Women Shaping Islam

by Van Doorn-Harder, Pieternella

• ISBN13: 9780252073175
• ISBN10: 0252073177
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-10-16
• Publisher: Univ of Illinois Pr

Summary

In the United States, precious little is known about the active role Muslim women have played for nearly a century in the religious culture of Indonesia, the largest majority-Muslim country in the world. While much of the Muslim world excludes women from the domain of religious authority, the country's two leading Muslim organizations--Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)--have created enormous networks led by women who interpret sacred texts and exercise powerful religious influence. In Women Shaping Islam, Pieternella van Doorn-Harder explores the work of these contemporary women leaders, examining their attitudes toward the rise of radical Islamists; the actions of the authoritarian Soeharto regime; women's education and employment; birth control and family planning; and sexual morality. Ultimately, van Doorn-Harder reveals the many ways in which Muslim women leaders understand and utilize Islam as a significant force for societal change; one that ultimately improves the economic, social, and psychological condition of women in Indonesian society.

Author Biography

Pieternella van Doorn-Harder is an associate professor of Islam and world religions at Valparaiso University. She is the author of Contemporary Coptic Nuns and the editor of Between Desert and City: the Coptic Orthodox Church Today.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(26)
PART 1: INDONESIAN ISLAMIC LANDSCAPES
1. Discussing Islam, Discussing Gender	27	(23)
2. Competing in Goodness: Muhammadiyah and Nandlatul Ulama	50	(37)
PART 2: WOMEN OF MUHAMMADIYAH
3. 'Aisyiyah's Jihad	87	(44)
4. Nurturing the Future: Nasyiatul 'Aisyiyah	131	(34)
PART 3: WOMEN OF NAHDLATUL ULAMA
5. Tradition Revisited: The Pesantren	165	(38)
6. Tradition in Action: Muslimat NU	203	(34)
7. Post-Tradition: NU Activists	237	(24)
Conclusion	261	(8)
Notes	269	(24)
Glossary	293	(4)
Bibliography	297	(20)
Index	317