Religion, Women, Politics and UUPA (Special Law for Aceh): Reconstruction Efforts in the Post-Tsunami, Post Conflict Period

Suraiya IT State Islamic University, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Religion has continued to play a very significant role both in the women’s issues and as well as in socio-political discourse in Indonesia. As part of the process of discussion and implementation of UUPA (Special Law for Aceh Province), the Indonesian parliament granted Aceh province freedom to legislate its own law and the right to implement Syariah or Islamic law. But the question of whether Syariah Islam has the ability to accommodate women’s rights and how it might affect some of these rights (negatively or positively) which are already enjoyed by Acehnese women needs to be asked. This discourse will explore a comprehensive way of studying the impact of the Syariah law on women and to understand the interaction between religion and culture.

We will also attempt to discuss and understand the notion of Islamic identity and gender relations in Aceh, Indonesia. How the perception of women influences the interpretations of the Quranic position on woman in Islam, with particular reference to the Indonesia. How religion impacts social change and the perspective of women participation in politics. And the position of women in times of war (armed conflict) and the role of women in post-conflict reconstruction including the recent example of what occurred in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Aceh, and the rights and roles of women in politics in the context of Syariah Islam will be discussed.

Suraiya IT received a PhD in Philosophy from the Department of Religion, Temple University, Philadelphia in 2005. She is on the faculty at the State Islamic University, Darussalam, Banda Aceh - Indonesia, and chair of the International Forum for Aceh, a human rights organization seeking for peaceful solution and advocating human rights and democracy to end the conflict in Aceh. She is currently in New York City working with the Permanent Observer Mission of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to the United Nations (S. Shahid Husain) in the preparation of a non-paper regarding the establishment of an International Federation of Islamic Women’s Organizations which could serve as a non-governmental organization dedicated to the promotion of interests of women in Islamic countries; also to the enhancement of their roles in the family, and the socio-economic development of the society.

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