Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – In a bizarre move, the House of Representatives Commission VIII overseeing religious and social affairs summoned conservative Muslim groups to seek their view on the gender equality bill.
Among the groups invited to the hearing on Thursday was Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), which predictably lashed out at the bill, saying that it could pose a threat to the concept of a family under Islamic tradition.
"The bill will give a legal foundation for women to leave domestic affairs to be more active in public life, and this will put families at stake because the divorce rate, for instance, will likely increase as women earn their own income," HTI's spokesperson, Iffah Ainur Rochman said.
Iffah said that equality between men and women could also end up being destructive to Muslim families because "women are obliged to prioritize and be obedient to their husbands".
She said that democracy should be blamed for discrimination against women because it was inconsistent with Islamic values.
"All those Western ideas of democracy, liberalism, and secularism have clearly disrespected women. We, therefore, urge any law in the country to made consistent with the Islamic teachings," Iffah said.
The commission also invited five other Islamic groups, including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Muhammadiyah's women's organization Aisyiah, the Nahdlatul Ulama's women's organization Muslimat NU, the Federation of Indonesian Muslim Women (BMO-IWI) and the Indonesian Muslim Women Association (PUI).
Representatives from the groups, who were all women, uniformly criticized the bill, saying that it would contradict Islamic laws concerning inheritance, marriage, and the role of women as mothers and housewives.
"We must realize that Islam strictly orders the bigger chunk of an inheritance to be given to men. Our religion has also set different roles for men and women," senior MUI member Eneng Zubaedah said.
MUI deputy secretary-general Welya Safitri highlighted several controversial articles of the draft bill. She said that article 12 of the bill guarantees that everybody has the freedom to pick their spouses – regardless of faith.
"This is against the 1974 Marriage Law, which mandates that marriage is only possible for individuals of the same faith," she said. She also suggested the bill set out details on what rights should be accorded to men and women, based on Islamic values.
Activist Husmiati from the PUI said she supported the bill, but called on lawmakers to take into account the diversity of opinions within Islamic tradition and other cultures.
"The bill is important to guarantee women's rights in the country. However, there are some articles that need thorough consideration so that they will not overlap with other existing laws," she said.
Commission VIII chairperson Ida Fauziah, a member of the National Awakening Party (PKB), told The Jakarta Post that the deliberations over the bill were still in its early stages.
"We will invite other groups representing other religions in Indonesia, as well as experts and activists, for their opinions on the bill so it will not only concern Islam," she said. "We welcome all opinions, including from extremist groups, such as the HTI members, because they are also part of the country."
Ida said that inviting the conservative groups was important because Indonesia was a religious nation. "We cannot leave religion behind in any sector of this country's life," she said. (yps)