The Challenger: An
Interview with Prof. Dr. Musdah Mulia
Religion is commonly perceived as a strict
text to be interpreted and obeyed. Freakily, Musdah Mulia thinks it should not
work that way. Thus, she is labeled as a rebel, or even worse as an unbeliever.
We talked with her about her perspectives on religion and humanity, and how it
could work in harmony without harming each other.
1. How did
you get in to human rights activism through Islamic teachings?
The core and
foundation of Islam is the concept of tawhîd. It is the basis for
Muslim’s devotion to God, and guides every Muslim on how to establish
harmonious relationships among human beings. So, in Islam, all human beings are
considered equal. All human beings are equally created by God. The only thing
that differentiates one individual from another is the quality of devotion and
obedience to God (taqwa). And the only one capable of judging the
quality of taqwa is God Himself, not humans.
To my believe, the
Quran is the ultimate authority. Anything that contradicts it,
including in the corpus of hadith and fiqh, cannot
be considered as Islamic. Furthermore, I also believe that the Quran is
open to multiple interpretations, as a result of human agency in seeking to
understand the text. There is no final, authoritative human interpretation of
the text. Thus, the history of Quranic exegesis is a story of a constant and
continuing endeavor of Muslims seeking to understand the word of God, a
wondrous exercise that can result in new meanings and perspectives evolving
over time.
As a Muslim woman,
I do believe that the essence of Islam is revealed in the humanistic values it
embodies. In my opinion, Islamic teachings have compatibility with the
principle of human rights. It is also compatible with the principle of
democracy. So, for me, theologically, Islam is a blessing. Islam does not
differentiate between a male and a female. Its teachings contain universal
values that cover all aspects of human life. The endeavor to eliminate all
forms of discrimination, exploitation and violence against human being is still
a struggle, this is why I feel the concern, need and urgency to get in to human
rights activism.
2.
Growing up in a family where religious values were strictly upheld did not stop
you from being progressive. How did you challenge the conservatism in your
surroundings?
I lived mostly
with my grandparents. My grandfather was a prominent religious leader (ulema)
who firmly believed in the rigid and traditional interpretation of Islam. For
example, according to my grandfather, women should not become leaders. He also
believed that a devout woman is one who dedicates her whole life just to her
husband and family. And he even believes that a woman’s voice is considered aurat
(private parts).
My grandmother is
a firm believer of traditional cultural values. According to her, women, for
example, must know how to cook, sew and do her household chores properly. As a
girl, I was not allowed to laugh loudly, to walk with my head held up, to eat
certain types of fruits because they were considered bad for girls, I was told
to drink a lot of jamu (traditional herbal drinks with medicinal
values) and to diet in order to avoid becoming obese, I was also forbidden to
dress like men. In short, I was given a long list of forbidden behaviors and
habits.
And so, as a
child, I was sent to a traditional Islamic Boarding School. I was only allowed
out of the house for educational purposes. I was also only permitted to go to
religious schools, even at the university level. And all that, was in order to
have me study Arabic. Because for my grandfather, Arabic is the language of
heaven, and consequently, through my studies in the Islamic boarding school, he
expected me to obtain a good understanding of Islamic religion.
At university, I
began to realize that not everything that my grandparents indoctrinated me
with, was true. It was at that point that I started to explore humanistic and
progressive interpretations of Islam. I finally realized that there is no
single interpretation of any religion including Islam, and that there were, in
fact, several. The problem is, although there are various interpretations,
people tend to comprehend only one and unfortunately, they claim that one
interpretation as the absolute and only truth. Other differing interpretations
are always considered wrong and even misguided. Why do people accept only one
interpretation as true? This is because many religious leaders tend not wanting
these diverse interpretations to be in conflict with each other.
I believe that
every core aim of all religion and faith is for the betterment of all human
beings, both women and men, to be pious and useful, for them self, the family
and the community in general. A number of studies have shown that there are
many cases of domestic violence that stems from the misconception of religious
interpretations that are discriminative towards women. It is my sincere hope
that religious leaders can transform the tendency of masculinized religion’s
interpretations, so that women can feel more comfortable and feel that their
interest is accommodated within it.
3.
Whatever happen to the counter legal draft[1] of the Indonesian Islamic Legal Code,
you once drafted back in 2004?
[1] A
document that was formulated by Musdah Mulia and her team, which challenged the
state’s family law and narrated a recommendation that prohibits child marriage
and allowing interfaith marriage.
In 2004, The
Gender Mainstreaming Team in the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which I am
pointed as the coordinator, proposed The Amendment of the Compilation of the
Islamic Law, entitled: of the Counter Legal Draft of the Compilation of Islamic
Law (CLD). The CLD embraces the implications of the Qur’anic commitment to
equality and freedom in a thoroughgoing and uncompromising way. The CLD was
constructed on the premise that the realization of the Qur’anic vision of the
family can be achieved only if the values of equality and freedom are reflected
in all aspects of the formation and regulation of equal marriage and family.
If we look at the
Muslim Family Laws in different countries or communities, we can see how
different they are from one another, and how more or less option-giving they
are for women. Nowadays, many Muslim Family Laws have been interpreted by
diverse actors and formalized as a Sharia law. These Sharia laws are man-made,
and definitely not a God given law.
One of the
subtlest but very much pervasive areas of discrimination against women in the
Muslim world today is the inequality that occurs within the context of the
family. Throughout Muslim countries, Muslim women are speaking out about such
discriminations and are fighting for a reform of family laws to promote justice
and equality within the family.
One of the effort
to reform the family law was endeavored in the form of a Counter Legal Draft
(the CLD), an ijtihad (effort) to that seeks to offer a just and
democratic marital law, based on Islamic teachings that upholds humanitarian
values. The purpose was to establish a marriage filled with love and affection
(mawaddah wa rahmah), and encourage upright behavior of the husband
and wife (mu’asharah bil ma`ruf), and mutual respect and
understanding. This was in order to induce completion among each other to
obtain happiness in family life. To me, the CLD is also an effort to seek
solution for a number of contemporary social problems faced by Indonesian
women. The CLD also strives to eliminate all forms of discrimination,
exploitation and violence within a marriage.
Formulated as an
alternative knowledge based on research and in-depth analysis, the CLD is still
a working document, and it has its share of objection. Until nowadays, the CLD
is still being discussed among scholars and students, particularly in Islamic
Schools. Some Islamic Universities even establish a CLD curriculum as a major
subject in their Islamic Law Faculties. Also, many Muslim scholars are still
using the CLD as a reference to the Indonesian Islamic jurisprudence book.
Since 2005, there have been 29 dissertations, 41 theses, and 53 articles which
contain discussions on the CLD. And although it is popular in the academic
sphere, the CLD rarely received any response from the society at large. But,
despite its weak support from the public, I still believe that the CLD will
continually live on.
All in all, the
idea of the CLD aims to empower women and protect women as a human being, as
explained in the Al-Qur'an and Sunnah. The CLD is still a relevant
document, especially for the women Indonesia, I do believe that with the CLD,
the Indonesian Muslim community will be able to promote Islamic teachings that
are humanist and women friendly.
4.
Many misuse political agenda through religion as a vehicle. Do you think that
this is the case for the 4th November 2016 demonstration? What are your views?
Rising religious
intolerance like the 4th November 2016 demo, was a threat to Indonesia’s widely
respected tradition of pluralism, freedom of faiths and interreligious harmony.
The demonstration projected a threat not only to the countries’ religious
minorities but to all Indonesians who value democracy, peace and human rights.
Indonesian Muslim
community epitomizes a case of exceptional uniqueness. In spite of being
designated as the world’s largest Muslim community, Indonesia is not an Islamic
State. Such condition came up because the founding fathers and mothers of this
republic -the majority of whom were Muslims - did not choose Islam as the
foundation of the state. Instead, they chose Pancasila as the
state’ philosophical foundation and at the same time as the guideline in
establishing the state’s political power. Pancasila comprises narratives that
ensures protection for all citizens, of whatever religion or belief, including
those currently adhering to other religions or beliefs outside the six
officially-recognized faiths. The first sila: Belief in the one and only God
means that every Indonesian citizen, no matter belonging to any religious
denomination or faith, should respect each other’s belief for the sake of the
harmony and peace of all human beings. So, this principle contains the
precepts of religious tolerance and freedom to all people.
The problem is,
not everyone accepts the pluralistic spirit of the constitutions, and there are
extremist groups (of one form or another) that have been enforcing their vision
of a non-plural state. In different ways, many of these extremist groups have
contributed in the elevated climate of religious intolerance, for instance:
through intellectual sphere, theological, and political discourse, that
resulted in violence and intimidation.
In my long
experience of working in the issue of peace and religious freedom, I came to
the conclusion that the trigger in the increasing religious intolerance are as
follows: 1) The spread of extremist ideology, through educations, preaching and
the dissemination of biased literature, DVDs, and digital contents. 2)
Implementations of discriminatory laws and regulations, 3) Weak law enforcement
towards victims in need of protection and justice, 4) And last but not least,
is the unwillingness of the majority of Indonesians to speak out against
intolerance. There is a worrying state of “silent majority” (a passive
intolerance) in Indonesia, those who do not approve of the rising intolerance
but do nothing to challenge it.
My recommendation
to respond to our country’s state of increased intolerance is, firstly, the
importance to redirect religion’s position by putting more emphasis on
multi-cultural principles and teaching of universal values, not by teaching the
ritual aspects that are legal-formal in nature. And, to leave behind those
dogmatic religious teachings that are full of myths and horror stories on
doomsday. Because, religious teachings should encourage to do good deeds, to
care for each other, and should urge us to build a human civilization that is
peaceful and harmonious.
Secondly, it is
very important to urge religious leaders to promote humanistic, inclusive, and
progressive religious interpretations. So that, there will no longer be any
interpretations that are discriminative against women and other minority
groups. We have to promote religious interpretations that are in line with
principles of democracy and human rights. Interpretation of religion should be
accommodative towards humanistic values. Religious leaders should return to
their prophetic task, which is to push for transformation of society in order
to attain a civilized society.
Thirdly is
interfaith cooperation. This step is fundamental to provide that theological
push, even if each religion has differences in norms and doctrines, but all
have an empirical level that embraces the same reality, that is, the reality of
a humanity that cuts across religion, ethnicity, and race. There are many forms
of cooperation and dialogue that can be carried out by interfaith
communities. It is important to note that a useful dialogue can serve as
a vehicle to transform a community to become a more just and humanist society.
5. Other
than being an activist, you are also involved in the academic arena. How do you
juggle both roles to achieve your objective in prospering human rights?
The
holy book, the Al-Qur’an gives me firm guidelines that all humans, irrespective
of their sex, gender, race, skin, language, and even religion are created to
promote a very important vision of their creation as khalifah fil ardh (a
courteous agent). As a courteous agent, all human beings are expected to
be able to organize and manage their life on earth in the best way possible for
the betterment of human beings.
To me, my duty as
a Muslim scholar and an activist is by advocating efforts of positive transformation
and humanization. Efforts of transformation includes transforming my own self,
my family, and my community. It also comprises the efforts of ‘humanizing’ the
people, that is to say to make them more ‘human’. Of course, this is really
complicated. But I am committed to do whatever I can do and give whatever
contribution I can make in order to prosper human rights. I do all of these
efforts in the hope that I can contribute to the elimination all forms of
discrimination and exploitations, for the betterment of all human being, for
the birth of a better civilization which respects humanity.
And,
in juggling between being an activist and a scholar, I set scales of
priorities. Because, doing two things simultaneously is quite impossible (for
me), and therefore I set my priorities by letting out my ego and selfishness,
that tends to constrain any individual.
6. You
have produced a lot of written work that challenges the conservative mindset on
gender equality, women’s rights, and sexual & reproductive health and
rights. What have been the most significant reach you achieve from producing
those narratives?
As a Muslim woman
and as a human being, I must do whatever I can do and give whatever
contribution I can make. My written work has given me the space and access to
reach people with my alternative version of Islamic teachings that are
compatible with democracy and human rights; also by campaigning Islamic
teachings that are friendly to women; and last but not least, through my
narratives, I am hoping that it will induce the birth of a civilization which
respects humanity. With however small contributions that I have given from
producing those narratives, I hope it reaches people so that there will be a
point in the future where I will cultivate the feeling of no repentance to have
lived in this mortal world.
7. Is
there hope for a feminist Indonesia?
For me, I am a
feminist. That is my foremost identity. But I am also a Muslim woman, and so I
have no problem in calling myself a Muslim feminist. I am very proud of my
Muslim and Feminist identity. I don’t see any contradiction in being a Muslim
and a feminist at the same time, because I have been brought up with an
understanding of Islam that is just. And a God that is absolutely just,
including in matters related to women and gender relations.
I believe that the
core aim of all religion and faith is for the betterment of all human beings,
both women and men, to be useful, for them self, the family and the community
in general. As previously mentioned, I will repeat that a number of studies
have shown that there are many cases of domestic violence that stems from the
misconception of religious interpretations that are discriminative towards
women. It is my sincere hope that in a country like Indonesia, religious
leaders can transform the tendency of masculinized religion’s interpretations,
so that women can feel more comfortable and feel that their interest is
accommodated within it.
If religious
leaders are able to reflect and reform their patriarchal perspectives, I
am convinced that there is still hope for a feminist Indonesia.
8. In
a national state of diminishing respect of pluralism, what will be your tip to
young Indonesians (male, female, transgender) out there?
It is very
important to underline that pluralism is the willingness to recognize
differences and accept diversity as a natural force in life to subsequently be
committed to build solidarity and cooperation for the sake of peace and
harmony. Pluralism must be built upon a principle of love, caring, equality and
the recognition of human dignity. Pluralism urges for the fulfillment of human
rights, including women rights.
Pluralism is a
process of actively seeking an understanding across lines of difference. To sum
it up, pluralism does not mean that one has to shed one’s own religious
identity and disclaim one’s own commitment to the religion embraced, and it
also doesn’t mean a syncretism to which one mixes teachings of different
religions. The core of pluralism is the strong commitment to build a synergic
relationship with each other in order to ensure peace and harmony.
It is important to
note that Indonesia epitomizes a case of exceptional uniqueness. Indonesia is
the largest Muslim country in the world. It is home to more than two hundred
million Muslims, which is approximately 80% of the total population of
Indonesia. Despite the fact that the majority of Indonesians are Muslims,
Indonesia is not an Islamic state. Indonesia’s state ideology is not Islam, but
is based on Pancasila. It consists of five principles, namely: Belief in God;
Just and civilized humanism; Unity of Indonesia; People’s power; and social
justice. For me, these five principles are very compatible with the universal
values of human rights. And also, it is very conducive for building a culture
of coexistence and peace among the community.
The choice of
Pancasila as the country’s foundation, have put into account the importance of
maintaining pluralistic and democratic value in shared life as a nation in
Indonesia.
The thing worth
underlining here is that Indonesian (youngsters, leaders, etc.) must hold
inclusive, moderate and tolerant disposition. They must project the belief and
importance of maintaining a harmonious togetherness as a nation, as well as the
significance of upholding a human dignity, also an esteem regardless
differences of faiths; and lastly, the importance of respecting human basic
rights, which includes religious freedom for all civilians including the
minority and vulnerable groups.
