Reclaiming an Authority: Women’s Ulama Congress Network (KUPI) and a New Trend of Religious Discourse in Indonesia

Abstract

The struggle of the Indonesian Women Ulama Congress Network (KUPI) to reclaim the authority of female ulama in Indonesia has facilitated the emergence of a new trend in a religious domain that has traditionally been male-dominated and marginalized women. This paper aims to explore three methods of struggle adopted by the KUPI network to reclaim women's religious authority and socio-political recognition of being an ulama. These include reconstructing the concept of ulama, developing an alternative non-patriarchal and gender-inclusive epistemology, and issuing fatwas on strategic issues. Data for this study has resulted from observations, interviews with ten (10) leading activists and members of the KUPI network, and readings on the publications of the KUPI and its network. This study reveals that KUPI reinterprets the concept of ulama by giving new gender-inclusive meanings in terms of definition, agency, and roles. The KUPI network also criticizes the existing epistemology that has enabled masculine domination and patriarchal bias in producing religious knowledge. The network develops a new epistemology in interpreting religious texts contextually. It brings up the true-justice perspective and hermeneutics of reciprocity. KUPI issued fatwas related to three major issues, including sexual violence, child marriage, and ecological crisis. The fatwa also functions to establish KUPI's position of legitimacy on a par with the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) and symbolizes public recognition of Muslim women's clerical authority. The study recommends the need for a more massive-quantitative study to map social acceptance and recognition of women ulama's authority on a national and international level.

Received: 12 January 2022 / Accepted: 19 March 2022 / Published: 5 May 2022