permalinks | Comments